Jean Ruhigita Ndagora Bugwika
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Jean Ruhigita Ndagora Bugwika | |
|---|---|
| Legal Representative of the 8th CEPAC Church | |
 | |
| Native name | Ruhigita Ndagora Bugwika |
| Church | 8th CEPAC Lemera Church (8ème Église CEPAC Lemera) |
| In office | 1960 to 1992 |
| Successor | Menhe Mushunganya Luanda |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1960 by Lewi Pethrus, Hareld Gustafsson, Wills Sawe and August Brissier. |
| Consecration | 1945 by William Backman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ruhigita Ndagora Bugwika 1927 |
| Died | 17 October 1993 (aged 65–66) |
| Nationality |  Congolese |
| Denomination | Christianity |
| Parents | Majagira Muhasha Mwene Bugwika and Shegamo Nakitami |
| Spouse | Helena |
Jean Ruhigita Ndagora Bugwika (1927 – 17 October 1993), widely known as Ruhigita Ndagora, was a Congolese evangelist, superintendent, educator and pastor. Over the course of his 32-year tenure as the Legal Representative of the 8th CEPAC (formerly Communauté des Eglises de Pentecôte au Zaïre; CEPZA) church, he solidified his position as a transformative leader in his community and beyond.[1][2] He played an instrumental role in establishing two hospitals: the Lemera Hospital and Pinga Hospital. He spearheaded the creation of an extensive network of 35 health centers, strategically positioned to provide vital care to communities across the region. He also erected 56 social centers that imparted invaluable skills in areas such as tailoring and literacy, and additionally established 412 primary and secondary schools.[1][2][3][4]
He was awarded the medal of Knight of the National Order of the Leopard (Ordre national du Léopard) in 1980.[5]
Jean Ruhigita was born in 1927 as Ruhigita Ndagora Bugwika to Shegamo Nakitami and her husband, Majagira Muhasha Mwene Bugwika, a farmer and herder, in the village of Buhula (present-day Kiliba) in Uvira, within the Kivu Region of the Belgian Congo. He was born to the Fuliiru ethnic group and belonged to the Mulabwe clan.[6] His father had four wives who bore him ten children, comprising seven boys and three girls. His original surname Ruhigita Ndagora Bugwika holds a profound significance with its three-fold meaning in Kifuliiru, with "Ruhigita" signifying the epitome of leadership and authority, "Ndagora" symbolizing a serene disposition, one that avoids confrontation, and "Bugwika" referring to the imagery of a seedling, planted with care, destined to grow and bear abundant fruits. Although both "Majagira" and "Ndagora" were names given by his father, Ruhigita's preference for "Ndagora" stemmed from its positively charged connotations.[5][7]
In 1935, at the age of eight, he encountered Gosta Palmertz and Karl Julius Aspenlind, Swedish missionaries from the Swedish Free Mission (Mission Libre Suédoise; MLS), in his hometown of Balabwe, currently known as Ndegu-Katobo in Kiliba.[8][7][9] He was converted to Christianity by Gösta Palmertz through his preaching of the text from John 1:29. Before leaving the village, Palmertz offered a prayer to Ruhigita, encouraging him to seek further knowledge by venturing to Uvira and enrolling in school. However, Ruhigita's deeply animistic parents, staunchly rooted in their own traditional beliefs, opposed their son's newfound religious fervor. They forbade him from preaching about Jesus Christ, but Ruhigita refused to renounce his Christian convictions. He was consequently ostracized from his familial abode and sought solace and refuge in the untamed wilderness, where he continued his prayers.[7]
In 1944, Ruhigita was baptized in Lake Tanganyika at Kasenga by William Backman, a devoted MLS missionary, along with several dozen others. In 1945, he was consecrated as an evangelist and began preaching the Good News in his village of Ndegu.[10] Throughout his studies in Uvira, he was educated by William Backman, who also served as his spiritual mentor at the MLS Uvira-Kasenga school. After completing his primary studies, he proceeded to Lemera in 1950 to pursue his secondary education at the Protestant Pedagogical Institute of Kivu (Institut Pédagogique Protestant du Kivu; IPPKI). This institute had been instrumental in training Christian leaders for the Churches of the 8th CEPAC and CELPA, as well as those in Rwanda. Ruhigita completed his third year of secondary education in Lemera and obtained a teaching diploma in 1953. He returned to Uvira, where he took the role of "Mwalimu" (a revered title given to those who impart knowledge), serving as a teacher and evangelist in the parishes of Kala and Kangando. When the fourth-year class opened, Ruhigita returned to Lemera to complete his training. He obtained a teaching diploma, which allowed him to work as a teacher at the EAP (School of Pedagogical Apprenticeship).[7]