HEKIMA REVIEW: Call for Articles.

Health, Faith and Human Dignity. 

In the 1300s, the bacterium Yersinia pestis, almost decimated the population of Euro-Asia. Lost for hope and for direction, all that most people could do was go on processions and vigils –praying for God to rescue them from the hands of “the black death” who was pictured going around harvesting souls – no one was safe; no refuge was in sight. In the 1500s, when small pox hit Mexico and South America, “the Mayas in the Yutucan Peninsula” for instance, “believed that three evil gods, Ekpetz, Unnankak and Sojakak, were flying from village to village at night, infecting people.” In parts of pre-colonial West Africa, growing infant mortality either from sickle cell or other related illness forced people to conclude that some children were inflicted with an evil spirit – the Yorubas called them “Abiku,” the Igbos called them “Ogbanje” – which marked them as “born to die.” When HIV hit the world around the 1900s, many believed that it was some form of retribution from God for growing sexual promiscuity. And in sacred scriptures, when the Children of Israel were in the wilderness and serpents bit them, causing many to die, they also believed that the afflictions were as a result of their murmurings against God. They cried to Moses, and he made for them a bronze serpent, so that whoever looked at it after affliction, recovered (cf Num 21: 6-9).

All these stories have one thing in common – they remind us that health is not just a biological reality. When epidemics, illnesses and life-threatening catastrophes strike, they concern us deeply; and because they concern us deeply – even ultimately, they are matters of faith. Such moments ask us existential questions like – what or who do we believe in; what is our image of God; what is our image of the world; what are the foundations of a just society; what is the value and essence of humanity; or even, what is life? Every society in human history, has wrestled with a way of making sense of these existential questions. Science and technology have come up with more and more tools to help us make progress in how we live these questions. But beside these explicit theoretical explications, the very fact of existence of any society and the way it is formed, organized and evolves, is in-and-of-itself an ortho-praxical response to these existential questions. Consequently, beyond shrines, mosques and churches, beyond tribunals, courts and constitutions, a society’s attitude towards health, reveals how and what she believes in. It expresses her faith. And this faith, by all intents and purposes, presents for us the underlying “world view” which determines the manner and the extent to which that society is capable of recognizing, affirming and promoting human dignity. When all is said and done, that capacity is the fundamental test, both of the authenticity of any faith and the justice of any society.

Hekima Review, Journal of Hekima University College, is calling for articles which explore the nexus of Health, Faith and Human Dignity, and how this plays out in society today. Questions and areas contributors are invited to explore in this issue [No. 59] include, but are not limited to:

    a.  Economic inequalities and social justice in healthcare.
    b.  Mental health.
    c.   Nutrition, lifestyle choices and their impact on health.
    d.  Agriculture, GMOs and their impact on health.
    e   The sustainable development goals and public policy in healthcare.
    f.   Alternative medicine, African traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge.
    g.  Faith, healing and healthcare (especially within Pentecostal churches and practitioners of African traditional religion today).
    h.  Epidemics and the political economy of healthcare.
    i.   New technologies, gene editing and the future of healthcare.
    j.   Health tourism and its impact on healthcare delivery in Africa.
    k.   Healthcare and the church in Africa
    l.  Research and development, patent laws and innovation in healthcare.
    m.  Healthcare, governance and security.
     n.  Theology and health.
     o.  Health and human rights.

The editorial board of Hekima Review would be delighted to receive articles that address any of these issues and more besides. They welcome reflections that engage this theme from a variety of perspectives: theology, peace and conflict studies, philosophy, spirituality, education, African studies, scripture, poetry, anthropology, politics, economics, history, and so on. They also welcome reviews on recent publications exploring the theme under consideration. Papers that deal with topical issues, though outside the immediate scope of this theme, will also be considered for publication.

Please send your manuscript to the following e-mail address: review@hekima.ac.ke. The deadline for submission of articles is October 15th, 2018.


Temple Anuforo, SJ,
On behalf of the Hekima Review Editorial Board.


                 Addenda.

General Guidelines.

1. Articles should not exceed 6000 words and must be accompanied by an abstract of between 100 and 150 words.

2. Texts should either be in English or French and should be in soft copy, neatly typed [Times New Roman, font size 12] and single-spaced.

3. All references should be done following the Turabian style – with footnotes for in-text citations and a bibliography at the end of the essay. If you require more details, please check the website: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html

4. Contributors are advised not to submit already-published materials without the prior written permission of the publisher. Originality of the articles is of primary importance.

5. Book reviews may not exceed 1000 words and should use parenthetical references.