Hekima University College Marks Cultural Day 2025: “Rooted in Faith, Proudly African”
Hekima University College came alive with vibrant colors, rhythms, and the spirit of unity as students, faculty, and guests gathered to celebrate Cultural Day 2025, themed faith, identity, and rootedness. The celebration began with a Eucharistic liturgy presided over by Fr. Alexis Kasereka, AA, who invited the Hekima community to reflect on the harmony between Christianity and African culture.
In his homily, Fr. Kasereka revisited a long-standing theological question from African Christianity, “Can one be truly Christian and remain authentically African?” Drawing from the history of the Zairean Rite celebrated at St. Peter’s Basilica in 2019 under Pope Francis, he emphasized that African expressions of faith, including song, dance, and drums, are not profanations but sacred manifestations of the Gospel within African cultures.
“We should always be proud of what we are and what we have,” he said. “Today, we celebrate how divine life and human fellowship interweave in a sacred moment; where the Word of God resonates in our cultures.” He reminded the congregation that the Gospel does not erase culture but transforms it, making faith “a dynamic encounter where divine grace elevates culture, and culture embodies grace.”
Fr. Kasereka urged the Hekima community to cultivate “a culture of love, peace, justice, and academic excellence” while rejecting “cultures of lies, gossip, and mediocrity.” His call to repentance and renewal linked faith, morality, and intellectual formation at the heart of Jesuit education.
After the Mass, Rev. Dr. Marcel Uwineza, SJ, the Principal of Hekima University College, delivered an inspiring address on the importance of remembering one’s roots. Opening with a moving Ghanaian story told through the story of a grandmother and her grandson, he warned against the loss of cultural memory in a modern, digital world. “Progress without roots,” he said, “is like a tree without soil, which is impressive outside, but doomed to wither.”
Dr. Uwineza reflected on how culture shapes identity, community, and faith. “To celebrate our roots is not to go backward,” he affirmed. “It is to remember what keeps us standing upright. Our roots remind us that before Google taught us how to do things, our grandmothers already knew why we do them.”
He cautioned against superficial living and urged students to seek depth, respect, and wisdom; values that are deeply embedded in African cultures. “Let us not lose the respect for elders,” he said. “When you forget your roots, you risk becoming a global citizen who cannot describe your mother’s cooking.”
Highlighting Hekima’s diversity with students from 29 nationalities across Africa and beyond, Dr. Uwineza called the college “a beautiful garden where many colors, languages, and traditions form one vibrant family.” He encouraged students to be “creative custodians” of culture, not passive consumers, and to reinterpret their traditions for the modern world through education, art, technology, and faith.
“Be modern, yes, but also be yourself,” he said. “You can borrow someone’s clothes, but you cannot borrow their skin.”
As music, dance, and laughter filled the campus, Dr. Uwineza reminded the community that Hekima’s Cultural Day is not merely an annual event, but a way of life. “Here at Hekima,” he concluded, “we live Cultural Day every day through our greetings, our laughter, and our hope in many languages. Diversity is not noise. It is harmony. If the roots are deep, we have no reason to fear the wind.”
The climax of the event came when different nationalities showcased their traditional songs, dances, special events, and food. In deed it was a memorable day that remains special to Hekima Family.
By Pamela Adinda, HUC International and Communications Coordi
