May 21, 2012

Catholic Communicators from the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region have committed to implement a Church document which was released by Pope Benedict XVI to the local Church in Africa last November in Benin.

Participants met in Nairobi, Kenya, from May 21 to 25, 2012 to discuss the strategic implementation of communication as outlined in the apostolic exhortation “Africae munus”.

The workshop was officially opened by Bishop Chairman for AMECEA Social Communication, Right Reverend Charles Kasonde.

In his address, Bishop Kasonde said the approach would be in line with the founders of the AMECEA whose initial intuition for the creation of the association was to give the Catholic Church in Eastern Africa a possibility of networking.

Right Reverend Charles Kasonde

He said the network was expected to be used for the exchange of ideas on how to help people grow in their faith through evangelization and allowing African cultural values to be radiated by the light of Christ.

Bishop Kasonde also encouraged Communicators in the AMECEA region to work on the challenges articulated in the Papal Document and strategize on how to engage positively in shaping the destiny of the people in the region in the social, cultural, religious, political and economic spheres.

“The AMECEA Social Communications Department, being one of the stakeholders of communication in the region, is conducting this workshop that brings together National Communications Coordinators or Directors and Selected Catholic Media Consultants on the strategic implementation of the document starting from the regional, national and diocesan levels,” said Bishop Kasonde.

“In spite of the AMECEA being an integrated and stronger faith community among her people in the region, the region has been the victim of so many factors of division and conflicts resulting from ethnicity, poverty, bad governance and other socio-economic upheavals,” He said.

The workshop also brought on board Catholic Journalists from the secular media. Bishop Kasonde said this was in line with the call of the Papal Document. Bringing on board the Catholic Media practitioners working in the secular media is in line with the call of the document no 145 that says… “Christian journalists should not be afraid to show their faith! They should be proud of it! The presence and activity of competent lay faithful in the world of public and private communications should also be encouraged. Like leaven in the dough, they will continue to testify to the positive and constructive contribution which the teaching of Christ and his Church makes to the world.”

The bishop called on delegates to seek ways and means which will help them to work together as sincere and authentic communicators in the region. “There is greater need to re-evaluate our communication priorities in order to come up with concrete, practical and effective ways of reaching out to our people in the service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace,” he urged the delegates.

Malawi was represented by Episcopal Conference of Malawi National Secretary for Social Communications Sr. Helen Kasaka, President of the Association of Catholic Journalists, Deogratias Mmana and Radio Maria presenter Mercy Saini.

AMECEA member countries are nine namely: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Malawi and Zambia. Djibouti and Somalia are affiliate members.