By Annie Hagstrom
Michigan Law
Over the summer, two recent Michigan Law graduates and one 3L student participated in a two-week academic program in Tanzania, on African law and African Union law, the only U.S. students invited to participate.
Through the Law School’s Center for International and Comparative Law (CICL) and the Clara Belfield and Henry Bates Overseas Fellowship, Lindsey Bressler, ’26; Moamen Keshlaf, ’26; and 3L Awo Onwudiwe participated in the Kilimanjaro Academy on African Union Law and the Public Law of Africa.
Facilitated by the African Institute of International Law (AIIL), the Kilimanjaro Academy is designed to give participants a deeper understanding of Africa’s legal frameworks by covering key areas such as peace and security, human rights, environmental law, and the African Continental Free Trade Area through lectures delivered by leading African scholars, judges, and practitioners.
The Hon. Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, a former president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), founded AIIL in 2012 and serves as president. The Law School’s invitation to participate came from the ongoing connection with Judge Yusuf, particularly after he visited to give the 2025 Bishop Lecture.
During the Kilimanjaro Academy, participants heard from African judges, practitioners, and academics, including ICJ Judge Dire Tladi and Professor Dr. Mathias Sahinkuye, program director of the AIIL. Tladi's scholarship was cited frequently in the Michigan Journal of International Law during the time Keshlaf served as editor-in-chief.
After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania from 2018 to 2019, Bressler was thrilled to receive an email from CICL about the Kilimanjaro Academy.
“This program is one of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do in law school,” she said. “It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to hear perspectives that you don’t get exposed to in doctrinal classes.”
The students spent time at the African Court of Human Rights, learning about agreements on African free trade, environmentalism and climate change, legal frameworks in the African continent, and Pan-Africanism.
“There were professors from across the African continent: Burundi, Tunisia, Morocco, and Lesotho,” Bressler said. “We also had the opportunity to visit the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption.”
Keshlaf matriculated at Michigan Law with a focus on international law. During his 1L summer, he worked at the UN International Law Commission in Geneva through the International Summer Public Interest Internship program. In 2025, Keshlaf, who is Libyan, was inspired by ICJ Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf’s Bishop Lecture at MLaw; and served as editor-in-chief of the Michigan Journal of International Law in his 3L year.
When Keshlaf learned about the Kilimanjaro Academy and that Judge Yusuf was behind it, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to build on his interest in international and comparative law.
He said, “The Kilimanjaro Academy is a way to get out of your comfort zone, out of the American legal system, network, and further your understanding of how other countries do things and think about shared issues. I really hope that Michigan Law continues investing in this program and continues its connection with the AIIL. Organizations like the AIIL do not have the same resources or visibility as their Western equivalents, which makes it all the more important that we support them, spread the word about their work, and encourage others to participate as we continue to elevate African voices on the international legal stage. The more people attend, the more we can contribute to the program while also making the discussions richer and more diverse.”
As a 2L Onwudiwe participated in the semester-long Geneva Externship program at Michigan Law. Her experience with International Bridges to Justice (IBJ), which provides training on the Global South for public defenders, inspired her to sign up for the Kilimanjaro Academy.
“IBJ did a lot of work in Africa, and working with them was the first time I was exposed to African law and African Union law,” she said. “Then, I saw an email from CICL about the Kilimanjaro Academy, and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to expand my knowledge.”
A third-year public interest student, Onwudiwe serves on the e-board for the International Law Society, through which she hopes to create events focused on African Union law at the Law School.
Michigan Law
Over the summer, two recent Michigan Law graduates and one 3L student participated in a two-week academic program in Tanzania, on African law and African Union law, the only U.S. students invited to participate.
Through the Law School’s Center for International and Comparative Law (CICL) and the Clara Belfield and Henry Bates Overseas Fellowship, Lindsey Bressler, ’26; Moamen Keshlaf, ’26; and 3L Awo Onwudiwe participated in the Kilimanjaro Academy on African Union Law and the Public Law of Africa.
Facilitated by the African Institute of International Law (AIIL), the Kilimanjaro Academy is designed to give participants a deeper understanding of Africa’s legal frameworks by covering key areas such as peace and security, human rights, environmental law, and the African Continental Free Trade Area through lectures delivered by leading African scholars, judges, and practitioners.
The Hon. Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, a former president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), founded AIIL in 2012 and serves as president. The Law School’s invitation to participate came from the ongoing connection with Judge Yusuf, particularly after he visited to give the 2025 Bishop Lecture.
During the Kilimanjaro Academy, participants heard from African judges, practitioners, and academics, including ICJ Judge Dire Tladi and Professor Dr. Mathias Sahinkuye, program director of the AIIL. Tladi's scholarship was cited frequently in the Michigan Journal of International Law during the time Keshlaf served as editor-in-chief.
After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania from 2018 to 2019, Bressler was thrilled to receive an email from CICL about the Kilimanjaro Academy.
“This program is one of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do in law school,” she said. “It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to hear perspectives that you don’t get exposed to in doctrinal classes.”
The students spent time at the African Court of Human Rights, learning about agreements on African free trade, environmentalism and climate change, legal frameworks in the African continent, and Pan-Africanism.
“There were professors from across the African continent: Burundi, Tunisia, Morocco, and Lesotho,” Bressler said. “We also had the opportunity to visit the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption.”
Keshlaf matriculated at Michigan Law with a focus on international law. During his 1L summer, he worked at the UN International Law Commission in Geneva through the International Summer Public Interest Internship program. In 2025, Keshlaf, who is Libyan, was inspired by ICJ Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf’s Bishop Lecture at MLaw; and served as editor-in-chief of the Michigan Journal of International Law in his 3L year.
When Keshlaf learned about the Kilimanjaro Academy and that Judge Yusuf was behind it, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to build on his interest in international and comparative law.
He said, “The Kilimanjaro Academy is a way to get out of your comfort zone, out of the American legal system, network, and further your understanding of how other countries do things and think about shared issues. I really hope that Michigan Law continues investing in this program and continues its connection with the AIIL. Organizations like the AIIL do not have the same resources or visibility as their Western equivalents, which makes it all the more important that we support them, spread the word about their work, and encourage others to participate as we continue to elevate African voices on the international legal stage. The more people attend, the more we can contribute to the program while also making the discussions richer and more diverse.”
As a 2L Onwudiwe participated in the semester-long Geneva Externship program at Michigan Law. Her experience with International Bridges to Justice (IBJ), which provides training on the Global South for public defenders, inspired her to sign up for the Kilimanjaro Academy.
“IBJ did a lot of work in Africa, and working with them was the first time I was exposed to African law and African Union law,” she said. “Then, I saw an email from CICL about the Kilimanjaro Academy, and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to expand my knowledge.”
A third-year public interest student, Onwudiwe serves on the e-board for the International Law Society, through which she hopes to create events focused on African Union law at the Law School.
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