AMECEA
Social Communications Department organized a workshop on communications
strategies for effective implementation of the Papal Exhortation Document Africae Munus. The workshop which began 21st May 2012 and ended
on 25th May 2012 was organized for Communicators within the AMECEA
Region. These include the National Communications Secretaries from the AMECEA
Conferences and representatives from both religious and secular media from
AMECEA Countries.
The main
focus was media and evangelization and how the modern communication
technologies including the social media, which have been embraced by the
majority especially the young people, can be utilized for evangelization
especially of the youth and consequently the implementation of the Africae Munus.
In his
opening speech, Rt. Rev. Charles Kasonde, the bishop chairman for AMECEA Social
Communication explained that AMECEA Social Communications department has a
responsibility to strategize on new approaches of networking, mutual
collaboration and actions of solidarity among AMECEA media practitioners in
order to bring awareness of the document and address the challenges facing
their pastoral ministry as expressed in the document.
In his
presentation titled Evangelizing the World of Information, Technology and
Communications: A Pastoral Challenge, Rev. Dr. Segeja Nicholaus, Head of
Department of Pastoral Theology at the Catholic University Of Eastern Africa
CUEA, told the workshop delegates that the tremendous increasingly use of the
media is affecting all, both in positive and negative ways and the most are the
youth (Generation – Gen “Y”). He added that the modern mass media are not only
instruments of communication, but also a world to be evangelized which
eventually brings about at least two implications namely, the right
understanding of the reality of communication and the use of the media so that
it propagates the good, the true and the beautiful. He also said that Africae Munus calls it authentic communication (AM, 142-146, Caritas in
Veritate, 73) which should be a priority in Africa – Hence should include four
integral dimensions, namely, building of community, koinonia; witness to the
truth, matyria; diakonia; and reverence and the sense of the sacred, liturgia.
Rt. Rev. Dr.
Bernardin Francis Mfumbusa, Bishop of Kondoa Diocese in Tanzania who presented
the topic The Missionary Mandate in Our Times, pointed out that based on
statistics, Facebook, a common social network for instance boasts of 800
million users, with people spending 700 billion minutes per month and a user
spending an average 15 hours & 33 minutes a month on the site, while 30
billion pieces of content is shared on Facebook each month; yet the Church is
lagging in the use of new media technologies for evangelization; and the
reasons being the following: the nature of new media technologies; the church
is no longer a leader in education/research sector and the skills required viz.
multi-tasking etc.
He added
that the following should be issues of concern for the Catholic Communicators:
· How to Reach Gen
Y?
· How to
counteract religion related negativity?
· How to deal with
the banalization of religious symbols?
· Limited presence
of Catholic content in social media.
Other topic
covered during the workshop included Social Media – Facebook and the blog at
the service of the world and in this topic; delegates were intensively informed
of the meaning of social media; examples of social media and the social media
landscape. Concerning Facebook, the main focus was about major social features
of Facebook, other features of Facebook, Facebook as a media for new youth
evangelization, why Facebook is so strategic for evangelization and why
Facebook is so popular. Other aspects of Facebook which the delegates were
informed of included Facebook’s political and social impacts, negative effects
of Facebook in regards to spiritual impact, Facebook etiquette, Facebook
privacy and the future of Facebook. In regards to blogs, delegates were
informed of the reasons why blogs are popular; how the Church can use the blogs
to evangelize; disadvantages of blogging; blogging etiquette and future of
blogs.
There was
also the topic of The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World with the
main focus on YouTube; what is a YouTube; Why YouTube is More Popular than
Google Video and YouTube etiquette
At the end
of the workshop, delegates were able to come up with the following resolutions:
1.
There will
be an officially launch Africae Munus in all national conferences to aid
in popularize the document and signal official start of implementation. Those
to be involved include National Communications Office; AMECEA Conferences
Secretaries General’s office; Caritas –Justice and Peace and Pastoral
departments. They should organize suitable date for launch, organize activities
and then launch. This was resolved to take place by the end of the year 2012.
2.
Formation of
national Africae Munus steering committees or task force groups to co-ordinate
activities and avoid parallel programs and duplication. This is to be done by
National Communications Office; Secretary General’s office; Caritas –Justice
and Peace and Pastoral departments. The National Communications office to lobby
Secretary General’s office, Caritas and Pastoral offices at Catholic
Secretariat to create committees and this should be done by end of June 2012.
3.
The Design
AMECEA blog on Africae Munus activities in the region to
increase knowledge sharing and best (good) practices. This to be done by AMECEA
Communications office and the National Communications departments. The AMECEA
Communications office to design and launch the blog and regularly update it;
while the National Communications departments to regularly contribute to the
blog. This should be done by end of June 2012.
4.
Distribute
soft copies of simplified version of Africae
Munus to increase dissemination via
internet and social media; simplified version to ensure easy understanding of Africae Munus issues. The task is to be performed
by AMECEA Communications office and Nation Communication Departments. The
AMECEA Communications office to distribute Africae Munus soft copy to National
Communications Departments who in turn to share Africae Munus soft copy document widely. This is to be done by July
2012.
5.
Know about
and document Africae Munus activities being carried out by
other departments at national level to retain experiences of activities being
carried out. This is to be done by the National Communications Departments who
are to make inquiries from other departments about Africae Munus programs;
other departments are supposed to share their plans with National
Communications office and this should be an ongoing process throughout
2012-2013.
6.
Bring about
the importance of social media as a new tool for evangelization in order to
explore new ways of spreading the Gospel and the message of Africae Munus and to reach the youth; build capacity among Catholic media
practitioners. This task is to be performed by the National Communication
departments with the help from AMECEA Communications Office through conducting
workshops on social media for diocesan communication offices and diocesan
media. This will be an ongoing program.
7.
Reach out to
journalists especially Catholic journalists working for secular media to
increase effectiveness of Church communications. The task is to be performed by
AMECEA Communication Office and the National Communications Departments by
visiting secular media houses to familiarize with their operations; bring them
on board (secular media); also suggested is the formation of Catholic media
associations. This should also be an ongoing program.
8.
The message
of Africae Munus to be constantly featured in all Church media to continuously
educate and remind people about the importance of the Africae Munus message.
This is to be done by Catholic media houses in AMECEA. AMECEA Communications
office and National Communication Department to encourage Catholic media to
produce radio and television programs and to write articles. Africae Munus programs should be in multimedia and this is to be an ongoing
program.
9.
Counter
negative media publicity towards the Church to enhance Catholic faith as a
positive and worthy lifestyle. This is to be done by AMECEA Communications
office and National Communications Department who are to lobby Bishops to
appoint spokespersons of each conference; there should also be workshops for
clergy to handle media and engage Catholic journalists working for secular
media. This is to be an ongoing activity.
10.
Make
Catholic media houses attractive to work for in order to enhance quality
productions and bring about professionalism. This activity is to be performed
by the AMECEA Communications office and the National Communication Departments
and it will be an ongoing activity.
11.
Review
implementation plan to re-align activities and make this plan more effective.
This is to be done by AMECEA Communications Office and the National Communications
Departments at the annual meeting of National Communication Directors to be
held in August 2012.
All in all,
the workshop was well attended with representations from all AMECEA Conferences
except Eritrea where delegates could not come due to problems facing their
country. It can be said that it was a big success.
Source: AMECEA Social
Communications Office