Justice a Agadez

In the Nigerian town Agadez, order is not only maintained by the police and the official law courts, but also by another judiciary, stemming from the traditions of the Tuareg and the Koran. Director Christian Lelong chose seven cases to symbolize the seven days of the week, placing his camera as a silent witness in 'the court room'. The judge, sitting in an armchair one level above the plaintiffs who stand on an old worn carpet, presides over all manner of grievances. Authority is the Cadi's main instrument in adjudicating cases of unfair trading, debt and debt collection, theft and false accusation. Rather than passing judgements, he uses deduction and comes up with unsubstantiated arguments and proofs. The sessions are reminiscent of myths about wise rulers who solved cases by posing riddles, which revealed the virtue of one party and the malicious intentions of the other. Cases concerning marital disputes tend to be more complicated. In contrast to other traditional Islamic courts, in Agadez, women can also demand their rights. In the most serious cases, divorce is not entirely out of the question. The Cadi, his face calm as he listens to one of the people he has summoned, a child rocking on his knee, is a moral cornerstone for the people. No one can guarantee that the next Cadi will be as benevolent, however.