Media and religion: Applause for the end of the 9th West Africa Fellowship Program

For a week, Catholic information and communication professionals gathered in Ouagadougou for the 9th West Africa Refresher Program organized by the African Catholic Press Union of Burkina Faso (UCAP-B).

“Ethical and professional conduct in the handling of information through social networks in the context of security crises: Challenges and perspectives. » It is under this theme that this annual meeting of journalists and communicators is being held. Conferences and panel discussions related to the theme, visits by visitors, an audience with His Majesty the Moogho Naaba Baongho on the morning of Friday, August 16, 2024, and the celebration of Yagma on August 15, etc., have highlighted the 9th West African Fellowship Program.

According to Alexandre le Grand Rouamba, President of UCAP-B and coordinator of the ninth refresher program, this is a theme carefully chosen for its relevance to the current context. “Today, whether we like it or not, we have to work with social networks. The journalist has his weapon, the microphone, the pen, the camera. But we, as journalists, must use this weapon in the service of humanity. This weapon must speak the truth with love, it must constitute a reason to come together, to live together, to develop together. We must use this weapon for the common good. In these exchanges, we have the opportunities and the risks that these social networks offer. It is our responsibility as users, including journalists, to work to ensure that it becomes an excellent epistemic tool. We discussed in detail the four sins defined by the Pope: false information, slander, libel and scandal. If we turn away from these four sins, if we work in accordance with the truth, there is no reason why we cannot contribute to building peace in different societies,” he explained.

87 representatives from seven countries, namely Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Senegal and Togo, attended the capacity building seminar. Sister national associations such as the Burkina Faso Muslim Journalists and Communicators Network and the Burkina Faso Union of Evangelical Journalists and Communicators also participated in the meeting.

During the reflection and capacity-building session at the end of the week, participants made several recommendations for greater success in future editions. In particular, they suggested the creation of a sub-regional newsletter in digital format to communicate on the activities of the different UCAPs and to support the different Episcopal Conferences of the participating countries. Alexandre le Grand Rouamba, President of UCAP-B, welcomed the effective organization of the Ninth Congress and the various suggestions made to improve the initiative.

“We are participating in the ninth edition of the Refresher Program for Catholic Journalists and Communicators in West Africa. We are happy that at the end of this meeting, which lasted a week, we know that the members of these national UCAPs, from the seven countries of the subregion, committed to synergizing their forces and sincerely fulfilling their vocation, asked all national associations to unite to create a digital magazine that will be the voice of all the Episcopal Conferences of the different participating countries. The second strong suggestion was to hold the refresher program every two years. Since 2016, UCAP Burkina Faso has largely covered all the costs of these conferences. Seeing that we are facing some difficulties not only in Burkina Faso but in all the countries of the subregion, they asked us to be able to decide to hold these conferences every two years. This would allow the resumption of the work of the previous edition and would also allow the different UCAPs to organize activities, because when it is done annually they do not always have time to develop their programs. This meeting ended on a very good note, as we were very inspired,” he said.

National sister associations such as the Muslim Journalists and Communicators Umbrella and the Evangelical Journalists and Communicators Umbrella, which were invited to participate in this meeting, welcomed this initiative, believing that it will contribute to strengthening social cohesion and living together, which is a guarantee for achieving a solid and lasting peace.

“It is positive news that UCAP-B has invited us to this capacity-building and experience-sharing workshop. As a sister organization, this is an approach that contributes to interfaith dialogue, which we welcome. Daniel Kaboré, president of the Union of Evangelical Journalists and Communicators of Burkina Faso, said that linking evangelical and Muslim journalists to this initiative contributes to strengthening solidarity, peace and interfaith dialogue.

“This week of work has not only strengthened our capacities as journalists and communicators. It has also allowed us to gain insight into the rules of professional conduct and ethics that will allow us to do our work correctly. Beyond that, it has made us understand that social cohesion and living together are common goods that we must preserve and that we must strive to spread throughout our communities,” said Mahamadou Diané, Secretary General of the Network of Muslim Journalists and Communicators of Burkina Faso.

During the closing ceremony, certificates were presented to the participants of the 9th West Africa Fellowship Programme.

As a reminder, UCAP-B was founded in 1990 to encourage and support Catholic action in the fields of journalism, information and communication. It also aims to promote the Christian message in journalism through professional training activities, sharing of experiences, and spiritual and social activities.

Mamadou Zongo

Lefaso.net