The Wisdom of Nya Modo and Afro-globalization

Описание: September 18, 2025
Presenter: Jean Luc Enyegue, S.J., director of the Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa; lecturer in Church History at Hekima University College

THE SIXTH ANNUAL DANIEL J. HARRINGTON, S.J. LECTURE
The Wisdom of Nya Modo and Afro-globalization

In the Sixth Annual Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. Lecture at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry, Dr. Jean Luc Enyegue, S.J., introduces the Ewondo concept of nyámodo (literally "mother of man") as a framework for understanding Afro-Globalization and the future of global Christianity. Enyegue argues that contemporary divides within the Christian communion are often rooted in cultural estrangement and historical stereotypes rather than differences in faith. He proposes a new African Christian humanism that reimagines personhood as a universal vocation of life-giving and nurturing, applicable to both men and women.

The presentation explores this maternal theology through Engelbert Mveng’s Way of the Cross, which portrays Africa as a crucified, maternal figure bearing hope for a world dominated by technological and materialistic "Babels". Drawing on the magisterium of Pope Benedict XVI, who described Africa as the "spiritual lung" of humanity in Africae Munus, Enyegue highlights the witness of St. Josephine Bakhita as an icon of universal hope. The lecture integrates biblical perspectives on Lady Wisdom (Proverbs; Sirach 24:2), the expansion of the early church through the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), and the synodal necessity of caring for the most vulnerable members of the body (1 Corinthians 12:22-23). Ultimately, Enyegue envisions an ecumenism of the forgotten where Africa, as the cradle of humanity and a "good mother," offers a path toward global reconciliation and joie de vivre.

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