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On World Communications Day, SIGNIS Africa Urges “connectedness, universal Ubuntu”

Logo Signis Africa. Credit: Courtesy Photo

Adopting the spirit of “Ubuntu”, which is defined by the sense of belonging and the connectedness between people, can go a long way in resolving challenges in relationships across the globe, the leadership of the African region of the World Catholic Association for Communication, SIGNIS Africa, has said.

In a reflection based on the Message of Pope Francis for the 57th World Communications Day, (WCD 2023) the President of SIGNIS Africa relates “Ubuntu” with explains the theme of the Sunday, May 21 event, “Speaking with the heart: The truth in love” (Eph 4:15).

“The Pope's invitation to speak with the heart can be best understood through the prism of the word ‘Ubuntu' which denotes the connectedness that exists or should exist between people,” Fr. Walter Chikwendu Ihejirika says in his May 21 reflection.

The spirit of Ubuntu, Fr. Ihejirika says, refers to “correct behavior in relations with other people, that is, behaving well towards others or acting in ways that benefit the community.”

Ubuntu also refers “to the need for forgiveness and reconciliation rather than vengeance. When a person behaves in these ways, he or she is said to have ubuntu. Having Ubuntu makes one a full person,” the member of the Clergy of Nigeria’s Ahiara Diocese explains. 

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He notes that “when the majority of the inhabitants of the world have Ubuntu, they effortlessly speak with the heart,” and emphasizes, “The universal Ubuntu is the panacea for most of the global social and environmental problems. Pope Francis makes this clear.”

“Today more than ever, speaking with the heart is essential to foster a culture of peace in places where there is war, to open paths that allow for dialogue and reconciliation in places where hatred and enmity rage,” Fr. Ihejirika says referencing the theme of WCD 2023.

He continues, “We need communicators who are open to dialogue, engaged in promoting integral disarmament and committed to undoing the belligerent psychosis that nests in our hearts.”

Established in 1967 by Pope Paul VI, WCD that provides an opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of modern means of communication is marked on the Sunday before Pentecost. 

SIGNIS Africa President goes on to reflect on the theme guiding this year’s WCD message, and says that Pope Francis “completes his trilogy on the three verbs at the center of communication: seeing, hearing, and speaking.”

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For the three verbs to generate authentic human communication, the Nigerian Catholic Priest says, “they must spring up from the heart, because as the Pope stated, it is the heart that spurred us to go, to see and to listen, and it is the heart that moves us towards an open and welcoming way of communicating.”

“Pope Francis highlights the nature of any communication which springs from the heart: It is cordial, dialogical; and seeks and tells the truth with courage and freedom,” Fr. Ihejirika says.

Communication that springs from the heart, the Catholic Priest says, “puts the relationship with God and one's neighbor, especially the neediest, at the center.”

“It is a form of communication founded on humility in listening and parrhesia in speaking. Ultimately, it is communication rooted in the love of the other,” the President of SIGNIS Africa in his May 21 reflection on the occasion of WCD 2023. 

He implores, “As we celebrate World Communications Day, I pray that we all may have Ubuntu and speak the truth from the heart.”

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Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.