The past decade has seen an explosion of media across the world - video, audio cassettes, CDs, satellite TV, computer media and the Internet. This has thrown open the doors for Christian witness as never before. Throughout this period, I’ve been privileged to be involved as a trustee of Kairos Media which works with national Christians to exploit these openings.
News from Bob in Okhaldunga (Everest region of Nepal) is that our second partnership radio station “Aafno FM” Station in Okhuldunga, has gone live for the first time. Clickhere to see Bob’s slideshow.
It’s a record - at least for me! A six hour drive from Worthing to Heathrow (thanks to a snow storm which brought Southern Britain to a virtual standstill), plus another 6 hours to wait for the aircraft . But it was out of the fridge and into the freezer… this morning it was minus 10 in Conneticut with a wind-chill factor that makes it feel way colder.
It seems a strange place to come for planning meetings related to Africa, but then the cold has helped to focus hearts and minds.
According to CBC news, U.S. authorities now have the power to seize and detain travellers’ electronic devices, including laptops and cellphones, and make copies of their contents at an off-site location, under newly disclosed customs policies.
The policy gives border agents at any point of entry into the United States the authority to also take documents, books, pamphlets and hard drives. The items can be seized from anyone crossing the border and may then be copied and shared with other government agencies, according to Department of Homeland Security documents dated July 16.
For a country many of us hold up as the paragon of freedom and respect, this is alarming. Is this what fear and paranoia does to a nation? What happened to the American dream? Has it become the American nightmare?
You’ve got to hand it to the Taliban, they certainly know how to work the media to further their heinous objectives. A report from the International Crisis group tells how the organisation is using a full range of media, from web-sites to mobile ‘phones, to tap into strains of Afghan nationalism and exploit policy failures by the Kabul government and its international backers. Using a website in the name of the former regime – the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – they dispense leadership statements and inflated tales of battlefield exploits.
But for the largely rural and illiterate population, great efforts are being put into preaching and giving battle reports via DVDs, audio cassettes, shabnamah (night letters – pamphlets or leaflets usually containing threats) and traditional nationalist songs and poems. The Taliban also increasingly uses mobile phones to spread its message. And their strategy seems to be working. Even though few actively support the Taliban, the result is weakening public support for nation-building.
Little wonder one of the key recommendations is DON’T block the flow of information, but rather disclose more, in an open and timely manner, and in that way build morale. I sure hope they catch on, there’s a lot at stake.
