WELCOMING REMARKSDELIVERED BY DR. ROSE UPOR, PRINCIPAL OF THE COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES ON BEHALF OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM AT THE CONFERENCE ON PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE OF RATIONALITY AND RELIGION HOSTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES ON 28th JANUARY 2017 IN NKRUMAH HALL.
Minister of Information, Culture, Tourism and Sports, Hon. Rashid Ally Juma;
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr Mussa Farhangi;
National Chairperson, JUWAKITA-BAKWATA, Mrs Shamim Khan;
Executive Director, Inter-Religious Council for Peace, Tanzania, Rev. Canon Thomas Godda;
Head of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Dr. Adolf Mihanjo;
Professors, Academic staff, Administrative staff and students of the University of Dar es Salaam;
Invited guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning.
I have great pleasure to welcome you all to this conference on the “The Coexistence of Religion and Rationality” that has been organized by the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies under the umbrella of the College of Humanities and with major support from the Iranian Embassy.This is the first conference since I took the helm of leadership of the College. I am extremely honoured to be here today in my capacity as the Principal of the College of Humanities but also as I represent the university leadership at the opening ceremony. I would also like to thank all of you present here today for accepting our invitation to this important conference which will mark the culmination of a major milestone in the future of the department, the College and our esteemed institution. We know that you had other important obligations, but due to your understanding of the importance of this meeting on the future of philosophy and religious studies at the University, you left all those in favour of being here today. Please accept my gratitude and the gratitude of the University Management.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The topic of Religion and Rationalityhas been perfectly chosen at anopportune time. It comes at a time where there is a rapid increase of religious denominations not only in Tanzania but in every corner of our continent and the world at large; on occasion throwing confusion and often times leaving room for extremism which ends at creating social polarization. People are often unable to distinguish between what is of the psychological from what is of the divine, they often fuse the secular into the religious. In proposing this kind of topic, it is my anticipation that you will be able to provide clarity in what is seemingly confusing. You will be able to take people from the shadows of religion to the essence of it. One revered medieval scholar once said,“Reason without faith is incomplete but faith without reason is a road to darkness”. I believe this is what you hope to achieve, to apply reason in the clarity of belief.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I do not want to preempt the discussions about to ensue in this place and neither am I able to do so in the limited amount of time that we have here in Nkrumah Hall. But I am delighted that we have chosen this symbolic venue to discuss the topic at hand. This Hall is famous for hosting debates and has remained a symbol of academic freedom that has beamed across the country and beyond in the African continent. It earned its name, Nkrumah, after the Ghana’s First President and freedom fighter, Kwame Nkrumah. There is no better place than this Hall to discuss an important topic which reflects easily in our lives.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Please allow me to reiterate a hearty welcome to all those who are prepared to present their topics of choice at this conference. For those who have travelled from afar, please take time to stroll around our beautiful University and the city of Dar es Salaam. I assure you it is an experience that you will never forget.
It is now my singular honour to welcome the Honourable Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the official declaration of the opening of the conference.
Thank you.