¹ R. David, “Sources of the Ethiopian Civil Code”, (1967) 4 J. Eth. I.aw 342.

² Ibid., p. 343.

^{page 146 note 1} This may still occur in the non-codified field of conflict of laws.

^{page 146 note 2} See Civil Code of the Empire of Ethiopia (1960), Preface (emphasis added).

^{page 146 note 3} See (1965), 2 J. Eth. Law, pp. 425 et seq.

^{page 146 note 4} See (1964), 1 J. Eth. Law 315.

^{page 147 note 1} Or his “customary” appreciation, which may coincide with the equitable one: cf. “Code and Custom” (supra, p. 146, n.3); s.v. Judicial Interpretation, pp. 434–5.

^{page 147 note 2} This classification is inspired by that used in romanist writings on the legal role of customs.

^{page 147 note 3} Supra, p. 318.

^{page 147 note 4} Under the Constitution, the Emperor is supreme co-legislator.

^{page 147 note 5} R. David, “A Civil Code for Ethiopia” (1963), 37 Tulane Law Review, 203.

^{page 147 note 6} Seven years ago, Professor R. David (see above) proposed a procedural regulation which would have supplied a temporary channel for a limited application, at lower courts level, of custom and equity contra legem. This has not been accepted: see G. Krzeczunowicz, “The Ethiopian Civil Code: its usefulness, relation to custom and applicability”, [1963] J.A.L., pp. 176–7.

^{page 148 note 1} Avakian v. Avakian (1964), 1 J. Eth. Law 26.

^{page 148 note 2} J. Vanderlinden, “Civil law and common law influences on the developing law of Ethiopia”, Buffalo Law Review, Vol. 16 (1966), p. 264.

^{page 148 note 3} “Article 881 (2–3) of the Civil Code.

^{page 148 note 4} Form required ad probationem of the testator's intention rather than ad validitatem of his will.

^{page 148 note 5} P. Sand, “Authentication and validation of wills” (1967), 4 J. Eth. Law, pp. 193–195.

^{page 148 note 6} See supra, ab initio.

^{page 148 note 7} See Sand, op. cit.

^{page 149 note 1} See R. A. Sedler, “The Chilot Jurisdiction of the Emperors of Ethiopia”, [1964] J.A.L. 59–76.

^{page 149 note 2} Articles 322, Civ. Pr. C. and 183, Crim. Pr. C.

^{page 149 note 3} Arts. 26 cum 88 of Rev. Constitution. See G. Krzeczunowicz, “Regime of Assembly in Ethiopia” (1963), J. Eth. Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, and “Hierarchy of Laws in Ethiopia” (1964), 1 J. Eth. Law.

^{page 150 note 1} This remark is without prejudice to the aforementioned interpretative function of equity where the existing legal regulation is obscure.

^{page 150 note 2} See “Code and Custom” (cited at p. 146, n. 3 above), s.v. Filling Code Vacuums, p. 433.

^{page 150 note 3} Contrast R. David, work cited at p. 146, n. 5 above, p. 200, al. 2, and “Le Code Civil Ethiopien de 1960” (1961), 4 Rabels Zeitschrift 674 (d).

^{page 151 note 1} Cf. the express references to custom in “Code and Custom” (cited at p. 146, n. 3). PP. 430 et seq.

^{page 151 note 2} This is similar to the “repugnancy” clauses restricting application of customs in some Afro-Asian common-law jurisdictions.

^{page 151 note 3} See articles 607–618 on the legal conditions concerning age, consanguinity, bigamy, incapacity, violence and substantial error.

^{page 151 note 4} Although custom may in fact influence a judge's view of fairness.

^{page 152 note 1} Save where the parties have precluded such a grant (sub-art. 3).

^{page 152 note 2} Article 2534, absurdly mistranslated in the code's English version, should read: “All work is deemed done for a wage where it is not customary that it be done gratuitously, or where it falls within the doer's professional activities.”

^{page 152 note 3} See e.g. note 5 to article 2030 in G. Krzeczunowicz, The Law of Extra-Contractual Liability in Ethiopia, Vol. 1, Addis Ababa, Faculty of Law H.S.I. University (1970).

^{page 152 note 4} This is no bar to liability: see article 2030.

^{page 152 note 5} Liability under article 2036 (2).

^{page 152 note 6} See article 2091.

^{page 152 note 7} Liability under article 2066.

^{page 153 note 1} “Fair” in the English version.

^{page 153 note 2} Note that customs non-repugnant to equity should be considered in fixing the amount to be awarded within Eth. $1000 limit (article 2116).

^{page 153 note 3} See G. Krzeczunowicz (cited at p. 152, n. 3), n. 43 to Historical Introduction.

^{page 153 note 4} In the French original version. These powers are exercised within the general guidelines of articles 2158–9.

^{page 154 note 1} They rarely were strictly binding even in pre-code Ethiopia: see R. David (cited at p. 147, n. 5 above).

^{page 154 note 2} See also G. Krzeczunowicz, “The nature of marriage under the Ethiopian Civil Code”, [1967] J.A.L. 178.

^{page 154 note 3} See e.g. article 695 (2).

^{page 154 note 4} Under the code, these arbitrators are the marriage witnesses or later appointees of the spouses: article 725.

^{page 154 note 5} See articles 641 (2), 648 (2), 655 (2), 660 (c).

^{page 154 note 6} See articles 666–82, 691–95 and, basically, 727–28.

^{page 154 note 7} See J. H. Beckstrom, Divorce in Urban Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 1969 (publication forthcoming), in fine.

^{page 154 note 8} See [Exposé des motifs” in R. David, Le droit de la famille dans le code civil èthiopien, Milano, Giuffre, 1967, p. 64.

^{page 154 note 9} See e.g. the permissive references in succession law (articles 941, 945, 969) and the mandatory references in the chapter on building contracts (articles 3027, 3032).

^{page 155 note 1} Cf. p. 145, supra.

^{page 155 note 2} On the connotations of “arbitration”, see e.g. Elias, Nature of African customary law, 1956, pp. 212 ff. Cf. also Allott, A. N., Essays in African law, London, 1960.Google Scholar

^{page 155 note 3} Articles 3325 et seq. There may rather be some analogy with “conciliation” (articles 3318 et seq.).

^{page 155 note 4} Article 3308 (2) cum 2443–5. Cf. 1825.

^{page 155 note 5} Which are brought about by elders called shemagele.

^{page 155 note 6} This of course does not preclude remedies based on other defects in consent, such as those due to duress (article 1706) or fraud (article 1704).

Neither do the courts refuse to hear appeals for violation of law in cases of an arbitration in the legal sense of that term (see articles 3325–46).

But they may bar such appeals where the parties [seeking an equitable decision] have “exempted” the arbitrators from deciding “according to law” (art. 317, Civ. Pr. C).

^{page 155 note 7} T. Gerahty, People, practice, attitudes and problems in the lower courts of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 1969 (publication forthcoming).

^{page 156 note 1} Op. cit., s.v. Atbia Dania.

^{page 156 note 2} Pursuant to this Proclamation the atbia dania, himself selected from among local landowners, was to sit with two assessors (a fading practice).

^{page 156 note 3} These judges were interviewed by T. Gerahty, op. cit., s.v. Judges and Litigants.

^{page 157 note 1} Such view may sometimes be blurred by obscurities of meaning in the Code's controlling Amharic version and/or the English version (see p. 152, n. 2 above). In such case, the interpreter's glance at that masterpiece of coherence, the original French version of the Code, will clarify matters.

^{page 157 note 2} In an earlier issue of the Journal of African Law (1963, Vol. 7, p. 177) we have advanced the idea of legislative code revisions. This is clearly compatible with, indeed complementary to, the theses of this paper.