October 9, 2008
By Dennis Smith

Gunfire awakened us at 1:35 this morning. 12 rounds? 15? I was too disoriented to keep track. No screams, no sirens, but we were left wondering who had fired those rounds and why. We live in a middle-middle class neighborhood in Guatemala City – one of the most violent cities in Latin America. Violence has many roots: the persistent legacy of 36 years of civil war; centuries of racism; a polarized economy controlled by a tiny, wealthy elite; endemic violence against women and children. In Guatemala we speak of a culture of violence intimately tied to a culture of impunity. About 85% of the population consider themselves to be Christian, but violence and injustice continue to plague our daily lives. Last year the chief of the national police, a regular church attender, admitted on his weekly TV program, broadcast by a local Christian channel, that government forces practiced extrajudicial executions.

This "social cleansing" targeted common criminals, gang members and sex workers. The police chief proclaimed that church members were active participants in government death squads – and that they were doing God's work. From the Guatemalan context, the theme of this year's WACC World Congress is especially pertinent: Communication is Peace – Building Viable Communities.

I will be in Cape Town in October because my work as a Christian communicator and my involvement in Guatemalan civil society are inextricably tied to the need to find viable solutions to the complex web of violence that ensnares us. My colleagues in Africa are well equipped to guide our reflections. WACC World President Musimbi Kanyoro notes that "Wars and other conflicts, drought, and economic stagnation have caused millions of people to become poorer than just a decade ago... Thousands of children are recruited to serve as soldiers, guerrilla fighters, spies, sexual slaves, and even suicide commandos in conflicts in the Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan. Almost one third are girls."

In addressing what communicators can do in response, she says: "If people can communicate their needs and concerns, they stand a better chance of mobilizing support (and) if people have access to information and can exchange knowledge, they can work in solidarity and share scarce resources." Musimbi continues: "Africa is a vibrant, modern continent that needs to communicate faith in itself. It needs those working in the mass and community media to project positive images and stories, to play an affirmative role in promoting peace and reconciliation. This is why WACC's Congress on the theme ‘Communication is peace: Building viable communities' is so significant."Achowah Umenei, President of WACC's Africa Region, reminds us that "Our task as Christian communicators is to decipher how we can use communication to foster peace, justice, community building, mutual co-existence and the promotion of human dignity. If other communicators use the power of communication to scatter, it should not be so with us."Cape Town will be my fourth WACC World Congress.

In Manila, Metepec, and Leeuwenhorst, I was able to renew relationships with WACC members from all over the world – a gifted, diverse and committed lot. At each meeting, I was challenged by provocative presentations on emerging communication trends by world-class experts, balanced by the rich reflections of colleagues working in grassroots communication initiatives ranging from publishing to community radio to video production to public policy to academic research.

Life in Guatemala has already taught me that there is no magic formula for peace. Peacebuilding is hard work that often bears little fruit for generations. In Cape Town I expect to learn what has worked for colleagues in other parts of the world and how they have been able to incorporate the media into their peacebuilding strategies. Participants will share stories of how communication has helped to shape new ways of thinking and being. When we return home, we can help our communities imagine justice, wholeness and well-being as a way of life.

Dennis Smith, former president of WACC-Latin America, is the coordinator for Communication Training and Publications with theCentral American Evangelical Center for Pastoral Studies (Cedepca), in Guatemala City.

World Association of Christian Communicators
Dennis Smith is former president of WACC-Latin America.