Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is set to address Congress 2008 focussing on the important role played by the world’s media in reporting on violence and reconciliation. WACC has confirmed that Tutu will speak October 6 at the Atlantic Conference Centre in Cape Town, South Africa during the opening ceremony of Congress 2008, a conference for communicators and peace advocates from faith-based and civil society organizations. The five-day event builds on the theme Communication is peace: Building viable communities. 

Tutu, a Nobel peace laureate, is well known for his leadership of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) convened in 1996 by then President Nelson Mandela to shed light on the stories of atrocities committed during the apartheid era in South Africa. 

The role of the media in covering testimony by victims and perpetrators was key to the success of the commission.  When submitting the final report of the TRC  to the South African government in 1998, Tutu praised journalists for “helping to take our work to every nook and cranny of our land and elsewhere.”   

Tutu continues to play an active and highly visible role in peace negotiations, most recently being invited by the All Africa Council of Churches to act as a mediator in the wake of the disputed Kenyan elections. 

In addition to the presentation by Tutu, the opening ceremony for Congress 2008 will feature “clouds of witnesses” to apartheid, a Biblical reference to people whose lives are examples of faith and witness in action. 

WACC promotes communication for social change through the activities of its network of communicators, rights advocates and academics in 115 countries. Congress 2008 is the fourth global conference sponsored by the organization and the first to be held in Africa. The programme will focus on communication rights, media and gender justice, coverage of conflict and peace, and information technologies and peace building. 

Information about Congress 2008 is available at www.waccglobal.org/congress.