29Christian MukadiIlunga, S.J.dramatic social condition?” Putting aside the stereotypical char-acter of her question, I told her that you may inverse your ques-tion: “Why, while poor, do many Africans not lose their joy?” This inversion makes all the difference. It helps us to under-stand the mystery of the laetitia africana (african joy): why de-spite poverty, African people seem always happy and full of joy and hope. I think that religious faith plays an important role in that. However, religion is not only a place of hope. It is also a place of struggle for justice and peace. Africans expect to strug-gle for justice and a better society. Faith helps them keep hope for positive change. Kafarhire: The Catholic Church in Africa is involved with many social issues, challenging structures of injustice, exploita-tion, and impoverishment. Current Situation of the Catholic Church in AfricaKafarhire: Although the number of priests has been decreasing globally, the number in Africa has been rising, and the church is growing in Africa. One of our missions is to bring life’s abun-dance to Africans. The African church has much to do because Africa’s economy and social achievement lag. Instead of simply preaching Bible passages, the African church aims to transform social realities so that abundant life can be felt by all God’s chil-dren living there. We hope everybody can experience self-ful-fillment and enjoy this God-given gift of life. Mukadi: Once I was asked by a Japanese fellow, “Why do many people in Africa seems to be always happy, despite their Mukadi: Yes, the church plays a crucial role in many African countries. It is especially active on issues such as social jus-tice, equality, democracy, reconciliation, and environmental con-cerns. With compassion, the church supports civil society and accompanies Africa’s transformation, fostering a society where people will have reason to hope and believe. Achievement in 10 yearsMukadi: We live in an achievement-oriented society, but for us Jesuits things don’t work like that. My goal is not to achieve, but to witness God. To put it simply, my purpose as a Jesuit is to witness God and His love in my daily life experiences and to be faithful to His commandments. Kafarhire: Exactly. Jesuits are not driven by ambition for achievement. Instead, we avail ourselves to collaboration with God’s will. Yet, wherever I go, I carry my people’s dreams and my community’s expectations. One of my core motivations is to contribute to the transformation and empowerment of my community. Mukadi: I envision my role as a bridge between Japan and Africa. I was born and grew up in Africa. I learned African cul-tures and values, and was educated in Africa where the educa-tional system is influenced by Western epistemology. Currently, I am living and studying in Japan. I hope to bring together all these three cultural and philosophical backgrounds, and to con-tribute to a more just, peaceful, and reconciled society. Kafarhire: Centre Arrupe pour la Recherche et la Formation, my place of work, is instrumental in transforming society and community. We are working to establish an environmental lab that will monitor and analyze factors such as soil, water, and air quality in this mining region. In ten years, I envision this institution as a foundation guiding future generations to con-tinue serving their communities. Hopefully, my international network and experience in Japan will positively contribute to the realization of this dream. Experiences at Sophia University and in JapanKafarhire: My experience has been tremendous. I am grate-ful for the warm welcome I received. The quality of my rela-tionships with fellow Jesuits, colleagues, and students has been profound. It is helping me transition smoothly and feel part of the Sophia community. Back home, I served as the president of the African Studies Association of Africa, a pan-African orga-nization that enabled me to connect with scholars. Discovering Japan’s deep intellectual interest in Africa has been a source of joy and consolation. Japan’s interest in Africa gives me hope for future partnership and collaboration. Mukadi: Being in Japan and here at Sophia University has been an impressive experience for me, too. The biggest influence was Japanese culture and language. Furthermore, learning philoso-phy and theology in Japanese, studying Japanese “religions” such as Zen and Nichiren Buddhism thought, and meeting students and faculty from all over the world on campus has opened my mind to a new world and added value to my life as a mission-ary, scholar, writer and global citizen.
元のページ ../index.html#29