UCLouvain and KU Leuven Forge Path of Inclusion and Diversity with Joint Honorary Doctorates in 2024
On February 15, 2024, UCLouvain and KU Leuven jointly awarded the title of doctor honoris causa to Theresa Kachindamoto, umbrella leader (inkosi) in Malawi; Seyla Benhabib, Turkish-American philosopher and Bernard Foccroulle, Belgian musician and composer who wants to make culture accessible to everyone. The honorary titles are awarded in Louvain-la-Neuve, together with KU Leuven, in anticipation of the 600th anniversary of the foundation of the Leuven university in 1425.
When choosing these 3 laureates, UCLouvain and KU Leuven were inspired by the theme of multifaceted cultures and universal rights. The laureates invite us to think about the diversity of cultures and the cosmopolitan character of rights. Through justice, culture and education. Through thought patterns, emotions and actions. They have this in common: they are close to the people and adopt a future-oriented vision in their search for concrete ways to bring people together and connect them with a view to a more inclusive society that pays more attention to the diversity of different groups . They regard the differences and individualities of individuals as a wealth and a strength. For a fairer and more just world.
Theresa Kachindamoto
As the umbrella leader (inkosi) in Malawi, Theresa Kachindamoto is waging an intense battle against child marriage and for the right to education for girls and boys. Her country has the highest number of child marriages in the world (one girl in two marries before her 18th birthday). These numbers are particularly high in rural areas.
In 2015, Malawi’s parliament passed a law banning marriage before the age of 18. In 2016, Theresa Kachindamoto was able to annul 850 marriages and send 2,500 children back to school. To manage her struggle, she works as an umbrella leader (inkosi) together with members of local communities (groups of mothers, local leaders and teachers). She also encourages cooperation with civil society and NGOs.
Her struggle goes against tradition – which is particularly strong in rural areas – and against the resistance of parents who see marriage (for which a dowry is paid) as a source of income. Malawi is among the 10 poorest countries in the world.
Education for girls – and the financial independence that results from it – are essential issues for her. She likes to quote Ghanaian intellectual James Emman Aggrey who states: ‘Educating girls is educating an entire nation.’ Through the political and cultural dimension of her work, Theresa Kachindamoto also wants to bring about a change in behavior (“I want to get rid of the negative aspects of our culture”) and change the laws in her country. She opposes patriarchal structures and fights for a sustainable right to education for everyone.
Seyla Benhabib
This Turkish-American philosopher, essayist and professor (who worked at Columbia and Harvard Universities) today teaches political science, ethics and economics at Yale University.
Seyla Benhabib defends a democratic theory based on a cosmopolitan vision of society. For her, cultures are not a monolithic block, but arise from dialogue with other cultures. She also advocates pluralism and attaches three conditions to the coexistence of pluralism and cosmopolitanism: reciprocal equality (minorities must have the same civil, political, economic and cultural rights as the majority), voluntary consent (an individual who is born may not automatically be considered a member of a particular religion or culture) and freedom of association (linked to the right to leave a group).
Seyla Benhabib also addresses the migration issue. Her position is inspired by Kant’s duty of hospitality, which also protects refugees and exiles. She believes that the right of self-determination of political communities must be limited. A democracy without borders is impossible. That is precisely why she stands up for a world with porous borders.
Bernard Foccroulle
Bernard Foccroulle is a Belgian musician and composer who has had an international career as an organist, harpsichordist and composer.
Between 1992 and 2007 he was general director of the Royal Monnaie Theater, where he performed an extensive repertoire (from Monteverdi to contemporary pieces). He opens opera up to the most diverse and modern artistic disciplines. From 2007 to 2018, he led the international d’art lyrique festival in Aix-en-Provence, where he not only invited the greatest conductors, but also made room for the rising stars of the new generation.
He attaches great importance to the training and guidance of young artists. From this perspective, he developed the Aix Festival Academy and a European opera network to support the training of young musicians. Musical traditions (particularly from the Mediterranean) are cherished there. In 2006-2007, Bernard Foccroulle was artist in residence at UCLouvain.
Over the course of his career, Bernard Foccroulle has repeatedly committed himself to making culture accessible to everyone. In 1993 he founded the association ‘Culture and Democracy’, which promotes broader participation in cultural life. In 1998 he founded the European RESEO network, which aims to promote sensitivity to opera and dance. In recent years he has collaborated on numerous multidisciplinary projects in which organ music was combined with dance or video art.