Africa University graduates 251 students
6/19/2001 News media contact: Linda Green · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn NOTE: For related coverage, see UMNS stories #279 and #280.
By Andra Stevens* MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) -- When Shadreck Mapfumo walked onto the platform to receive his degree from Africa University on June 16, his day of celebration marked the end of years of struggle and sacrifice for his parents and 10 sisters.
Born at Dorowa Mine near Rusape in Manicaland, 25-year-old Mapfumo received a bachelor of business studies degree from Africa University's faculty of management and administration after four years of study.
The past three years have been difficult for Mapfumo's family. His father, a bookkeeper and the sole breadwinner in the family, was involved in a workplace accident in 1976 that left him confined to a wheel chair.
In 1998, while the younger Mapfumo was in his second year at Africa University, health reasons forced his father to retire. Left with a meager pension and what could be produced on a small plot of land, Mapfumo's parents took some of their 11 children out of school in order to manage the living expenses and to keep in school the brightest and most promising siblings, Mapfumo among them.
Even with this sacrifice and annual grants from the university, as graduation day drew near, Mapfumo still owed Africa University close to US$1,339 in tuition fees. He thought he would not make it onto the platform with his fellow graduates until an anonymous donor stepped in through the university to settle his account.
"I was gravely concerned that all my hopes would be dashed if I could not settle my debt," he said. "My parents had been stretched to the limit, and getting that kind of money seemed almost impossible. The help I have received from Africa University throughout my studies has changed my life in a great way."
Two hundred fifty-one students - 13 candidates for master's degrees and 238 for bachelor's degrees -- graduated from United Methodist-related Africa University this year. The 2001 graduating class consisted of 129 women and 122 men from 12 African countries: Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Walter Kamba, the Herbert Chitepo UNESCO Professor of Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Governance at the University of Zimbabwe, was the convocation speaker. He challenged the graduates to look at the contributions they can make in their communities.
For the first time, all five faculties at Africa University presented candidates for the graduation ceremony. Both the faculty of management and administration and the faculty of humanities and social sciences graduated their first groups of students. The faculty of humanities and social sciences had 41 people receiving degrees, and the faculty of management and administration conferred 71 bachelor's degrees and 13 master's degrees.
Seven candidates in the faculty of theology received bachelor of divinity degrees. The Rev. Sophirina Sign, a United Methodist pastor, was chosen as the Best Female Graduating Student.
Tayengo Albano, also a divinity degree recipient, looks forward to the contribution he can make to bringing peace to his troubled country of Angola.
"I feel fully equipped to go back to Angola to spread the Word, not just in a systematic way, but in a way that can help our leaders to come to a common understanding and appreciate that our people want peace," Albano said. "The church's unique voice must be heard on behalf of the people. I think that is crucial, it is my priority, and I have a vision and great hope that God will help me and many other Christians in Angola to bring an end to war through Christian life. "
The faculty of agriculture awarded 29 young people with bachelor of science degrees, and once again, the university's faculty of education had the largest number of graduates, with 90 students receiving education degrees.
Graduates in the faculty of education included Faniyan Adeola. Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Adeola lost her father in 1980, and her mother raised her and a brother as a single parent.
"At Africa University, I saw things differently, and I learned to appreciate my country and to be able to fend for myself," Adeola said. "I am going home much enlightened about Africa, and I now feel confident that the young generation will make a better world; we have everything we need in Africa."
Adeola majored in English and music and received a bachelor of arts degree in education. She is eager to take up her chosen profession.
"I went into the teaching profession even though many people look down on it as low-paying," she said. "I went into it fully conscious that money is not everything; it is the care and service that you have to give and take pride in."
As Adeola looks forward to improving the lives of Nigerian school children, Mapfumo is contemplating the difference that his accomplishment will have on his family.
The first in his family to graduate from a university, Mapfumo still has three siblings - one pursuing a degree in quantity surveying at the National University of Science and Technology and two others at Hillside Teachers College and Bulawayo Polytechnic - who will need his help to finish their training. The three youngest children, who had to leave school because of lack of money, must also go back and finish their education. But, degree in hand, both Mapfumo and his father are confident that a new day has dawned and that better ones will come for everyone in the family.
"I feel well equipped with my specialization in marketing to be able to land a job now," Mapfumo said. "I also see a lot of potential in Africa as a market, and I dream of becoming an entrepreneur in the import and export of goods in Africa."
This year's graduating class joins more than 400 Africa University alumni across the continent who are contributing professional skills and leadership in all sectors of society.
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*Stevens is Africa University's director of information.
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