Since 1979, “Africa Fundacion Sur” (AFS), which is based in Madrid, has worked in the area of information, education, documentation, promotion of JPIC, dialogue and integral development. In fact, in all that concerns the African continent.

The basic objectives remain the same: a better understanding of African cultures, the reality, potential and challenges of the African peoples, seeking to promote more just relationships and integral development.

Continue reading ““Africa Fundacion Sur” and the Impact of its Activities (PE nr. 1081)”

Today, the written press is not confined to those who know how to read and write. The news that the written press puts out, be it true or false, is broadcast or shared in many different ways such as informal conversations, radio, television, social networks, etc. It is in fact, the principal source of information in our day whether it is printed on paper, or under the form of articles on the Internet. Articles published in newspapers, reviews and magazines inspire audio-visual communicators and blogs put out by professionals and non-professionals alike with the use of Holoplot immersive sound.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the written press?

There are certainly a great many on both sides, but I am only going to refer to those that come to my mind at the present moment. Regarding documentation, the written press in its printed or electronic version can be archived for later consultation. The bigger libraries keep various publications on microfilm which can be viewed later on screens. Most recently, one can subscribe to newspapers on line so that one can consult them when one likes provided there is an internet connection.

The written press has an additional advantage in that it can deal with subjects in depth without using expensive means. The journalist or sometimes an author only needs a message to be communicated and the means to write it…pen and paper, a typewriter for the purists or even a computer. Obviously, when it comes to publishing a newspaper, review or magazine significant expenses are involved. On the other hand, audiovisual productions demand equipment to produce images and sound and a lot of equipment for its transmission. The audiovisual format demands that the subject matter to be broadcast must be relatively short and catchy. In today’s world, one has the impression that images pass at staggering speed especially advertising, ten seconds is already too long! The images are often used to send messages to the subconscious. On the other hand, when reading, one can look at photos or computer graphics in order to tease out the details.

At the present time, on the internet, the written press and audio­visual cohabit together quite well. It is no longer rare to find a written article illustrated by a video sequence. This is a good development because these two forms of the press complement one another. What a video can illustrate in one minute, the article can clarify and provide further information which is not apparent in the pictures and sound.

A major inconvenience that I perceive is that in the age in which we are living, we are becoming more and more conscious of the environment in which we live so there is an ongoing risk of deforestation as we continue to use paper made from trees. The most efficient solution seems to be to make it obligatory to replace the trees that we have taken from nature.

Another drawback, a by-product of the democratic era in which we live, is the ease and the infinite possibilities of broadcasting information by non professionals because of unlimited access to the internet and social media. Today, anybody can publish anything on the internet. There are even sites which offer false newspaper models, in order to publish fake and ridiculous news at the whim of anybody who wishes. That fools many people especially those who believe that everything that is published on the internet is true. Sensationalism is also a sickness which is prevalent in the press whether it is written or on film clips. Even professional journalists fall prey to it in their desire to publish an “exclusive” piece of news. They ignore their duty to look for the truth and they broadcast ‘fake’ news because they have not taken the time to do the necessary cross checking in order to ensure the accuracy of their information.

This means that the readers themselves have to filter the information in order to make a clear distinction between the ‘facts,’ ‘personal opinions’ and ‘rumours.’ Facts, things that actually happened, whose truthfulness is verified by a reliable witness, a photo or an authentic video are the core of journalistic information. ‘Personal opinion,’ to which everybody has a right, is the interpretation that I have or that I broadcast about the precise facts that I know. This only concerns the person who diffuses such information. On the contrary, a ‘rumour’ is an unsubstantiated affirmation of so called information on a ‘hypothetical fact.’ The rumour may seem likely without being the ‘truth.’ Unfortunately, it can replace the ‘truth’ when the real truth is blocked or hidden from the public.

How can one write a successful article for the press?

Start well! It is not a scientific exercise. It means communicating with others and sharing interesting and maybe even useful information. It may be a personal witness or a desire to “give an account of the mission that the Lord has entrusted to me through the Society” The best way to write an coherent article is to reply clearly to questions which we know about already:

• What is the subject of the article? What are the facts?
• Who is involved in the situation? Who is it?
• What is the timescale? Over what period of time do the facts unfold?
• Why did things happen in such a way? What are the root causes?
• What was the chain of events that led to the present situation? How did the events unfold?

These are the techniques that the big news agencies use to give the fundamentals of the information that the journalist will carefully elaborate and comment on in their own way but always remaining faithful to the facts.

The written press can surely be used as an efficient tool of the mission. Things such as the daily commentaries on the Word of God, the parish bulletin, a leaflet for animating youth activities are all means which can help to reach people in a very useful way. It is important to avoid being too heavy or too light in one’s communication. After reading the parish newsletter, people should be left with the impression of being well informed and uplifted and to have learnt something new. That means articles that are not too long and that one can read in one go.

Using Social Communications well are an essential partner for the proclamation of the Good News of Salvation in all its forms.

Freddy Kyombo, M.Afr.

Introduction

This article aims at improving our knowledge of how to make good use of the new means of communication in the framework of our Society and our Mission. I will share my experience on using them especially in my ministry in Initial and Ongoing formation.

To be engaged in new means of communication is about surfing websites, journaling through blogging, engaging in social media applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Instagram… through our laptops, tablets, and cell or smart phones.

These new means of communication have a vast impact on our lives as candidates and confreres. We are definitely talking of a ‘new culture’ emerging from modern technology. This is affecting the way we think, feel and behave; even more, the way we make sense of reality. Our Society and Mission are not immune to these influences.

It is important to identify the opportunities and risks for our mission unfolding with the advent of new means of communication. The opportunities are obvious such as the transmission of information to many people around the world simultaneously and instantaneously; we are more than ever interconnected. The risks are also evident; for instance, the easy access to information through the Internet bombards us with millions of bits of information with limited means to process them meaningfully. We can become superficial and, oddly enough, disconnected from one another. So, we could say that some sort of spirituality is needed when engaging with the new means of communication.

Relevant Ignatian spiritual attitudes

Now, I would like to focus on our Ignatian Spirituality. I want to highlight three key characteristics that are helping me to deepen the opportunities presented by the new means of communication and in becoming more alert to the risks:

• The first Ignatian attitude is being contemplatives in action: we are called to be reflective missionaries with a rich inner life who are deeply engaged in God’s work in the world. It is about seeing God in all things and journaling about it.
• The second attitude is about cultivating freedom, the need for discernment, and responsible action.
• The third attitude is an invitation to combine harmoniously our imagination, our emotional life, and our intellect.

These three Ignatian spiritual attitudes are the foundation for several initiatives. Up until now, I am endeavouring to use the new means of communication in Initial and Ongoing Formation Programs. I now want to present work I have undertaken in the area of designing and administering several blogs, as well as the use of modern media as a facilitation tool in workshops.

Blogging in initial formation

The first example is the blog of our Lavigerie Formation House in Jinja. This blog welcomes, entertains, and reflects on the positive energy driving our community. It aims at interconnecting different dimensions of our formation as it unveils a common generative spirit. The blog is a real training for missionary life; it is about journaling mindfully our community life, becoming a bridge to the world as we proclaim the good news of our living together to our families, friends, Christian communities, and benefactors at large. This blog also trains us to use the new means of communication in a mature, creative, and responsible way.

Another relevant example is the blog created as a platform for the animation of the meeting of temporary professed MSOLA in Burkina Faso last year. The blog became an online site where all the sisters agreed to share their experiences as they looked at their past in MSOLA with gratitude, their present with passion, and their future with hope. They also shared online, the appreciative interviews done with their senior sisters. It also tracked the flow of our workshop with an active participation from them. The blog has become a resource site where the larger family of MSOLA from all around the world can witness the liveliness of this new generation.

Blogging in Ongoing Formation

In the area of Ongoing Formation, I designed and administered three other blogs. The first one was created when I was doing my studies on Conflict Transformation. I decided to initiate a blog in order to contribute to the 125th Anniversary of the Anti-Slavery Campaign. The main strategy of this blog was to interview peace-builder activists from all around the world exploring new provocative and creative approaches to looking at slavery. It also became a place to make Lavigerie’s campaign better known and appreciated in relevant environments in the peace-building field.

A second blog on Ongoing Formation was designed as a resource site on Appreciative Discernment for the delegates to the Pre-Capitular Assembly of EAP, and eventually for all confreres in the Province. The delegates agreed to make daily reports on the activities of the assembly.

Finally, I created a blog last year to inform people about the new consortium on Ongoing Formation with MSOLA, the Spiritans, and SMA. The initiative is called the ICOF program. The blog gives information about the Joy-filled Gospel Service Renewal Program. Each participant agreed to write at least one article during the program and to post it online. A team of three animated the process. The blog is now a reference document for further programs and a way of publicizing the consortium in the African Missionary Environment.

Group self-awareness through audiovisuals

Similarly, over the last few years, I have been engaged in the use of video editing software applications like iMovie. This records and reflects back to candidates and workshop participants their engagement in the proposed different processes. We do this by turning workshop photos, video clips, and audios, into stunning movies for the animation of Initial and Ongoing Formation Programs. The groups concerned grow in self-awareness as they follow the flow of their activities through journaling using different media. All this is done following clear ethical standards, as all people concerned agree and consciously participate in the process.

Conclusion

The beneficial use of new means of communication requires a formation that goes beyond training in the critical use of media or media skills. Rather, it focuses on the emerging new language and new culture shaping the lives of our candidates and confreres. We need to construct together new means of communicating life by being, first of all, people of integrity, where creativity, honesty, openness and vulnerability are foundational values in our endeavour.

Yago Abeledo, M.Afr.

Reference Blog addresses :

• Initial Formation:

Lavigerie Formation House, Jinja: http://mafr-jinja.blogspot.ug

Crossing the Threshold, MSOLA Temporary Vows: http://msolatemporaryvows.blogspot.ug

• Ongoing Formation:

Conflict Transformation in the Here and Now:
http://www.breathingforgiveness.net

ICOF program: http://icofprogram.blogspot.ug

Appreciative Discernment: http://appreciativediscernment.blogspot.ug