African Agency in Contested Contexts: A reflection on Trust Africa’s work in international criminal justice

Abstract

In 2016, TrustAfrica celebrates its first decade as an African foundation and leader in shaping African philanthropy on the continent. Its work is built on a commitment to African agency, the conviction that Africans are the rightful drivers of efforts aimed at the transformation of their condition. This notion of agency is complicated, however, in the case of TrustAfrica’s International Criminal Justice (ICJ) Fund. In this field, which seeks international justice for victims of crimes such as atrocity, opinions are sharply divided over what it means for Africans to support Africa. This chapter discusses TrustAfrica’s work in this contested setting, where a truly African theory and practice of philanthropy is emerging.