The African Charter as Representing the African Standard of Human Rights in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

This chapter is an introduction to the notion of regionalism in general and, more specifically, the African concept of human rights. It provides justification for the choice of the African Charter as the basis for analysing and assessing the concept and practice of human rights in the continent. It begins by introducing the concepts of universalism and regionalism and tracing the well-traversed universalism-cultural relativism debate. It then proceeds to examine the origin and foundation of the African Charter with a view to justifying its position as the human rights manual for the continent.