Communicators in Africa serve on front lines of crises

Key Points:

• Graduates of the new strategic communications program are working in regions marked by armed conflict, epidemics, population displacement and misinformation.
• Crisis communication, fact-checking, responsible use of AI and communication diplomacy are among the skills the graduates plan to prioritize.
• Many report a profound shift in their understanding of the role of a communicator.

For most United Methodist communicators, the day-to-day work involves sharing stories about what the church is doing — a baptism, new school or episcopal visit.

But for a growing number of graduates of the new strategic communications program offered by United Methodist Communications and Africa University, communication has become a matter of institutional — and sometimes human — survival: How do you inform a population caught between two front lines? How do you prevent a rumor from sparking a riot? How do you maintain trust when an epidemic is decimating a community?

These are the questions that eight graduates of the program, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Uganda, Mozambique, Angola and Malawi, addressed following their training.

Providing accurate, real-time information

In the Eastern Congo Episcopal Area where she has served as communications director for the past 10 years, Judith Osongo Yanga describes a harsh reality: an area of operation divided by war.

“I am in an area plagued by repeated wars and, at the moment, an area experiencing a health crisis due to the spread of the Ebola virus,” she said. “Curiously, the region is caught in the midst of ethnic tensions and armed conflicts that the church must confront, as one part is occupied by rebels and another is under government control.”

Faced with this divide, she sees the need to work on both sides simultaneously. “As a church, we must expand our outreach efforts by using effective communication diplomacy to work in both areas without interference, because the population needs accurate, real-time information,” she said.

She lists crisis communication and the use of artificial intelligence in a conflict zone among the top priorities from her training. She said the program also allowed her to better “understand the United Methodist identity and develop strong communication diplomacy and protocol” — skills she considers essential for navigating interactions with opposing parties.

Becoming ‘a strong family’

Hundreds of kilometers from the conflict zone described by Yanga, but within the same country, Fiston Lutuku Okito, director of communications for the Central Congo Episcopal Area since 2019, said the most important takeaway from the training is mastering the art of storytelling.

The turning point, he said, came from an unexpected exercise: the presentation of a song he had composed during the program, a moment that changed his perception of his own role as a communicator.

Before this training, Okito admitted he had to outsource the branding and design aspects of his work.

Today, he said he has new tools, and a sense of having overcome an obstacle that had long held him back. When asked about the impact of these skills in his episcopal area in the event of a local conflict, an epidemic or another complex situation, he looks beyond his own practice.

“This will help not only me, but the entire episcopal region. I now have the skills to train all our communicators in everything I’ve learned here.”

The network created in Mutare, he added, will remain active “even from a distance.”

“We can help one another, and this becomes a strong family.”

Equipped to respond

The Rev. Betty Kazadi Musau has served the episcopal region of North Katanga for nine years as communications director and 14 years as a conference communicator. She also is a member of United Methodist Communications’ board. She said her long tenure has allowed her to gauge the importance of the training.

“It’s difficult to communicate during a crisis; I had hoped to remain silent, but now I’m equipped to respond during a crisis,” she said. The turning point, she explains, came from a discussion on ethics in communication.

The challenge she faces in her own country has a specific name: “Officialdom, propaganda,” she said. The solution she’s drawn from her training boils down to a list of reflexes she now plans to apply systematically: “communicate ethically, fact check, be proactive, prepare for any crisis and build relationships with local media.”

She sees the peer network formed through the training as both a lesson in professional humility and a tool. “Sharing experiences has broadened my perspective as a communicator,” she said. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution; context changes everything.”

For Kazadi Musau, the impact of the training extends beyond her own practice.

“It’s an asset that allows me to continue training others; I’m already delegating young people to serve as communications leaders in North Katanga,” she said.

Guiding calmly through crises

For the Rev. Filibus Bakari Auta, senior director of communications for the Nigeria Episcopal Area, which includes Cameroon and Senegal, the threat comes not from weapons but from screens.

“A major challenge for communicators in The United Methodist Church in Nigeria is the rapid spread of viral fake news and fabricated rumors,” he said, related to tensions and land disputes with the breakaway Global Methodist Church, which was launched by former United Methodists in 2022.

He said he will use what he learned during training to counter misinformation.

“The episcopal communications office intends to establish an official, verified digital hub —such as a dedicated WhatsApp broadcast channel or an authenticated Facebook page — to serve as a single source of truth,” he said. “By actively monitoring online spaces, deploying digital fact-checking tools and quickly publishing clear and objective counter-narratives —validated by the sitting bishop — the communications office hopes to defuse panic and counter inflammatory misinformation with grace and transparency.

“By prioritizing truth, transparency and empathy, as a communicator, I can calmly guide congregations through complex situations … ensuring that the church remains a beacon of trust, peace and hope.”

Auta sees this as a personal as well as a professional transformation.

“This program represents a revelation, the lifting of a veil that limited my view of myself as a moral agent in the media landscape,” he said.

Responding responsibly in emergency situations

In the East Africa Episcopal Area, which covers Uganda, Sudan and South Sudan, Chrinore Ruremesha describes a region facing “conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, population displacement and other complex challenges.”

Having been in office for only nine months, the training he received in Mutare came at just the right time.

 “This training equipped me with practical skills in crisis communication, ethical reporting, strategic storytelling and digital communication, which will help us convey accurate information, respond responsibly in emergency situations, protect the church’s reputation, and convey messages of hope and peace,” he said.

He also highlighted a structural gap he intends to address.

“One of our greatest communication challenges is the lack of a comprehensive communication policy to guide communicators at all levels of the church,” he said, adding that training in ethics, professionalism and strategic leadership will help him develop guidelines applicable from the annual conference down to the district and local church levels.

He said the training will bring to light inspiring stories that, until now, have not reached an audience.

“The training has given me the skills to identify, document and share these testimonies in a way that inspires hope, encourages partnerships and demonstrates God’s work through the church.”

Building trust and strengthening unity

For Francisco Tivane, communications director for the Northern Mozambique Conference, the immediate challenge is not war but cultural and linguistic divides.

“A communication challenge I face at home is reaching people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, which can lead to misunderstandings and limit participation,” he said.

He said he will counter that with “clear language, translation of key messages, communication through multiple channels, encouraging feedback and working with local leaders to improve understanding, build trust and strengthen unity.”

Tivane sees his approach as part of a broader vision of what communication can achieve in times of crisis.

“The skills I’ve acquired will help me, within the context of my episcopal area, to listen empathetically, provide support for decision-making and respond effectively to conflicts, epidemics, disasters and other complex situations,” he said.

He adds that the training helped him understand that communication is not just about communicating. “(It) can also change people’s lives, lead people to salvation and foster reconciliation in communities torn apart by conflict.”

Sharing messages clearly and strategically

In Angola, the Rev. Neusa Ndalamba has served as a district superintendent for six years and, for the past year, as a correspondent for the West Angola Conference. This was her first training in communication, and she describes it as a turning point.

“The sessions on crisis communication management, combined with discussions on ethics and cultural sensitivity, completely changed my understanding of the role of a communicator. I now see communicators as key players in guiding organizations through crises with wisdom, integrity and compassion.”

Before the training, she said, she knew almost nothing about the range of artificial intelligence tools now at her disposal — a gap that, in her words, limited “the effectiveness and impact” of her work, particularly when it came to regularly updating her conference’s websites and communication platforms.

She now looks forward to sharing the story of regionalization, a process she believes is still poorly understood in her community. The major restructuring aims to give the denomination’s different geographical regions equal decision-making authority.

She said she wants to “communicate clearly and strategically so that people can engage confidently in the future of the church.”

On the impact during times of crisis, she said the skills she obtained will enable her to respond to crises with confidence, clarity and strategic thinking.

“They will help me communicate accurately, minimize damage, build trust and provide timely information that supports the church and the communities we serve during difficult times.”

She also cites the peer network she built in Mutare — particularly with colleagues from Malawi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — as a resource she plans to actively maintain.

Communicating to make disciples

For Francis Nkhoma, director of conference communications for the episcopal region of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Botswana, the training in Mutare was not his first. He had completed training with United Methodist Communications in Maputo, Mozambique, in 2018.

From this latest session, he has identified two concrete priorities: skills in artificial intelligence and crisis communication management.

“Regarding ethics, I learned that when communicating, I must maintain an ethical perspective while still being able to communicate strategically in a way that aligns with the church’s mission, which is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” he said.

Before the training, he said, his communication was more routine than strategic.

“I communicated in a general way. I couldn’t align the content; it was just a simple communication routine. Now, I’ve been trained to communicate strategically.” 

In particular, he said he plans to use what he’s learned to create visuals using artificial intelligence generators in areas where he previously felt limited.

He said he would use his new skills “in all areas: local conflict, epidemics and areas of social advocacy and development. ”

He added that he looks forward to telling stories about the church’s work in Africa, including of a vocational training program for young people in Malawi designed to combat poverty.

Londe is a UM News correspondent based in Congo.

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