Against a backdrop of polarisation, the challenges of digital transformation and the scars left by conflict, the Congress provided a space for Catholic communicators to reflect on a fundamental question: what role can communication play in building more humane, inclusive and peaceful societies?
SIGNIS is the World Catholic Association for Communication, a global non-profit network for media professionals. It was the first time that such a conference took place on the African continent.
CAMECO was represented by the Africa Desk, Fabíola Ortiz dos Santos, responsible for Anglophone and Lusophone countries, and the expert on Dealing with the Past and reconciliation, Justine Cibembe.
They participated in round-table discussions on AI in contemporary media environment and on digital communication for communion and harmony.
Creating solutions
Ortiz dos Santos, in her presentation, explored ways of building resilience and using media wisely and effectively towards engaging in critical thinking and being able to assess the credibility of information from different sources.
CAMECO presented two projects it is involved so as to illustrate the extent to which it is possible to integrate AI skills into journalism education in East Africa and to promote media literacy through community radio stations in Kenya.
“In this World Congress, we discussed on the importance of digital literacy and how to use technology for the betterment of our societies”, said Ortiz dos Santos in an interview at the Rwandan Pacis TV for the news edition 6 August.
She emphasized that the great value of such intercontinental event was to share experiences, discuss about threats and risks on the use of digital technologies, but also to creating solutions.
Communication towards reconciliation
Cibembe spoke on another panel on the issues of authenticity and integrity in the use of AI with a reflection on establishing hopeful modalities of communication towards reconciliation.
“As agents of social change, the media play a strategic role in shaping perceptions, collective memory and relations between community groups, particularly in post-conflict contexts such as the one of the Great Lakes region,” argued Cibembe who is a Technical Advisor from AGIAMONDO’s Civil Peace Service Programme of the Great Lakes Region.
She addressed the need to shift from a ‘culture of fear’ to a ‘culture of hope’, which stemmed from the project she is co-leading on reconciliation and communication in the region.
Communication practices based on fear, stigmatisation or humiliation reinforce social divisions and perpetuate trauma, whilst communication that respects human dignity promotes mutual recognition, dialogue and the rebuilding of trust between communities, explained Cibembe.
The event
During the four-day congress, Catholic communicators from more than 40 countries around the world explored several topics, including digital communication for communion, religious and cultural practice in the digital age, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in contemporary media, media literacy, youth engagement, environmental communication, and the role of Catholic communicators in promoting reconciliation and cultural harmony.
Rwanda was chosen for its symbolism of “rising from the flames of conflict towards a better future”, explained Fr P. Bertrand Webb Amouzou, Director-General of Ecclesia TV, Côte d’Ivoire, representing SIGNIS Africa.
News about the Congress:
