Human Rights and Minorities in Africa: A Theoretical and Conceptual Overview

This article addresses the human rights issues in Africa within the context of some general theories of human rights. The article notes that African countries have been unsuccessful in implementing the tenets of the documents they signed including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights of 1981 and 1986 in spite of their participation in the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity. It notices that governments in Africa do not often respect their national constitutions on the issue of human rights.