The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law by Albie Sachs – French Edition
Posted: 28 December, 2021 Filed under: Emmanuel de Groof | Tags: Judge Albie Sachs, South African Constitutional Court, The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law Leave a commentAuthor: Emmanuel de Groof
Former Albie Sachs’ Law Clerk, South African Constitutional Court
Bonjour tout le monde, particulièrement au monde francophone. C’est un honneur de pouvoir co-introduire ce vernissage du livre L’étrange alchimie de la vie et de la loi du Juge Albie Sachs. Aujourd’hui, ce livre a toute sa pertinence.
More than 10 years ago, in 2008, I had the honour to work as a law clerk for Albie Sachs. My work as a clerk was double. On the one hand, I worked with and for Albie in doing research for the book published in 2008, The strange alchemy of life and law with Oxford University Press. On the other hand, I did my regular work as a law clerk on the cases that were then pending. One idea is very central to the work I could then do, together with other law clerks, in Albie Sachs’ chamber: in French we would say, ‘de la confrontation des idées jaillit la lumière’. It’s the simple idea that by confronting ideas – by communicating, by debating, by being honest – you will get, not to an absolute truth but at least closer to an idea of justice and truth.