Author: Valter Hugo Muniz Page 8 of 241

Valter Hugo Muniz - Formado em Comunicação Social com ênfase em jornalismo pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica de SP (PUC-SP) em 2009, concluiu em 2012 a “laurea magistrale” em Ciências Políticas no Instituto Universitário Sophia, na Itália. Com experiência em agências de comunicação, multinacionais, editoras e televisão é, atualmente, consultor de comunicação na ONG Arigatou International, em Genebra, Suíça. Com vivência de mais de cinco anos na Europa (Itália e Suíça), participou de trabalhos voluntários em São Paulo e na Indonésia pós Tsunami (2005), além de uma breve estadia na Costa do Marfim (2014). É fundador do escrevoLogoexisto.

Racismo no Carrefour

By Valter Hugo Muniz

On 21/11/2020

In Co-agir com o mundo

É doloroso ter que voltar a falar de racismo depois do que aconteceu em Porto Alegre com o João Alberto Silveira Freitas (40), dentro do estacionamento do supermercado Carrefour. Diante das imagens de violência perversa, como desenvolver um discurso conciliador? Pensando na dor de mais uma família órfã de pai fica quase impossível defender a misericórdia pois “a misericórdia sem justiça conduz à ruína”, como diz Santo Tomás de Aquino.

Três meses atrás eu participei de um bate papo do canal do YouTube Papo Objetivo, onde conversamos sobre Racismo Estrutural. Mais uma vez vem à tona o mal que é a principal causa do genocídio sistemático do preto no Brasil e que precisa ser combatido por todos.

Das pessoas assassinadas no país entre 2008 e 2018, 75,5% são negras, segundo o Atlas da Violência. Uma pesquisa da ONG Rio de Paz, mostrou que entre 2016 e 2019, 91% das crianças mortas por “balas perdidas” no Rio de Janeiro, eram negras.

Só com o endurecimento das leis para crime de racismo, oportunidades iguais para os e as jovens pretas e, sobretudo uma política de reparação histórica, é que podemos tratar uma sociedade adoecida pelo racismo, como é a brasileira. Porém, o diálogo também nesse âmbito acabou polarizado, banalizando o fato de que todas as vidas importam, inclusive as vidas pretas.

Sem uma resposta incisiva e transversal continuaremos limitando a nossa luta à busca de uma justiça esvaziada de significado porque incapaz de olhar o todo e transformar as estruturas da nossa sociedade.

Innovation in an unprecedented time

By Valter Hugo Muniz

On 13/11/2020

In In English

When we hear “innovation”, it’s uncommon to associate the word with the religious environment. Yet, after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, every organisation was forced to look at new ways to function. Those who didn’t move fast enough struggle to survive in this unprecedented time.

The challenge of giving visibility to the work of a global organisation that has the mandate to go and physically meet people and communities around the world seemed gigantic for our communication department at the World Council of Churches (WCC).

One question resonated all the time in my heart: How do we continue to offer a platform for encounters in times of pandemic, when we can’t physically meet?

Since early April, I’ve been dealing with dozens of online events that we started producing to give visibility to the work of WCC. As soon as my colleagues began to voice their needs concerning these online events, I realised that we needed to find technical solutions that would match the requirements. But where to start?

A lot of time spent on research and I started to look at videos of those who are the biggest users of live stream services: gamers. I’ve watched hundreds of videos to understand which tools they use, how is the setup, the technical needs and step by step I’ve developed a concept that could potentially work for WCC.

After two months of test sessions and adjustments, I’ve finally managed to create a workflow that allowed our productions team to offer a range of solutions to the broad needs we have.

What a joy when we provided all the technical support for a webinar with sign language interpretation, focusing on people with disabilities! As I shared with my colleagues, that was “the best example of the type of connection webinars can create”. It became a “space for encounter”.

The challenge we now have is to stay true to our identity, even with the growing demands for online events. However, the journey we went through this year has shown that this unprecedented time is an invitation to innovate, also for faith-based organisations.

Voltar ao Brasil para reconectar

By Valter Hugo Muniz

On 10/11/2020

In vidaloka

Eu nunca fiquei tanto tempo sem voltar ao Brasil. A culpa é da pandemia de COVID-19. Essa situação excepcional criou uma desconexão entre o “helvetismo” que cultivei como imigrante nos últimos seis anos e a brasilidade que carrego dentro de mim.

Na minha terra natal, eu sempre sou convidado a ver o mundo na perspectiva dramática do outro, muito por presenciar diariamente a miséria, a privação e o desamparo dos mais vulneráveis. Há muito tempo esses elementos não fazem mais parte do meu cotidiano.

A diferença entre realidades não só me afastou das dinâmicas constitutivas de quem eu sou, mas também me distanciou de alguns dos meus compatriotas. Para eles, sem a vivência, eu perco um componente chave para analisar a situação sócio-política brasileira.

Daqui a exatas duas semanas, se tudo der certo, estarei de volta ao meu país. Mas dessa vez o mundo não é mais o mesmo. Estamos todos conectados pelas realidades impostas pela pandemia de COVID-19. Contudo, as feridas e o vazio que essa experiência tem causado de maneira diferente em cada um de nós precisam encontrar significado no desejo profundo de reconexão, de reencontro. Mesmo se com máscaras e distância física.

Crises são sempre oportunidades incríveis de avaliação interior. Foram nesses exercícios que eu entendi o quanto o outro é parte de mim e eu sou fruto do outro. É essa reconexão que estou indo buscar no Brasil para, quem sabe, me sentir novamente completo.

100 years of Chiara Lubich and the ambassadors of love

By Valter Hugo Muniz

On 27/10/2020

In In English

In 2020 the Focolare community all around the world celebrates hundred years of Chiara Lubich’s life.

If there is a simple reason why the Focolare movement should still exist, even without the presence of its charismatic founder, it is the fact that its members have a profound hope in love and, with that, they aim to be bridge builders in a divided world.

In a particular period of history when Chiara’s message about unity seems even more crucial for the success of humanity, the members of the Focolare are called to continue to believe in love. A hope that starts with testifying, with a very humble and committed attitude, the grace of God’s love. This love is what gives us the strength to resist, to seek justice, to heal and to make this world a better place for the next generations.

Chiara Lubich was an ordinary woman with an extraordinary calling that brought together hundreds of thousands of people from different cultures, countries, races and religions. Her heritage is renewed every time the Focolare community reminds itself to be, first of all, ambassadors of love.

Systematically challenged to mutual love

By Valter Hugo Muniz

On 19/09/2020

In In English

This year, I received as a gift the book “My Ecumenical Journey” by the founder of the Focolare Movement Chiara Lubich (1920-2008). The compilation of reflections about ecumenism is accompanying my morning meditation before I start to work.

One year ago, I joined the communication department of the World Council of Churches, a membership organization that works for the unity between Churches from different Christian denominations.

Believing in unity nowadays demands hope in something bigger than merely human goodwill. But Chiara Lubich’s reflections on “My Ecumenical Journey” give some key elements that can help us to walk together towards a shared space of empathy, acceptance and communion.

Those who want to contribute to a united world, particularly between the various Churches, are systematically challenged to mutual love.

“A love that leads each Church to become a gift for the others, so that we can foresee in the Church of the future that there will be just one truth, but that it will be expressed in different ways, seen from different viewpoints, made more beautiful by the variety of interpretations”,
Chiara Lubich, my EcumEnical journey.

Mutual love starts with us, though. We are invited to be the first to love and not to wait that love comes from someone else. But what can we do when love doesn’t become mutual? In moments where we can’t understand or accept each other, Jesus Forsaken remembers us the measure of God’s love, that overcome men’s fears, indifference, ignorance and even death.

In “The art of loving”, another inspiring book that I read recently, Erich Fromm recalls that “Love is not just a relationship with a particular person: it is an attitude, a character orientation that determines a person’s relationship with the world.”

Love is our final Christian call. And we, church people, can’t do it without ecumenism. Seeking unity between our Churches, acknowledging the richness of the many interpretations of the Gospel, is to accept the systematical challenge for loving each other and to testify a world where differences don’t necessarily trigger division.

Notes: On 23 September this text was also published on the WCC Blog