274, Feb 2008

Congress

Archbishop Desmond Tutu to address role of media in reporting on conflict

By Kristine Greenaway, Programme Manager, Congress 2008

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is set to address a global gathering of communicators focussing on the important role played by the world’s media in reporting on violence and reconciliation.

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) has confirmed that Tutu will speak October 6 at the Atlantic Conference Centre in Cape Town, South Africa during the opening ceremony of Congress 2008, a conference for communicators and peace advocates from faith-based and civil society organizations. The five-day event builds on the theme Communication is peace: Building viable communities.

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Gunfire will not silence Christian communicator’s call for peace

By Dennis Smith, former President, WACC-Latin America region

Gunfire awakened us at 1:35 this morning.12 rounds?15?I was too disoriented to keep track.No screams, no sirens, but we were left wondering who had fired those rounds and why. We live in a middle-middle class neighbourhood in Guatemala City - one of the most violent cities in Latin America.Violence has many roots: the persistent legacy of 36 years of civil war; centuries of racism; a polarized economy controlled by a tiny, wealthy elite; endemic violence against women and children.

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Media accreditation for congress 2008WACC is pleased to invite Journalists, photographers and freelancers planning to cover Congress 2008 to register online for accreditation.
Accreditation guidelines and coverage procedures are now available on the Congress website. The deadline for accreditation is 30 August 2008.
An online press centre where journalists can obtain the latest developments related to the congress is now available on the recently launched congress website.

Programme stories

Six Floors to Hell, a WACC sponsored film is released
By Julienne Munyaneza, Programme Manager, WACC
Video 48, the audio-visual wing of Hanitzotz Publishing House, a partner of WACC in Jerusalem, Israel, committed to bridging the gap between Arabs and Jews, fighting for the recognition of Arab Israeli’s rights, has just released/produced a powerful film “Six Floors to Hell”. This film was produced thanks to the financial support of WACC and its German partner, Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED), in Bonn, Germany.
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News

Love to share, a booklet on intellectual property rights and copyrights

By Teresia Mutuku, Communications Officer and Web Manager, WACC

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) andthe World Council of Churches (WCC) have published a booklet aimed at providing guidelines on intellectual property rights and copyright.

The booklet titled Love to share deals with the right of creative artists - including authors, musicians and communities - to be protected from infringement of their rights as creators and with the right of othersto have access to the cultural and spiritual riches produced through their creativity.

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Protect the world’s endangered languages!

WACC Statement on International Mother Language Day, February 21

On International Mother Language Day 2008 the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) is calling for concerted action to protect linguistic diversity and to promote multilingualism.

Languages are powerful instruments for preserving the culture and heritage of the many different peoples that inhabit the Earth. Rescuing endangered languages keeps traditions alive and inspires knowledge about, and respect for, the past, present and future. But languages are in danger.

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Webmasters and communicators exploreIT challenges
By Teresia Mutuku, Communications Officer and Web Manager, WACC
Webmasters and communicators from faith-based organisations from Toronto met at the WACC offices, February 20, to share experiences and challenges related to the use of websites and information technologies for effective communication.
Participants discussed a wide-range of challenges and experiences including the question of how to adopt rapidly-evolving information technologies (ITs) and use them effectively for advocacy and promotion of faith-based activities. Understanding the effectiveness of information disseminated to audiences was identified as another shared challenge as were the technical issues of poor interconnectivity and lack of widespread IT skills.
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WACC launches Photographic Competition 2008
WACC launched its firth Photographic Competition which is being run on Flickr for the third time! The theme of the competition is Women’s communication rights.
The competition is open to all women, men and children, of all ages and from all countries. Amateurs and professionals are welcome to submit photographs that capture women communicating; women's communication rights in action or photographs illustrating how women use communication to empower themselves.
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Pictorial News

Webmasters and communicators from faith-based organisations during a networking meeting at WACC, February 20.
(Left-Right: Farai Gonzo, podcaster-Africafiles, Alex Macdonald, Communications Assistant, Presbyterian World Service and Development, Miyuki Fukuma, Web designer, United Church of Canada and Susie Henderson, web Tender, Primate’s World Relief & Development Fund).

A video clip from “ Six Floors to Hell”, a powerful film sponsored by WACC.

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