New York, Oct. 29, 2009 – When asked about her daily endeavors, Unity Dow, a distinguished visiting professor at Columbia Law School this fall, paused to reflect. Perhaps a more fitting question might be, “what didn’t Unity Dow do today?” Her remarkable career and ongoing pursuits paint a picture of a woman who embodies multifaceted excellence.
After a thoughtful moment, Dow, currently sharing her expertise at Columbia Law School, offered a succinct self-description: “I guess I’m a lawyer first.”
However, a glance at her extensive résumé reveals a narrative far richer than a single label can encompass.
Dow’s retirement in April from her decade-long tenure as a justice on Botswana’s highest court marked not an end, but a transition. She was the first woman to ever hold this esteemed position, shattering barriers and paving the way for future generations.
Beyond the courtroom, Dow is a celebrated author, penning four novels classified as legal thrillers. Yet, these are not mere escapist reads. Her books delve into profound societal issues, tackling subjects like HIV/AIDS, child protection, and violence against women. These are not just themes she writes about; they are the very issues she has confronted head-on throughout her career as a lawyer.
“Judges play a vital role, of course. But so do the people who come before them,” Dow stated, emphasizing her dedication to both sides of the legal spectrum. Her experience spans roles as a prosecutor and defense attorney, and her future focus will center on human rights cases within Botswana and across the African continent.
This path is well-trodden ground for Dow. She is a co-founder of both the AIDS Action Trust and the Women and Law in Southern Africa Research Project. Her activism extends to numerous women’s rights organizations. Notably, Dow spearheaded a successful legal challenge against a discriminatory Botswana law that prevented women married to foreign nationals from passing their citizenship to their children, a right automatically granted to men in similar circumstances.
While Dow identifies as a lawyer first, her current role is that of a professor, leading a seminar at the Law School titled Indigenous Peoples’ Rights to Land and Land-Based Resources. This is a domain where Dow’s authority is undisputed.
In 2006, Dow authored the pivotal decision in a landmark case that affirmed the rights of Bushmen in the Kalahari to their ancestral lands and traditional hunting practices within a nature preserve. This ruling came after the Botswana government attempted to forcibly relocate them. The trial, a focal point for human rights advocates worldwide, became the longest and most costly in Botswana’s history.
“It prompted me to consider the issue on a larger scale,” Dow explained. “How can cultural identity, which is universally valued, be preserved without leading to isolation?”
Another critical area of Dow’s engagement has been the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has profoundly impacted Botswana and the wider African continent. In 2000, the World Health Organization issued a grim prediction: 85 percent of 15-year-olds in Botswana were projected to succumb to the disease. However, the widespread availability of antiretroviral drugs in recent years has dramatically altered this trajectory.
“Witnessing the transformation over the last five years has been remarkable,” Dow commented, highlighting Botswana’s shift from being the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. “Now, death is no longer an inevitable outcome.”
Botswana’s success in turning the tide against AIDS served as inspiration for Dow’s first non-fiction work, Saturday is for Funerals, co-authored with Harvard University AIDS researcher Max Essex. Scheduled for release next May, the book intertwines poignant narratives of the struggles and triumphs in confronting AIDS with accessible scientific explanations of the underlying medical and social challenges.
“The core of the problem isn’t purely scientific or medical. It’s multifaceted,” Dow emphasized. “It encompasses the totality of human existence – how people live, love, and navigate life’s hardships.”
Despite numerous visits to New York, primarily for brief engagements at the United Nations – experiences she describes as “Hotel. Work. Out.” – this extended stay has given her a different perspective. She even has a surprising observation about the city: it’s too quiet.
“If this office floor were in Botswana,” she remarked from her Jerome Greene Hall office, “it would be filled with sounds of life. People would greet each other, ask ‘How are you?’ Here, the silence is striking. Even in an elevator back home, you’d strike up conversations with strangers.”
Her connection to home remains profound. Despite extensive global travel for teaching and lecturing, Dow cannot envision a prolonged absence from Africa. Christmas will find her back in Botswana, enjoying a quiet holiday with family and attending vibrant choir competitions, where groups perform songs reflecting the year’s significant events.
“I’m looking forward to the choir festivals, and afterwards, escaping to the bush for camping, hopefully spotting some elephants, maybe even ‘hugging’ a lion,” she chuckled.
While actual lions may be confined to Columbia’s athletic mascots, Dow finds her time at the Law School intellectually stimulating.
“It’s a constant flow of ideas, which I absolutely love,” she enthused. “I’m certain this experience here will shape a future book.”
Columbia Law School, established in 1858, is a leading institution in legal education and its role in global society. It blends traditional strengths in international and comparative law, constitutional law, administrative law, business law, and human rights law with pioneering work in emerging fields such as intellectual property, digital technology, sexuality and gender, criminal justice, national security, and environmental law.
