The SIGNIS Africa Conference concludes in Kampala, Uganda, with a call for compassionate reporting on refugees and the development of professional guidelines for African Catholic media, as participants get first-hand experience at a refugee settlement.
By Fr. Paul Samasumo – Kampala
The SIGNIS Africa Conference on migrants and refugees has ended in Kampala, Uganda, with a draft compilation of what should eventually become codified as professional guidelines for use by Catholic media in Africa when reporting on migrants and refugees.
A committee will be set up for further work on the draft.
On the last day of the conference part, media lecturers from Uganda’s Makerere University engaged with participants in discussion on what can be done to encourage professional and compassionate reporting that is still factual and objective.
The question of what sets the African Catholic media practioner apart was deliberated upon at length.
Visit to a refugee settlement
On Friday, participants traveled to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, situated about 300 kilometres away from the capital, Kampala.
The visit promised to offer a day of full-immersion to witness first-hand how refugees and migrants live in the settlements.
The goal is to move past merely talking about migrants and refugees in conference rooms to engaging with an opportunity for a day-long encounter of meeting and listening to the refugees themselves.
