He was thus able to see for himself the state of the art of communication in the Province. Fr Mathias Amani, Provincial Delegate for Social Communication, took the opportunity to illustrate the current reality of communication in AFC. While Fr Gildasio Mendes, after listening carefully to the words of the members of the commission, provided some guidelines based on his position as General Councillor and his rich personal experience as a communicator.
Eager to understand the efforts made by local authorities in the field of media, the General Councillor then visited some of the private and public media in the city of Lubumbashi. He visited the studios of Radio Maria, radiotelevision Nyote 2 and television Malaika. In all these venues Fr Gildasio Mendes also gave an interview encouraging work in this field, in which he praised the technological progress of the media he visited, and without neglecting to thank them for the welcome they gave him.
Central points of his Animation Visit in AFC were undoubtedly the visits to three houses of formation, with novices, post-novices and Salesians engaged in the study of Theology.
On Saturday, 13 April 2024, Fr Gildasio Mendes went to the community at Kansebula, where young Salesians study Philosophy; and, in his address he spoke of the importance of communication in the life of a Son of Don Bosco. "The best way to understand today's world, which is becoming increasingly ‘digital‘, is to study philosophy well, in order to ask the right questions about the new media in which we are all immersed", the General Councillor stated to all those present. It deserves to be emphasised that in Kansebula, Fr Gildasio Mendes was a Salesian among his Salesian brothers, and this was evident in the climate of joy that his presence created: a joy that was manifested in the music and dance in which the whole community participated.
On Sunday, 14 April 2024, the General Councillor joined the Mary Help of Christians parish community in Ruashi to celebrate the Eucharist for the Third Sunday of Easter together. It was a Congolese-style celebration, in which the General Councillor for Social Communications was able to appreciate the privileged role reserved for singing and dancing in the liturgy. Visiting the novices on the same day, Fr Gildasio Mendes shared with them: “What makes Tik Tok and other social networks so successful, what lies behind the new media, is music and dance – two media in which you, the people of Africa, certainly excel.”
As a good Salesian of Don Bosco, Fr Gildasio Mendes also went to meet young people; he found them in the Boys Town community, where thousands of young people from various Salesian works in Lubumbashi participate in sports events. On the occasion of their meeting, the General Councillor spoke with them, offered them words of hope, and took some selfies with them.
The Animation Visit of the General Councilor for Social Communication in AFC will continue until Tuesday, 16 April 2024, through other appointments in which Fr Gildasio Mendes will not fail to encourage the Salesians in their mission, especially in the field of communication.
