"Are you comfortable? Do you feel safe?" Those were the first questions Sean-Patrick Lovett put to a group of about thirty men and women gathered in Johannesburg for a two-day "media workshop". Naturally, everyone said: "Yes". That was the problem! "You cannot be a good communicator if you are comfortable and safe because you won't be challenged". We were, in fact, very safe behind our desks. He challenged us to take the risk to move and sit wherever.
The workshop was organised by IMBISA and the participants came from all the member countries. The facilitation was entrusted to Sean-Patrick Lovett (Vatican media and CREC), Tim Harris and the team from Jesuit Institute (Fr Russell Pollit SJ and Ricardo Da Silva SJ).
"Do you know what IMBISA is?" we were asked. Not many know it. Not even some of those who attended the workshop. That is why we did it. We became aware we are a Church body born in the '70s that is hardly known both in the Church and in society. We want to change that.
That is why we called for delegates from the 9 countries members of IMBISA. We asked for men and women, lay people and priests who, in one way or another, are involved in any type of media: radio, social media, printed media...
Sean-Patrick's question was particularly challenging for people called to communicate. That was only the beginning. They made sure no one would ever feel too comfortable, too safe during the workshop. Every activity done in groups (videos, posts, photos) was seriously criticised and that forced each one to try again and to give the best of oneself. If we want to communicate, we must do it well. Not half way.
The activities also revealed how much closed in our own ideas and ways of doing things we are, together with the excuses we put not to think and do things differently. We do behave as people who feel safe and comfortable.
The positive side is that we were able to discover what we are capable of when we do take the risk to think differently. For this we are deeply grateful and we look forward to a future of much improved communication in Southern Africa.
The Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa, known as IMBISA is an organ of Liaison and Pastoral Cooperation between Episcopal Conferences of Angola and São Tome & Principe (CEAST), Lesotho Catholic Bishops’ Conference (LCBC), Mozambique Catholic bishops’ Conference (CEM), Namibia Catholic Bishops Conference (NCBC), Southern Africa Catholic Bishops which is made up of Botswana, Eswatini and South Africa (SACBC) and Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC).
The Region has 78 ecclesiastical territories (Archdioceses and Dioceses) and 101 Bishops. At the moment IMBISA is the only Regional Conference that is made up of two language groups, that is English and Portuguese.
Click below for photos from Flickr
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