GIVE PRAISE WITH DRUMS AND DANCE (Ps 150:4):

THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE HEKIMA COLLEGE JESUIT COMMUNITY

By Chijioke Azuawusiefe, SJ

It’s the evening of the first Friday of the month. The Hekima College Jesuit Community has just celebrated its monthly community Eucharist followed by dinner. Sound of music from the DJ’s turntables wafts through the air. As the companions leave the dining hall, they gravitate towards the direction of the music, the “village square” adjacent to the library block. In twos and threes they chat gaily as they make their way towards the beautifully arranged square for the day’s outdoor fraternal recreation. Images of animated ndombolo dancers on the projector screen grab their attention on reaching the square. Some companions pay a “preliminary homage” to the dance floor before going off to sample the “edibles” for the day (cakes, roasted corns, peanuts, potato chips, barbequed mutton, and assorted soft drinks) appetizingly laid out on a huge round table at the center of the paillote. Others simply sway to the music as they continue their chitchat and savor the beauty of the venue accentuated by its colorful decoration. Plastic chairs and garden seats are arranged in small semi-circles and torches lit on the walkway to the square, to create an impression of an African setting.

Then rapidly the tempo increases as the DJ spins assorted popular and favorite numbers while simultaneously beaming their images on the screen, which dimly lights up the square. He alternates between local and foreign scenes, playing anything from gospel music to highlife to ndombolo to R&B to ragga to…you name it! More companions hit the dance floor, gyrating to the rhythm. The confident and the good dancers flaunt their skills to the admiration of the others and the timid ones are nudged on with claps and cheers. The whole square pulsates with excitement. And despite the chill in the evening air, head socks, sweaters and overcoats are cast off, as sweats drip down the faces of the dancers. The exhilaration goes on for two hours or more before dying down. Gradually, the square begins to empty out. Exhausted, the dancers exit the dance floor, and with a final spin of the turntables the DJ brings the evening to a close.

The above scene depicts a typical celebration of the social life of the Hekima College Jesuit Community. Nevertheless, our social life is not limited to the events of the first Friday of the month. We seize opportunities like the feast day of St. Ignatius (the founder of the Society of Jesus), the college feast day, diaconate ordinations, pronouncing of final vows, etcetera, to celebrate, and in the process relish, through music and dance, the great cultural diversity that we represent. Besides, the community is treated to a rich selection of African and foreign movies on the big screen (the Hekima Panorama) every Friday evening, with the exception of the first Friday.

For sure, the trite expression, “all work and no play makes a Jack a dull boy,” is true of the life in our community. No doubt, our primary mission here is the “theological formation and preparation for priesthood,” which we pursue “with passion and enthusiasm.”¹ However, all “religious and theological formation, research and scholarship”² without a balanced social life, will make a scholastic a rigid future priest. Hence, activities geared at boosting our social life in the community are integrated into the formation program. And the Social, Cultural and Special Events Animators (the committee responsible for indoor and outdoor celebrations in the community) is charged with ensuring that this aspect of our formation, of our life, is adequately taken care of.