On 8th December 2021, on the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception, a pontifical ivory tower, domiciled in the oil city of Port Harcourt, the Catholic Institute of West Africa will be clocking 40 calendar years.
It is a great celebration and all drums have been rolled out to mark these significant years.
CampusGists.com met the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the father of Communication Studies in CIWA, the patriarch of CESACC, the Centre for the Study of African Cultures and Communication, the Rt.Rev.Msgr.Prof Joseph Oladejo Faniran for a chat.
CampusGists.com: Have the dreams of the founding fathers of CIWA been realised?:
Msgr Faniran:Who are the founding fathers even?
That’s where we should start from.The founding father is the Holy Father himself through the Congregation of Catholic Education, instead of sending Africans outside of Africa to do their theology particularly after the Second Vatican Council which demanded for inculturation ,which is better,that theologians study and build up in the context of their culture becauseofsocial cultural context. That was the dream of the founding fathers that theologians in Africa will remain in Africa, reflect theologically on their cultural context and since its foundation CIWA has produced Rev.Frs,Rev Srs who have become specialists in inculturation theology. As far as that is concerned I will say they have realised their aim.
But again it is not something you can realise once and for all,it is an ongoing process because the social cultural context of Africa or any part of the world continues to change over the years with new generation entering and bringing new things,this is where it is an ongoing process. I will say that they have enabled it to exist for these forty years is a big big success. We thank God for that.
CampusGists.com: Has CIWA reached the promised land?
Msgr Faniran:Well it depends on how you define the promised land, because the promised land is not I’m this world ,even the use of the promised land in the scripture is meant to to be a metaphor, a metaphor to tell us that all of us, we are on a journey to our heavenly home, therefore if you now say, has CIWA reached the promised land ? I will say well yes and no, yes in the sense that what they set out to achieve, they have achieved it over the years with the products of CIWA and their publications and everything in the world but it is an ongoing process, ongoing process in the sense that at the end of time, when the parousia will come, it is we can look back and say all those who pass through CIWA have they made it to their final home? So it is an ongoing process.
Campusgists.com: Thank you very much Msgr,very grateful
Msgr: You’re welcome.
NB: More special features and reports to mark the 40th anniversary.
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