Listening to Africa: an international conference opens in Rome
Monday 14th May sees the start, in Rome, of a three-day international conference
dedicated to Africa, its current contexts, its expectations and its potential.
The
Conference is organised - and hosted - by the Pontifical Urbaniana University in collaboration
with other Vatican Institutions.
The Urbaniana itself, is an academic institution
belonging to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples which provides for
research and teaching within the framework of the Holy See’s educational system regulated
by the Congregation for Catholic Education.
The conference is entitled
“Listening to Africa: its contexts, its expectations, its potential”.
Amongst
the many guest speakers is Cardinal Fernando Filoni Prefect if the Congregation for
the Evangelization of Peoples and Grand Chancellor of the Urbaniana University. Other
Vatican officials scheduled to intervene include Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, Cardinal
José Saraviva Martins, Monsignor Savio Hon Tai Fai, Cardinal Francis Arinze, Cardinal
Jozef Tomko, Monsignor Barthelemy Adoukonou and many others, as well as University
Professors from Nigeria, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Algeria,
Cameroon, Senegal, Zimbabwe…
Nigerian diocesan priest, professor in philosophy
and vice-rector of the Urbaniana University Godfrey Igwebuke Onah gave a talk entitled
"The African today and his/her duty for the future".
And speaking to Linda
Bordoni for the conference opened, he explained that the reason the University decided
to organise this event is because the University is a missionary University by definition,
at the service of the Universal Church in her evangelising mission in the world. And,
he said, in order to bring the good news, the Church always wants to know who the
people to whom she's bringing the good news.
That's why the formation of future
missionaries always includes some knowledge of the various cultures in which the gospel
is preached. And Africa, prof Onah explains, constitutes one of the important blocks
of this university.
The Urbaniana looks to various parts of the world, and
"given also the freshness of the recently concluned Synod of Bishops for Africa and
the publication of the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, the University thought
it wise, important and relevant to listen to echoes coming from Africa, to Africans
themselves telling their own story about their own journey, their journey into the
future and their consciuoness of their past and present especially in the light of
the Gospel".
And speaking of the Post Synodal Exhortation "Africae Munus",
Prof. Onah says it provides much inspiration for philosophical reflection. And "with
all its encouragement and its hope and belief of the strengths of Africa it is an
invitation to serious philiosophical reflections.
Speaking of his own reflection
on the responsiblity of the African for the present and for his future, Professor
Onah quotes Pope Paul VI who said Africans have to be missionaries unto themselves.
That image, he says, must be extended in that "Africans have to be the movers, the
protagonists, with the help of God ,of what becomes of their continent and their
people".
"It doesn't make sense to constantly wait for other people to solve
problems that there are in africa, he says, no matter what we think about the responsibility
of others in the problems that we have. And in all this: there is not better ally
than the gospel itself".
"The message of hope and love brought by Christ is
the key to the transformation that Africa needs..."
Porf. Ohan is adamant that
"Africa with all its wealth of culture and persons has to intensify its effort to
allow the Gosepel to transform it..."
And to the question "what does Europe
have to learn from Africa?" Prof Onah says the question is more not whether Europe
is prepared to learn from Africa, but is it prepared to listen?
"Is E really
looking towards Africa for anything apart from its mineral resources? What does Europe
really think of the human and cultural values of Africa? How do Europeans see the
presence of Africans in Europe? As human resources that will enrich and revitalise
a decadent culture, or only as illegal immigrants that are an extra burdon on the
economy?"
"it's not about what Africa can teach others, he says, but about
what Africa can be for itself. Because it is only in the measure in which Africa can
really help itself that others can then decide, or try to learn from Africa. There
is no point wasting one's effort in teaching others, if in the first place one is
not convinced of whom one is."
And Prof. Onah says Africans have the responsibility
now to help other Africans to know themselves better.
Whether they really know
who they are is a difficult question to answer, but he says, formation and education
can be of help exposing one to the whole truth.
And Prof. Ohan explains that
"part of the problem of contemporary culture is that of thinking that truth is not
knowable, therefore truth is what you accept, or make it to be. But in the light of
the Gospel of Christ, and the constant testimony of the Catholic Church, we believe
that even though the human being is not capable of knowing the whole truth immediately,
he is capable of knowing the whole truth or the absolute truth which is God himself,
with time and with the collaboration of other human beings". This he says is part
of our responsibilty.
Professor Godfrey Onah, Vice-Rector of the Pontifical
Urbaniana University and all the University staff invite eveyone to come and listen
in at the conference: it is free and everybody is welcome. For more details and information
www.urbaniana.edu listen to the interview...