Bikila Awards recognizes Jesuits for their contributions to Ethiopian High Education
By Remy Niyitegeka, SJ
On the 22nd of September 2024, hundreds of Ethiopians assembled in Canada for a special award ceremony. The community hosted their tenth Bikila Award in Toronto. During the ceremony, the Jesuits of Canada received an award for their immense contribution towards streamlining Ethiopian higher education. The keynote speaker was Dr. Gordon Rixon SJ, the president of Regis College. They recognized him for his distinguished leadership and contribution to Academia. The celebration is named after Abebe Bikila, an Ethiopian marathon runner and back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He was the first Olympic gold medalist in Eastern Africa at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
The Bikila Award celebrates outstanding individuals, associations, and people in various aspects, including Academia, Science, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Literature, Business, Entrepreneurship, Sports and others.
In 1945, the Jesuits of Canada began their mission in Ethiopia at the invitation of Emperor Haile Selassie, who sought their expertise to modernize the country’s educational system after World War II. Known for their Educational excellence, the Jesuits first restructured Teferi Mekonnen School in 1946, introducing a secondary curriculum and elevating it to one of Ethiopia’s premier institutions. The Jesuits founded the University College of Addis Ababa (UCAA) in 1950. Under Father Lucien Matte, UCAA graduated its first class in 1954, marking a significant milestone in Ethiopian higher education. In 1961, UCAA merged with other institutions to become Haile Selassie | University, now Addis Ababa University. The Jesuits also advanced adult education and research in various fields. Their establishment of the Geophysical Observatory in 1957 set a global standard for seismic monitoring. Located at the intersection of major fault lines, the Observatory played a crucial role in documenting and predicting earthquakes in Ethiopia. These contributions significantly impacted Ethiopia’s educational and scientific landscape and strengthened Ethiopia-Canada relations.
As St Ignatius said, Ingratitude is the mother of all sins, and the Ethiopian community did not follow in these sins. They honoured the work done by Jesuits as it planted a seed for education in Ethiopia. In this spirit, they recognized the Jesuits for their exceptional contribution to Higher education, especially at Addis Ababa University.
