KENYA: “We Pledge to Continue Working Closely with Vatican Radio,” UCAP in Africa
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
As the Vatican Radio’s English Africa Service celebrates 70th anniversary of broadcasting in Africa, the Executive Council of Union of the Catholic African Press (UCAP), an organization that brings together Catholic journalists both in the Church and secular media across Africa, has assured continued collaboration with the Vatican Radio in its work of evangelization.
“As Catholic journalists and indeed all journalists of goodwill in Africa, we pledge to continue working closely with the Vatican Radio and support the Holy See, through its Dicastery for Communication in its endeavor to evangelize the world through the media,” UCAP Executive Council said in their press statement dated Thursday, July 16.
The Council congratulates Vatican Radio for their dedication and the impact it has made in the African continent saying, “This is not a mean feat at all.”
“We Catholic Journalists and Media Practitioners in Africa are aware of the immense contribution Vatican Radio has made through dissemination of news to the Catholic faithful and general public on the continent of Africa,” the statement signed by UCAP President Mr. George Sunguh reads.
Appreciating the work of Vatican Radio through disseminating messages of hope to the African continent during the colonial period that kept Africans optimistic, the Council said in their collective statement “In 1950 when Vatican Radio began its broadcasts to Africa, not a single state across the continent had attained political independence. This was indeed the peak of a fierce battle waged by indigenous African communities to regain self-rule from the colonial powers.”
“Messages of hope and biblical teachings greatly inspired many who had been disillusioned under the yoke of the colonial oppression, hunger, diseases illiteracy among other challenges,” UCAP Executive Council disclosed.
Besides, they said, “Even after many countries on the continent attained independence in the 1960s, the Vatican Radio continued to broadcast messages of hope, Christian teachings that helped charter the cause of many African nations to-date.”
In the statement of the Union copied to the Dicastery for Communication in Vatican, Fr. Janvier Yameogo and the President of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS) Bishop Emmanuel Badejo, the Council appreciated the virtual meeting intended to bring together English-speaking Catholic Communicators in Africa.
They appealed to all UCAP members to rally behind the webinar conference themed; “Story-telling as a tool to manage racial and social tribulations in Africa,” and “continue supporting Vatican Radio from their respective parishes.”
