ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the field of race relations in Africa and the extent to which domestic initiatives and international action can promote a congruence between protection of rights and harmonious interaction between man and man. The black races have historically been looked down upon more universally than almost any other race. And the African continent in historical times has been a vast raiding ground for slaves destined for widely separated parts of the globe. In Africa outside the white-dominated areas there is as yet inadequate use of the law as a direct answer to aspects of racial prejudice. In addition the very idea of creating an African commercial class was inevitably a matter which could seriously undermine the livelihood of some of the poorer shopkeepers among East Africa’s immigrant communities. Legal means are not always used in favour of racial tolerance; they are at times invoked to sanctify prejudice and organize discrimination.
