The Joyful Ride to Vienna
Travelled by Annie Adikin
Makerere University Vis Moot Team Member
I have been fumbling for the right words to describe my Vis Moot experience, and I have to say, it hasn’t been easy. My journey has been wholesome and rich, one of those stories you simply cannot keep to yourself.
The first sign of good things to come in my Vis Moot experience was being added to the Africa in the Moot WhatsApp platform on my birthday! This happened right after I was selected by my university to be part of a five-member team consisting of Madan Semusatsi, Edisa Longo, Fortunate Kirabo and Hans Tukwatanise. Together with our local coach Jordan Mugabi, we were the formidable team to represent Makerere University in the 30th Annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
My participation in the Vis Moot has been more than a competition. It has ushered me into the world of international arbitration and given me potential legal career prospects in this field. Looking back on my experience, I must say that joining Africa in the Moot has been one of those life-changing decisions. I have experienced family and community by belonging to the Africa in the Moot.
In the past, I have found the journey of a mooter to be quite a lonely one. However, with the access to supportive international coaches, the continuous virtual lectures by academics in the field of international commercial arbitration and the meticulous preparation by the different working committees of Africa in the Moot, my story has been different.
I speak for the entire Makerere University team when I say that I am extremely thankful for the selfless support our coaches availed to us through Africa in the Moot. Florian Wundrich and Jan Heller supported us every step of the way. They dedicated their time to read through our draft arguments during the written memorial preparations and helped us finetune them. They were with us from the release of Moot Problem to our oral hearings in Vienna.
Along our Vis Moot journey, we participated in the 2nd edition of the East Africa Pre-Moot which was held in Nairobi, Kenya. This was another major highlight! The Pre-Moot was preceded by workshop sessions which were very helpful in the preparation of our oral arguments. We received constructive criticism that helped us sharpen our arguments. I also got the opportunity to make valuable friendships with other African students that were in attendance. It is at this Pre-Moot that I emerged as the Best Individual Oralist! This is an achievement I do not take for granted. I strongly believe that the thoroughness of the workshop sessions that were facilitated by Africa in the Moot, the co-hosts Jones Day and Loyola University and the different invaluable sponsors, heavily contributed to this achievement.
All roads eventually led to Vienna! With the inestimable support of our sponsors: Allen and Overy, Frankfurt Germany, ABMAK Associates Uganda and the Arbitration Fund for African Students, the Makerere University team was able to go to Vienna for the oral phase of the Vis Moot competition. Nothing can beat our first experience in Vienna! Due to the delay in our visas, we arrived two days later than expected, but what transpired upon our arrival is a story I will live to remember.
Before we could catch our breath at the airport, our coach whisked us off to our first preliminary rounds at the University of Vienna. Upon arriving at the pleading room, Tijmen Klein Bronsvoort, one of the founding directors of Africa in the Moot, welcomed us and gave us our very first bite of Vienna (some lovely croissants the taste of which I unfortunately don’t remember because of the nerves). Our first preliminary round went very well, and it was during this moment that I got to deeply appreciate how Africa in the Moot prepared us through the educational series and the Nairobi workshop. We had really internalized our oral arguments and knew our moot problem inside out. What a first day!
My experience in Vienna proved to be a memorable one. I met a lot of new faces and reunited with some familiar ones from the African teams that I had met in Nairobi. I enriched my network from the multiple social events that I attended courtesy of Africa in the Moot, such as the breakfast by Hanefeld and the Africa Reception at the Pitkowitz & Partners offices. I also had my fair share of sightseeing: the Belvedere Museum, with its grand artwork, stands at the top for me.
Our time in Vienna ended sooner than I would have loved, but it ended on a good note. We received textbooks as gifts from friends of Africa in the Moot and the Vis Moot organizers. With all that I had learned and seen, I could not wait to spread the Vis Moot spirit!
Currently, I am the local coach of Makerere University’s 31st Vis Moot team and a member of the Education and Training Committee of Africa in the Moot. Just as Africa in the Moot has been my strong pillar on my Vis Moot journey, I am eager to pass on that support.
Long live Africa in the Moot!