Sarah Pelaji
This was stated by the Chairman of Communication Directorate of Tanzania Episcopal Conference Bishop Eusebius Nzigilwa during the launch of an environmental media campaign.
The inauguration took place on 6th November this year at Saint Dominic Hostel in Mwanza Archdiocese. The project is coordinated by Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) in partnership with Stem van Africa.
Speaking on the project, Bishop Nzigilwa thanked, Stem van Africa for cooperating with TEC in implementing the environmental media campaign which plays a major role in creating awareness about environmental issues and its adverse effects on people in the lake zone, northern zone and central Zone in Tanzania.
The project intends to put into action the message of Pope Francis in the encyclical letter Laudato Si.
Environmental campaigns aim to raise awareness among ordinary people and encourage more ecologically responsible behavior to reporters from the community radios owned by the Catholic Church.
Bishop Nzigilwa urged the journalists to be at the forefront of educating and informing the community about the care of the world which is the home of all. He insisted that journalists must look at the issue of environmental protection in God's plan of creation.
“God created everything. Plants, Animals, water, forests, mountains etc. Everything he created he saw was good. Then he created man and gave him authority over them. But now man has turned to be arrogant and much cruel to the environment. In this sense, destroying the environment is a sin because we are destroying what God has created,” said Rt. Rev. Nzigilwa.
He also said that the environment is the moral responsibility of every human being and that no one should not seek their own benefit and ruin the environment. Rather, everyone should look at the broader interests of society rather than the individual.
“An individual's matter is beyond the reach of society. We first give priority to what is of common good. So those who are looking for wealth by destroying the environment and hurting the world should stop because they are hurting society, ” he stressed.
He urged the journalists to be role models for others in changing thoughts and attitudes towards the environment.
Speaking to the media, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Housing and Residential Development, Dr Angeline Mabula, also urged the people to change their attitude towards the environment, arguing that each of us has a responsibility to care for the environment.
She has recommended tree planting competitions in districts, wards, households, schools, colleges etc. to encourage tree planting in Tanzania and make Tanzania green. She has also called on every citizen to plant trees from individuals, households, neighborhoods and wards.
The environmental media program is a one-year program implemented into five stages: the first stage comprised the capacity building session on how to collect data for media campaigns, stakeholders’ identification and introduction to media campaign strategy. This was implemented in July 2021.
The second stage includes a two months period of stakeholder’s identification and data collection on audience environmental challenges, audience media uses, tastes and preferences. This stage was also implemented from August to October 2022.
Stage three includes creative workshop in which the journalists from selected radio stations shall develop their own media campaign and evaluation plan ready for practical implementation. The environmental radio programs shall be produced according to the research findings form their local areas.
Stage four will be the implementation of the environmental media campaign. And the project is in this fourth stage of launching the campaign and radio stations begins to address environmental challenges according to the real issues researched at their local areas.
And the fifth stage shall comprise of evaluation and measure changes.