The seminar brought together speakers who have engaged seriously on land advocacy in Africa in recent years and looked at what lessons have been learned and at how best to respond to the current threats to Africa of the global land grab. Martin Adams (Mokoro) presented on ‘‘Land Reform in Southern Africa: What has changed?’.  Martin reflected on an important part of his vast experience of working on land, in this instance of working within the ministries of both governments committed to pro-poor land reform and of governments which were not. Chris Tanner (Mokoro) spoke about ‘Struggling to implement a progressive 1997 land law in Mozambique’. He reflected on his 11 years of work with FAO in Mozambique on legal empowerment and access to justice, including paralegal courses, seminars for local government officials, gender issues etc. William Beinart (African Studies Centre, University of Oxford) talked about his recent experiences acting as an expert witness in land restitution cases in South Africa. William’s presentation dealt with the complexities of restitution, the lack of clarity in the legal status of land rights for those who live in the former homelands of South Africa and some recent ideas about how those rights can be made more secure. Finally, Rachel Ibreck (Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Goldsmiths, University of London) presented ‘Reflections on the significance of customary authority and local patronage politics for land grab advocacy in Africa.’

Chair: Robin Palmer, Mokoro
Introduction

Speakers:

Martin Adams, Mokoro
Presentation.

Chris Tanner, Mokoro

William Beinart, University of Oxford

Rachel Ibreck, Goldsmiths