Muslim-Christian Engagement for Social Transformation in Africa: The Role of Academic Institutions

On 11 and 12 April, the first conference jointly organized by a Christian institution, Tangaza University College (TUC), and an Islamic institution, Umma University, was held in Nairobi, Kenya. On the initiative of the Department of Mission and Islamic Studies at the TUC, the conference had as title: “Muslim-Christian Engagement for Social Transformation in Africa: The Role of Academic Institutions”. Opened by Mgr. Miguel Ayuso, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and former Rector of PISAI, the conference brought together around 300 people, mostly students, and speakers from the two organizing institutions as well as from other Kenyan universities. Two Iranian representatives from Qom University had also made the trip to Nairobi. A moment of fraternal exchange between universities, the conference was an opportunity to discuss various experiences from different regions of Kenya but also to evoke more distant institutions like PISAI. Associate researcher at PISAI and future member of TUC, Rémi Caucanas gave a paper on the history of some Christian research centres in the Arab-Muslim world.