HUC is celebrating 41 years, and by all standards, it is a crown jewel of the Jesuit Higher Education endeavor in Africa and Madagascar. It boasts very competent and tested leaders and a compelling strategic vision. These are the words of Rev. Fr. John the Baptist Anyeh-Zamcho, SJ, the Socius of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar.
Fr. John the Baptist spoke at Hekima University College during the Inaugural event for the 41 st Academic Year 2024-2025, where he represented the JCAM President, Rev. Fr. Jose Minaku, SJ. In the inaugural speech, Fr. John the Baptist, also an alumnus of Hekima, pointed out that the institution actively promotes excellence in teaching, research, and intellectual scholarship, all infused with the two features of Jesuit Humanism and African Heritage.
He further observed that each of the institutes that make up Hekima points to the fact that the institution is not interested in uncritically imparting knowledge; neither is it focused on expanding the numbers. “You will not come to Hekima and find two hundred or five hundred students in one class. Most importantly, Hekima is not interested in repeating structures that perpetuate injustice and ignorance but rather in proposing real change and transformation,” Fr. John the Baptist said.
He pointed out that Hekima, as an institution dedicated to the search for wisdom, has had a steady and dauntless expansion with a unique strategic positioning that very few can imitate. This is embodied in the unique institutes that make up Hekima; they include the Jesuit School of Theology JST, the Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations HIPSIR, the Jesuit Historical Institute for Africa JHIA, the Jesuit Center for Safeguarding in Africa JCSA, the Center for Research Training and Publication
CRTP, and Center for Interfaith Studies in Africa CISA.
According to Fr. John the Baptist, a native of Cameroon, all these institutes have a strategic orientation towards proposing real change and transformation. He, however, feels that the institutes are not fully utilized, including those who are studying at Hekima. He adds that oftentimes, those Hekima students only concern themselves with the program they are undertaking.
Singling out the Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa, Fr. John the Baptist pointed out that as the 200 th Anniversary of the restoration of the Society of Jesus was nearing, the then-general Fr. Adolfo Nicolas made a crucial decision to empower Africa to interpret its history leading to the formation of the JHIA, an institute that should become a formidable tool to help the continent change its future. Yet, many people who visit the Hekima postgraduate campus, currently known as the MDGA building on Riara Road, never care to go to the JHIA to discover what is there.
“I am not disparaging your intellectual pursuits; this is a typical attitude because, like the bulk of the population of Africa, what most preoccupies people is the search for survival. For Hekima students, finishing the next assignment is important. That is a legitimate concern, so my comments should not discourage you. However, pursuing justice begins with the brave choice of breaking free from any institutions and structures that hinder action or obscure the truth,” Fr. John the Baptist explained.
Meanwhile, the JCAM Socius underscored the importance of such institutes at Hekima in mitigating many challenges facing African society. To begin with, he talked about the revelation from the new Hekima Strategic Plan 2024-2030 that only 1% of scholarly articles about Africa published in scholarly forms emanate from Africa. This, he explained, means a staggering African absence, yet a critical
defining factor of any funding, research, policy development, or framework that affects the continent.
“To contextualize this further, we have to look at global trends. For example, the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs shows in its 2022 estimate that Sab Saharan Africa will have the fastest-growing population from 2022 to 2050. Africas population will be that of East Asia, including China, the Philippines, and Indonesia collectively. During this period, 2022 to 2050, what structures will respond to the challenges that Africa is facing and will continue to face?” he posed.
Fr. John the Baptist cautioned that without any decisive and far-reaching change, all the international political, economic, and sociological policies developed for Africa will continue to be done in corridors far from the continent. He noted that it is now becoming evident that with the massive rise in population coupled with vast deposits of criminal arms in Africa, the next generations work will be even more formidable and near impossible. In addition, Fr. John the Baptist indicated that the conflicts in many African countries, such as Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Mali, are the beginning of future challenges and coupled with other African countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, and DRC which are emerging as linchpins in the race for green minerals, Africa is facing many more difficulties.
“As we have just heard, the world is increasingly moving away from fossil fuels, and what looked 60 years ago like an epiphenomenon in global economics is becoming a gigantic movement. Fortunately, Africa is poorer for this because, at the same time, there are no Indigenous institutions that provide the authority, the outlook, or the voice to speak for Africa's needs. We are staring at a space that has bloated out the continents presence,” he observed.
Fr. John the Baptist thus recommended that pursuing justice must begin with the brave choice of breaking free from any institutions and structures that hinder action or obscure the truth. Hekima, therefore, being an institution well-endowed with so much potential, Fr. John the Baptist wonders why these capacities can’t be put to pedagogical use, why Hekima students and teachers can't become pacesetters by transforming how higher education is done on the continent.
“I am convinced that during this Academic Year 2024-2025, much progress will be made in harnessing the immense capacity that can be generated in collective and collaborative work. As a member of the Hekima, you must know that wisdom can be elusive, and only veteran fighters can engage in the quest. The continent of Africa desperately needs you for survival. Hekima, therefore, is a beacon of hope for genuine wisdom, and I pray that you will seize the opportunity.”