The first UNIV conference in Congo Kinshasa was held on November 8, 2008. It was a dream come true for them as they have been wanting to participate from Congo in the UNIV conferences for several years now.The conference took place at Tangwa Centre Culturel, a centre for professional, social and cultural formation for University students. It was attended by 20 students from 3 Universities in Kinshasa, and the conference was given by Professor Lepira, Nephrologist and Professor at the University of Kinshasa.
The conference provided a much needed forum to discuss the current state of the university in Congo, a country which is in the process of rebuilding itself after the series of wars which have ravaged it, and continue doing so. The university education has suffered a gradual process of decadence due to all this instability.
Prof. Lepira spoke about the urgent need for the University to regain its true role in society: service to society. Any knowledge which does not need to progress and grow within society is egoistic and unfruitful. He encouraged the students to seek to develop themselves humanly and socially, as well as intellectually, during their years in the University, so as to be of greater service to society. He stressed that every university student has to play the role of a protagonist and can never be satisfied with being a mere spectator. He concluded by reminding all those present that in the midst of all the cultural and ethnic diversity in society, we all have a common role: the country’s progress. This single motive is sufficient for promoting unity in diversity, and the university has the primordial role of promoting this.
Dr. Ese Diejomaoh also talked about her experience working on the Univ International Scientific Committee at Rome and participating in the 2008 conference. It was a very enriching experience, especially due to the exchange of ideas with students from other universities around the world. This experience helped her to broaden her horizons, and to consider new approaches to life’s challenges. She insisted that this exchange was equally enriching on the national level and encouraged the students to create forums for positive inter-change of ideas.
As a result of the lively discussions at the conference, se
veral girls committed themselves to start up focus group discussions at the university, and other such activities which can promote dialogue and social responsibility within the University environment. It is a ray of hope to see that the future of this beautiful country depends largely on the current-day university students, who are taking up the task squarely. There will continue to be weekly meetings for UNIV held in small groups, and finally, the National Conference in February of next year. Congo hopes to participate in the International Conference in Rome some day soon.
Prof. Lepira spoke about the urgent need for the University to regain its true role in society: service to society. Any knowledge which does not need to progress and grow within society is egoistic and unfruitful. He encouraged the students to seek to develop themselves humanly and socially, as well as intellectually, during their years in the University, so as to be of greater service to society. He stressed that every university student has to play the role of a protagonist and can never be satisfied with being a mere spectator. He concluded by reminding all those present that in the midst of all the cultural and ethnic diversity in society, we all have a common role: the country’s progress. This single motive is sufficient for promoting unity in diversity, and the university has the primordial role of promoting this.
Dr. Ese Diejomaoh also talked about her experience working on the Univ International Scientific Committee at Rome and participating in the 2008 conference. It was a very enriching experience, especially due to the exchange of ideas with students from other universities around the world. This experience helped her to broaden her horizons, and to consider new approaches to life’s challenges. She insisted that this exchange was equally enriching on the national level and encouraged the students to create forums for positive inter-change of ideas.As a result of the lively discussions at the conference, se
veral girls committed themselves to start up focus group discussions at the university, and other such activities which can promote dialogue and social responsibility within the University environment. It is a ray of hope to see that the future of this beautiful country depends largely on the current-day university students, who are taking up the task squarely. There will continue to be weekly meetings for UNIV held in small groups, and finally, the National Conference in February of next year. Congo hopes to participate in the International Conference in Rome some day soon.
