MrGastonJean-MarieKabor.PDF

Mr Gaston Jean-Marie Kaboré DOCTOR OF HUMANITIES honoris causa Address Chairman, President, Council members, distinguished guests, faculty members and students, On behalf of all the honorary graduates, I would like to express our most sincere gratitude to Lingnan University for this outstanding distinction and for the very kind words spoken about each of us. Personally, it is a great privilege for me to address such a prestigious assembly. I have to confess that being here is just like a fantasy for me. The words “Hong Kong” and “Lingnan University” sound like a special music to my ears, as well as to my mind and to my soul, and I know that this music will continue to affect my mind and soul. Thank you very much. I have a strong conviction that we are all brought into universality from our own specificity. That is why each individual story is affected by the story of all humanity. So, I have no doubt that you may see yourself reflected in my personal story. My studies in history have shaped in me my intellectual, moral and political position vis-à-vis the way Africans and the African continent are perceived, narrated and represented in books, icons, and the media in Western countries. I came to realise that Africa should regain access to a recognised and legitimate capacity of questioning and analysing her historical trajectory throughout time. Revisiting our history written by others, forging our memory, rebuilding our consciousness of our being and of our identities, reconquering the spaces of our collective future, claiming our social singularities, being our own judges and decision makers of our destiny, reinforcing our self- confidence and becoming aware of our expressive, artistic and philosophical heritage, are in sum all the ambitions and urgencies that I had on my agenda in the early 70s. Who are we as Africans? Some fragments of answers to this question can be found in narratives, stories, tales,