Hekima University College

Hekima University College is a Jesuit school of theology in Nairobi, Kenya, affiliated with the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. It opened in 1984 mainly as a theologate for Jesuits studying to be priests,^[2] and has greatly expanded since then. In 2004 the Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations (HIPSIR) was opened by Hekima College.^[3]

Overview

By 2015 the undergraduate theology programme served a large spectrum of students, including lay women and men and fourteen other religious congregations. The College's HIPSIR initiative was accredited by the Commission for University Education since 2007 and continues to extend its outreach.^[4][5]

Hekima's library in its extensive stacks contains 25 books written by lecturers at the College.^[6] In collaboration with eight other Christian institutions in the Nairobi area, it makes available 700 periodical titles.^[7]

Hekima College publishes Hekima Review, a journal of African Christian theology and peace studies, with its own website where all issues can be freely viewed.^[8] Annually the College convenes a theological week, a peace forum, and a forum for expounding the relevance of faith to economics and politics.^[9] Hekima is also a favored venue for pan-African theological conferences,^[10] drawing international attention.^[11] The cultural mix of Catholic traditions is celebrated at Masses which bring together the various religious communities at Hekima.^[12]

Hekima also hosts the Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa (JHIA), organized in 2010 and dedicated in part to preserving the record of Jesuit missionary involvement in Africa.^[13]

Mission

Hekima College began as the English-speaking Jesuit theologate in Sub-Saharan Africa for Jesuits studying for the priesthood, offering the same courses and programs to lay women and men. With the opening of its Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations in 2004 and with its African peacebuilding efforts, its scholarly exchanges have greatly increased, especially with the USA.^[14][15] Hekima's approach is ecumenical and inter-religious^[16][17] and in continuity with the Jesuit tradition of pedagogy.

Programmes

The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB) degree is a three-year programme satisfying the requirements of the Catholic church, and of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa Bachelor of Arts in theology.
Those receiving an STB from Hekima can in an additional year earn the Post-Graduate Diploma in Pastoral Theology awarded by Hekima, with the possibility of the studies being completed elsewhere.^[18]

Certificate Courses:

• Programme of the Theological Formation of the Laity, aimed at deepened Christian life and leadership
• Ignatian Directed Retreat trains those who have made a thirty-day Ignatian directed retreat to direct others in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises
• Directed Retreat prepares priests and religious to give Directed Retreats
• Certificates in Management, in Catholic Social Thought & Peacebuilding, in Postconflict Transformation Leadership & Management.^[19]

The Master of Arts Degree in Peace Studies and International Relations, under the direction of Dr. Elias Omondi Opongo, S.J., is a two-year programme on conflict resolution and transitional justice in post-colonial Africa.^[20] The fourth semester is spent in research leading to a thesis/report.^[21] The degree may be taken over four years, and in day or evening classes.^[16] Students come from throughout Africa and from countries as diverse as Poland, Ireland, India, Costa Rica, Korea, Indonesia, and Venezuela.^[22] Graduates have placements in academia as well as with NGOs, governments, and UN institutions.^[23]
Courses taught at HIPSIR (incomplete list): African Culture & Conflict;^[24] Communication for Conflict Resolution & Culture of Dialogue; Conflict Resolution; Diplomacy; Environment & Disaster Management; Ethics of War & Peacebuilding;^[25] Identity & Conflict; International Economics;^[26] International Human Rights Law; International Peacekeeping Missions; International Relations; International Security; Refugees, International Law, & African Politics; Regional Integration, Globalization, & Peace.^[27]
HIPSIR attracts experts from Europe, the United States, and the United Nations to its conferences, like that on Transitional Justice in Post-Conflict Societies in Africa.^[28]

References

Coordinates: 1°18′4.34″S 36°46′27.5″E / 1.3012056°S 36.774306°E / -1.3012056; 36.774306