Dominican University, Ibadan, in collaboration with the Dominican Institute, Ibadan, on Thursday, January 22, 2026, held its 2026 Aquinas’ Day Colloquium, a high-level academic gathering devoted to deepening contemporary engagement with faith, culture, and society through rigorous scholarship.

The colloquium, themed “The Bible, Aquinas, and African Cultural Identity in Contemporary Society,” took place at the DU Multipurpose Auditorium, Dominican University, Ibadan (Samonda Campus), drawing scholars, theologians, philosophers, clergy, researchers, and postgraduate students from across the Humanities.

The annual intellectual forum examined the enduring relevance of St. Thomas Aquinas’ engagement with Sacred Scripture, with particular attention to how African cultural identity, historical experience, and communal values can shape contemporary theological reflection, moral formation, and human flourishing in a rapidly evolving world.

The event was graced by distinguished dignitaries, including the Chancellor of Dominican University, Very Rev. Fr. Dominic Eshikena, OP, who is also the newly appointed Prior Provincial of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), Nigeria; the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jacinta Opara; Rev. Fr. Dr. Augustine Agwulonu, OP, of the Dominican Institute, Ibadan; Rev. Fr. Francis Chiadi, OP, Provincial Promoter of the Dominican Family, and Rev. Fr. Prof. Joseph T. Ekong, OP, Provost of the Dominican Institute, Ibadan, among other academics, clergy, and institutional leaders.

In her welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jacinta Opara, formally welcomed participants to the annual Aquinas’ Day Colloquium, describing it as a vital intellectual tradition of the University that brings faith into dialogue with lived realities.

“We gather here not merely to recall Aquinas as a historical figure,” she said, “but to interrogate how his theological method, grounded in Scripture and reason, can help us think meaningfully about identity, culture, and the challenges of contemporary African society.”

Professor Opara urged participants to engage attentively and participate actively in discussions, noting that the keynote speaker is a distinguished Dominican scholar whose reflections would challenge conventional thinking and inspire fresh perspectives.

“This colloquium is an invitation to think deeply, ask difficult questions, and rediscover how faith, culture, and scholarship can enrich one another,” she added.

Delivering the keynote address, Rev. Fr. Dr. Augustine Agwulonu, OP, offered a thought-provoking reflection on originality, theological creativity, and African cultural identity within contemporary academic discourse.

Drawing from a personal academic experience in Rome, Fr. Agwulonu recounted how a Nigerian professor once delivered a lecture at the Angelicum that challenged prevailing Western educational assumptions, raising a central question: What does originality mean in education, research, and theological scholarship in Nigeria and, specifically, at Dominican University, Ibadan?

“Originality in theology,” he explained, “must engage African cultural categories rather than merely repeat Western formulations. Otherwise, we risk producing theology that is correct but disconnected from lived African realities.”

He argued that African eschatology, culture, and historical experience must be taken seriously in Christian theological reflection if scholarship is to be genuinely original, relevant, and transformative.

Fr. Agwulonu stressed that originality, novelty, and talent can be cultivated within the Aquinas Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology (AEFOT) and the wider Dominican University community by adopting teaching and learning methodologies that are scripturally grounded, Thomistically inspired, and critically attentive to African cultural identity.

Quoting French writer Guy de Maupassant, he noted: “Originality implies talent, and talent requires long patience. If you have originality, you must bring it out; if you do not have it, you must acquire it. There is no excuse for not expressing originality in research.”

Reflecting on the University’s motto, In Veritas Libertas (In Truth, Freedom), Fr. Agwulonu challenged the academic community to go beyond literal translation to uncover its deeper theological and cultural meaning.

“The motto points us to Scripture, particularly John 8:32: ‘You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.’ But originality requires that we ask why this truth matters to us here, in Africa, at this moment in history.”

He described African culture as a rich tapestry of meanings, values, symbols, and practices that shape how communities understand reality, morality, and beauty. According to him, African cultural identity marked by community life, reverence for ancestors, and the interconnectedness of the visible and invisible worlds provides fertile ground for theological creativity.

Fr. Agwulonu introduced the concept of Bible, Aquinas, and African Cultural Identity (BACI) as the “super-stories” from which African scholars can compose academic texts that reflect originality, talent, and novelty.

“Africa has encountered the Word of God and has been transformed by it,” he said. “Today, Africa is positioned not only to receive but to recreate, reinterpret, and contribute meaningfully to global theological, intellectual, and moral conversations.”

He concluded by affirming Africa’s capacity to influence the world spiritually, intellectually, socially, and humanly. “Africa can do this,” he declared. “That is why we are here.”

The colloquium also featured goodwill messages, syndicate sessions led by Sr. Mary Christine Ugobi-Onyemere, Dr. Chima Augustus Ossy, and Ms. Mirabel Kenduanyi, as well as paper presentations addressing themes such as Thomistic anthropology and cultural belonging, Scripture as cultural memory, African theological inculturation, faith and reason in identity formation, biblical humanism and human flourishing, and Aquinas on community and the common good.

Participants actively engaged in discussions, posed critical questions, and shared insights drawn from diverse disciplinary and cultural perspectives, creating a vibrant atmosphere of intellectual exchange and scholarly collaboration.

The 2026 Aquinas’ Day Colloquium concluded on a reflective and hopeful note, reaffirming Dominican University, Ibadan’s commitment to scholarship that is intellectually rigorous, culturally rooted, and responsive to Africa’s contemporary realities—while remaining faithful to the enduring wisdom of Scripture and the Thomistic tradition.