“THE IDEA HAS HANDS AND FEET:”1 HEKIMA’S ROAD TOWARD 1984

Abstract

Although Pedro Arrupe (1906-1991), the Superior General
of the Society, decreed the creation of a theological research centre
in Africa in 1981, the idea was first conceived in 1970. At the request
of Jesuit scholastics studying in Europe and destined for missions in Africa,
Arrupe appointed Fabien Eboussi Boulaga to study the feasibility of such a
project. It was to Ibadan that Eboussi turned his attention between 1972 and
1976 before finally settling for Nairobi in 1981. This essay examines this
journey from Ibadan to Nairobi, not only to understand “why Hekima?”
(its African purpose) but also “why Nairobi?” This latter question is a
provocation to deepen ongoing discernment on the “why” of apostolic
choices and their location in an Africa where the Society of Jesus continues
to multiply in members and apostolates and must, more than ever, clearly
discern the Ignatian criteria that preside over the choice of their location.