Sophia Magazine vol.18

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Dr. Lukumwena Nsenda, Ambassador to Japan of the Democratic Republic of the CongoDr. Pierre Ndzengue, Ambassador to Japan of the Republic of CameroonMr. Blamoh Nelson, Ambassador to Japan of the Republic of LiberiaMr. Morven Masuso Luswenyo, Ambassador to Japan of the Republic of Namibia6SOPHIA MAGAZINE Vol. 18Sophia University holds Africa Weeks every May as part of its activities to enhance partnerships and promote understanding of the African region. The eighth iteration of Africa Weeks took place from May 13 to 28. There were numerous events, including lectures and symposiums, two of which are introduced here in detail.May 25, 2024Identifying the “Real” AfricaDr. Lukumwena Nsenda, Ambassador to Japan of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, challenged preconceptions of Africa and spoke of the continent’s educational opportunities and challenges.Education as a Tool to Build the FutureThough Africa has made great strides in education in recent years, there is still much work to be done, Nsenda noted.Africa Day – also known as Africa Liberation Day – is the an-nual commemoration of the May 25, 1963 foundation of the Organization of African Unity (precursor to the African Union). To honor this special day, Sophia University collaborated with the African Diplomatic Corps to host a lecture and panel session attended by ambassadors of several African countries. This event was an important opportunity for students to learn about Africa directly from eminent national representatives.Nsenda began his lecture, titled “Education in Africa: Building the Future,” by pointing out the way world maps tend to visual-ize Africa. While Africa is acknowledged to be among the world’s largest continents, its scale is often underrepresented. Indeed, many would be surprised to learn that the 30.37 million square kilometer land area of the African continent is comparable to the size of China, India, the U.S., Mexico, Japan, and a handful of European countries, combined. Nsenda pointed out that such lack of awareness is partly due to the Mercator projection, a type of world map projection that is often used in classrooms. In the Mercator projection, Africa and Greenland are shown to be nearly the same size, despite the fact that the land area of Africa is nearly 14 times that of Greenland.Nsenda encouraged the audience to deconstruct their preconcep-tions in order to encounter the “real” Africa.“Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world,” Nsenda said, quoting the well-known words of Nelson Mandela. “There has been significant progress in education in Africa, but for a number of reasons – some cultural, some religious – there is low learning achievement in parts of the conti-nent. Nevertheless, figures compiled by the U.N. show quite a Africa Day Commemorative LectureEMPOWERING YOUTH TO BUILD THE FUTURE