No peace without nuclear disarmament

By Teresia Mutuku, Communications Officer and Web Manager

Toronto, Canada - A senior official with the World Council of Churches has expressed concern over the deafening silence about nuclear disarmament.

Jonathan Frerichs, Programme Executive, WCC

Jonathan Frerichs, a Programme Executive at the WCC, said the debate has declined over the past seven years although nuclear as well as small weapons are still a threat to life.

He said communicators should care deeply about the proliferation of weapons and mushrooming violence around the world by stepping up the debate and speaking the truth about the impunity with which weapons are manufactured and sold.

‘Weapons have no right to exist. They are a threat to life and illegal in all aspects of international law. We must stigmatize them’, he said.

Frerichs was addressing staff at the World Association for Christian communication (WACC) headquarters in Toronto, Canada, 5 November. He said stigmatizing weapons entails challenging those in power to respect life. ‘We have to speak the truth to protect people and sustain life. There is no space for double standards and half truths’, he said. ‘Truth is the cradle of the Christian faith.’

On violence in the Middle East, Frerichs said consumerised media programming is fostering hatred by glorifying violent behaviour and openly discussing topics that denigrate family values. He said, ‘family values are constantly abused by lust and vanity-driven media programming exported from western countries. This is irresponsible communication which is fuelling anger and hatred among the people in Middle East.’

He said faith-based communicators should use new, alternative forms of information exchange to promote dignity, justice and peace that is so often missing from consumerised programming. ‘We need alternative media’, he said.

Frerichs called on churches to join many efforts underway and to strengthen ecumenical advocacy, which he said is a key element in fostering peace processes in the Middle East. He hailed the newly formed Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum, an inter-church advocacy coalition which was launched by the WCC to promote peace among Israelis and Palestinians.

Frerichs’ comments come as WACC is preparing a world Congress on communication and peace to be held in Cape Town, South Afric, 6-10 October 2008. Over 300 communicators are expected to attend the congress to explore how communication can contribute to peace building processes around the world.