(MENAFN- African Press Organization)
The 8th "Refresher Program" of West African Catholic journalists and communicators gathered within the African Catholic Press Union (UCAP) ( ) was held from August 9 to August 17, 2023 at the Saint Jean Eudes Center in Atrokpocodji in the town of Abomey-Calavi, a neighboring town of Cotonou in the Republic of Benin. Co-organized by the Beninese Association of Catholic Communicators and Journalists of Benin (ABCJ/KTO) and the African Catholic Press Union of Burkina Faso (UCAP-Burkina), the Refresher Program 2023 brought together eighty (80) participants came from nine (9) countries which are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. The Continental UCAP Executive Committee was the guest of this annual meeting held under the theme:“Interreligious dialogue and promotion of peace in West Africa: Contribution of communicators and media professionals”.
In order to enter spiritually into the meeting, Mgr Eugène Cyrille HOUNDEKON, Bishop of Abomey and President of the Episcopal Commission for the Means of Communication of Benin led the Vespers prayer on the evening of August 9 in the chapel of the Saint Jean Eudes center. He took the opportunity to welcome the guests and entrusted them to divine providence to ensure that all activities went smoothly.
Place was then made for the individual presentation of the members of the different delegations in order to get to know each other better.
It was at the end of this presentation that the participants devoted a moment of tribute to the members of UCAP from different countries who died between the Refresher Programs of 2022 and 2023. This is Paul Miki ROAMBA from UCAP-Burkina, Augustin KOSSI from Togo and Kwesi ANNOH and John KUMAH from Ghana. Prayers and testimonies marked these strong moments.
From the opening ceremony
The grand opening ceremony of this important meeting of Catholic journalists and communicators from Africa was chaired, on August 10, 2023, by Mgr Bernard de Clairvaux TOHA WONTACIEN, Bishop of the Diocese of Djougou and President of the Episcopal Commission in charge of Benin Interreligious Dialogue. It was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the Secretary General of the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) of Benin and other guests from the Administration and the Catholic Church. from Benin. It was punctuated by several speeches.
Ms. Reine AZIFAN, president of the organizing committee, set out to set the scene by welcoming the participants, then expressed her joy to see that Benin, despite all the difficulties, wanted to take up the challenge.
Mr. Guy Constant EHOUMI, president of the ABCJ/KTO delivered the message of the Vatican which insists on the necessary awareness of media and communication professionals of the importance of their role for the consolidation of peace through the interreligious dialogue. The President of UCAP-Africa, Charles AYETAN, took this opportunity to invite the West-Africa region to take part in the Refresher Program that UCAP Continental is organizing in November 2023 in Uganda and in the Continental Congress in Ghana in July 2025.
As for Mr. Alexandre Le Grand ROUAMBA, President of UCAP-Burkina Faso and Co-President of the Organizing Committee, he expressed his gratitude to each and everyone for the commitment and the sacrifice made to rally Benin in order to to guarantee the success of this activity. Initiator of the West Africa Refresher Program, UCAP-Burkina, through its President, congratulated the sister section of Benin for having broken the participation record (9 for country for 80 participants). He did not fail to congratulate Guinea and Nigeria who are taking part, for the first time, in an edition of the West Africa Refresher Program. Alexandre Le Grand ROUAMBA recalled that all religions love peace and it is essential that some respect the culture and religion of others for a society of harmony.
For his part, Mr. Julien AKPAKI, Secretary General, representing the President of the HAAC recalled that the journalist is the one who collects, processes, verifies and disseminates information and that, therefore, he must know that his microphones, cameras and feathers are as dangerous as weapons. The mistress of ceremonies noted the message of support from the chaplain of the Ivorian Association of Catholic Journalists and Communicators.
The opening speech returned to Mgr Bernard de Clairvaux TOHA WONTACIEN, Bishop of Djougou. He urged Catholic journalists and communicators to be light to the world through the exercise of their profession. Appropriate musical interludes allowed the audience to identify a part of the culture of Benin.
Communications and panels
At the end of the suspension, the Bishop of Djougou gave the inaugural communication of the Refresher Program, Benin 2023, which focused on the central theme: "Interreligious dialogue and promotion of peace in West Africa: contribution of communicators and media professionals. The speaker presented an overview of the dominant religions in West Africa, namely Islam, Christianity and other religions, including traditional religions. According to Bishop Bernard of Clairvaux, the example of Benin is an illustration of the good cohabitation between several religions. Because it is rare to see that we refuse marriage between two people who love each other for ethnic or religious reasons. This plurality is a good thing from his point of view. He quoted the philosopher Socrates through his famous phrase:“know yourself, yourself”: knowing yourself helps or contributes to breaking the stereotypes that create problems that we could avoid. He emphasized the importance of tolerance, which promotes living together and peace. The Bishop of Djougou gave examples from his childhood, recalling that he went to Koranic school with children of other religious denominations
According to him, interreligious dialogue is not just about promoting peace, but also about sustainable development. Without peace, there is no development. It is a powerful tool that promotes the creation of a peaceful world. Frank dialogue, interreligious exchanges, community development projects, interreligious education are all initiatives proposed by Mgr Bernard de Clairvaux TOHA WONTACIEN.
The panel focused on the theme: "African solidarity in the face of religious extremism: what role for the media and communicators". It was led by Mr. Théodore LOKO, former Ambassador of Benin to the Holy See and Mr. Fernand NOUWLIGBETO, journalist and research professor at the University of Abomey-Calavi. In their interventions, the two panelists developed the professional attitudes and behaviors that journalists must have in order not to favor religious extremism. Orientations and recommendations have also been made in this regard.
This second day ended with the inaugural mass presided over by Mgr Bernard de Clairvaux TOHA WONTACIEN, bishop of Djougou, who had at his side Mgr Roger ANOUMOU, bishop of the diocese of Lokossa (Benin) as well as several priests.
In his homily, Bishop Bernard of Clairvaux noted that the apostle Paul exhorts us to a joyful and sincere gift.“God has endowed us with immense potential. Let us put them at the service of humanity to have a world of peace”, taught the bishop before recalling that Saint Laurent is an example to follow.“Like him, we are called to be witnesses of dialogue. May his example help us to build bridges between hearts. May he be a model of charity for us and encourage us to sow the seeds of peace and love,” he concluded.
Friday, August 11, 2023, was devoted to three themes. It is first of all about "Inculturation: opportunities and limits for the faith" which was developed by Father Justin BOCOVO, Pastor of the parish of Our Lady of the Visitation of Gbèdagba in Benin. An Islamologist and head of the Diocesan Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism, he articulated his intervention around three points:
Ø The Church was born to evangelize;
Ø Inculturation and dialogue with traditional African religion;
Ø The Christian faced with the challenges of ancestral traditions.
In his development, Father BOCOVO followed this chronology by insisting on a certain number of elements which allow Catholic Christians to define the notion of inculturation in its depth, in order to take it into account in the refinement of the dialogue between the Catholic Church and traditional African cultures.
The second communication of August 11 was made around "Defence and protection of borders in the era of the security crisis: challenges of the Defense and Security Forces". It was presented by the Divisional Commissioner of Police, Abdoul-Hazizou BAH the IMAM, representative of the Ministry of the Interior of Benin. The speaker insisted on a few cases of joint operations and cooperation initiatives between several countries of the West African sub-region aimed at pooling efforts to protect populations from the security risk linked to the violent extremism and terrorism.
In five (5) points, Commissioner Abdoul-Hazizou BAH l'IMAM of the General Directorate of Public Security at the Ministry of Interior and Public Security of Benin gave an overview of the measures and actions undertaken with their results, without losing sight of the challenges facing Benin's Defense and Security Forces in the face of violent extremism; which challenges remain the same for all the countries of the West African region.
Third theme of the day:“Family, protection of life and promotion of peace: education of young people for peace and protection of life”. This is the theme developed by Prof. Dorothée Akoko KINDE GAZARD, parasitologist and former Minister of Health of Benin. In his presentation articulated around three points Prof. GAZARD placed particular emphasis on the definition of the Catholic Christian family, on the institution of Catholic marriage, before leading to the importance of the family as being the foundation of human society and the source of human life.
Day trip
The day of Saturday August 12 was devoted to the excursion through a descent into the historic city of Ouidah and Cotonou. In turn, the participants visited the temple of the pythons, the basilica of Ouidah and the slave route. Moments of history but above all strong emotions with this immersion in the life of our ancestors who were deported after experiencing hell on earth. At the end of this visit, the participants spent pleasant moments at the edge of the beach.
In Cotonou, apart from a city tour, the main public squares embodying memorial tourism were visited. These are the Bio Guéra square, the Amazon monument, the fresco of unity, etc. Simply friendly moments!
After all these activities, a break was observed on Sunday August 13, 2023 at the end of the mass presided over by Father Moïse DADJA (Togo) who had at his side Father Etienne GANGA (Burkina Faso) and Father Anicet GNANVI, Director of Communication of the Episcopal Conference of Benin, chaplain of the community of journalists and Catholic communicators of Benin. The day of Monday August 14 was made free.
On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, the participants set off for Abomey to celebrate the feast of the Assumption with the ordinary of the places which is in charge of the means of social communications. On the way, they stopped at Allada to visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Divine Mercy, which houses the premises of Radio Immaculée Conception, which moreover provided daily live and deferred broadcasts of the work of the Refresher Program.
At the Cathedral of Saint Father Peter and Saint Paul of Abomey, Bishop Eugène Cyrille HOUNDEKON and the entire community of the faithful of the parish gave a warm welcome to all the participants. The opportunity was given to the presidents of UCAP-Burkina and ABCJ/KTO to present the Refresher and express their gratitude to Bishop HOUNDEKON who is in charge of the means of social communication.
He congratulated and thanked the Catholic journalists and communicators for their commitment and reassured them of his prayers. Enriching experiences varied from country to country.
The evaluation made allowed the organizers to note the positive and negative points of this 8th meeting and to list prospects to guarantee the next editions of the Refresher Program a better success.
At the end of the deliberations, three (3) recommendations and two motions were adopted unanimously. The recommendations go to the religious leaders of West Africa for a sincere interreligious dialogue, to the Heads of State of West Africa for the respect of secularism in our countries, and to men and West African media women for a more responsible press. The two motions of thanks are addressed to the Episcopal Conference of Benin for its support and to the ABJC/KTO for having taken up the bet of the organization, and to UCAP-Burkina for its leadership which makes it possible to hold the Refresher Program without interruption for 8 years.
In other matters, the President of UCAP-Burkina reported on the steps that the self-suspended office of UCAP West Africa was to take at the end of the Refresher Lomé 2022, for the recognition of this section sub regional.
He informed the participants that all the documents required for admission have been sent to the Executive Committee of UCAP Africa since September 2022, the opinion of which, promised as soon as possible after said documents, must still wait 4 years, i.e. at the Accra Congress in 2025.
At the very end of the work, the participants received the visit of Father Eric HOKPEICHA, from the diocese of Porto Novo and deputy secretary general of the Episcopal Conference of Benin. He is one of the architects of the creation of ABCJ/KTO (UCAP-Benin). Thanking all the countries for their participation, Father Eric acknowledged that the organization of this Refresher Program was a challenge but, overall, the bet was met.
It should be noted that the Eucharistic celebrations for the participants were daily.
It was with hearts full of joy and beaming faces, and also at the end of a memorable recreational evening, that the participants welcomed the success of this 8th edition and pledged to take part in the 9th Refresher Program which will take place from August 9 to 17, 2024 in Guinea Conakry.
Cotonou, August 17, 2023
The Organizing Committee
RECOMMENDATION 1: For a sincere interreligious dialogue
- Considering the evolutions between religious groups and public authorities during the last twenty years
- Considering that this situation leads to rethinking the consequences of religious diversity in civil society
- Considering the capacity for collaboration between religious communities.
We, participants in the Refresher Program and members of the associations of Catholic journalists and communicators of West Africa, gathered within the African Catholic Union of the Press (UCAP) held under the theme: "Interreligious dialogue and promotion of Peace in West Africa: Contributions from Communicators and Media Practitioners »
Call on religious denominations in our respective countries to live a sincere interreligious dialogue for more social cohesion, a factor of peace
RECOMMENDATION 2: for the respect of the principle of secularism in our countries
- Considering that all the countries participating in the UCAP West Africa Refresher Program have in their constitutions that the State is secular
- Considering the need to put all religions on the same equal footing
- Considering the socio-security situation of our respective countries
- Considering the important role played by the various customary and religious communities in the resolution of crises
We, participants in the Refresher Program and members of associations of Catholic journalists and communicators of West Africa gathered within the African Catholic Union of the Press (UCAP) held under the theme: "Interreligious dialogue and promotion of Peace in West Africa: Contributions from Communicators and Media Professionals »
Recommend to our Heads of State the respect of the principle of secularism through the fair consideration of the different religious denominations
RECOMMENDATION 3: For a responsible press
- Considering the very important role played by the press in educating and sensitizing populations
- Considering the danger that a partisan press can convey
We, participants in the Refresher Program and members of the associations of Catholic journalists and communicators of West Africa gathered within the African Catholic Press Union (UCAP), held under the theme: "Interreligious dialogue and promotion of Peace in West Africa: Contributions from Communicators and Media Practitioners »
Recommend to media men and women in our sub-region a fair, just and peaceful treatment of religious facts for a society of harmony and for better living together
Done in Cotonou on August 17, 2023
The Participants
MOTION OF THANKS 1: To the Episcopal Conference of Benin
- Considering the involvement of the Episcopal Conference of Benin through its president of the Episcopal Commission for the means of social communication and the Bishop responsible for the Commission for interreligious dialogue
We, participants in the Refresher Program and members of the associations of Catholic journalists and communicators of West Africa gathered within the African Catholic Press Union (UCAP), held under the theme: "Interreligious dialogue and promotion of Peace in West Africa: Contributions from Communicators and Media Practitioners »
We extend our heartfelt thanks to:
- To the Episcopal Conference of Benin
- To their Excellencies Eugène Cyrille HOUDEKON and Bernard de Clairvaux TOHA WONTACIEN
MOTION OF THANKS 2: To ABCJ/KTO and UCAP-Burkina
- Considering the good performance of the Benin 2023 Refresher Program
- Considering the commitment of the Benin Association of Catholic Communicators and Journalists of Benin (ABCJ/KTO)
- Considering the investment of UCAP-Burkina for a regular Refresher Program,
We, participants in the Refresher Program and members of the associations of Catholic journalists and communicators of West Africa gathered within the African Catholic Press Union (UCAP), held under the theme: "Interreligious dialogue and promotion of Peace in West Africa: Contributions from Communicators and Media Practitioners »
Thanks:
- The ABCJ/KTO executive office and the Refresher Program organizing committee for their availability and for the success of the 8th West African meeting of Catholic journalists and communicators
- UCAP-Burkina for its leadership which ensures the regularity of the different editions of the Refresher Program
Done in Cotonou on August 17, 2023
The participants
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP) – Togo.
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