By Don Geiger

Richard Obiona – a writer, advocate against domestic violence, theater student and church media team member – described Vision Africa’s two-day Media Institute as “mind-blowing.”

“This experience is something that I’m going to put into my work,” he said. “I’ve been here two days, but it feels like I’ve been here about seven because the training has been intense. It’s been educational. It was splendid. You don’t know what you have embedded in a lot of young people in Nigeria. Everything I heard was mind-blowing, and it’s going to inspire my work. Thank you.”

Richard was among about 340 Nigerian students and media professionals who attended the 12th annual Media Institute, which was held June 24-25 on the campus of Vision Africa Radio in Umuahia, Abia State. In addition, more than 1,000 others watched the event online from countries around the African continent.

“This was by far the largest Media Institute ever,” said Dr. Chuck Pollak, who is an author, educator, broadcaster, and the founder and president of Sharing International, a co-sponsor of the event. “The reputation of Vision Africa is growing. They are being recognized across the continent for their expertise and willingness to share what they know with those who want to use media to share the Good News. That is very encouraging.”

The theme of this year’s Media Institute was “Image Makers: Shaping Culture, Inspiring Change Through Media.” The institute aimed to affirm the influence of broadcasters, storytellers and content creators as agents of cultural definition and transformation. 

Participants chose between two tracks – Management and Broadcasting or Production and Storytelling – and attended sessions on topics ranging from media planning and the basics of radio to leadership during crisis, basic interviewing, audio and video preproduction, photographic composition, and the role of artificial intelligence in writing.

Guest speakers included Prince Okey Kanu, commissioner of information for Abia State, who represented Dr. Alex Otti, governor of the state; Professor Uwaoma Kalu Uche, deputy vice chancellor of Gregory University in Abia State; and Troy A. Miller, president and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters in the United States. Representatives from Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission, which oversees media in the country, also attended.

In his keynote, Miller challenged attendees:

“Whether you’re producing a podcast, editing a video, broadcasting a sermon, designing a social media campaign or writing a script, you are shaping hearts and minds,” he said. “You are forming culture. You are declaring truth in a world desperate for it. Don’t settle for content that merely entertains. Create content that endures. Don’t chase algorithms. Chase truth. … We don’t just want to shape minds. We want to disciple nations. We are not simply content creators. We are cultural custodians. The message we carry – hope – is the most powerful force for human flourishing the world has ever known.”

Other presenters included Bishop Dr. Sunday Onuoha, president and founder of Vision Africa; Dr. Pollak; Dr. Vic Costello, associate professor of cinema and television arts at Elon University in North Carolina; Jeff Wilson, co-founder of The Wander Studio in Texas; Sharon Geiger, assistant general manager and outreach director at KCBI Radio in Dallas, Texas; and Don Geiger, a writer in Dallas.

“Young people, college students, media professionals, church media workers and pastors all came to learn new ideas,” Bishop Onuoha said. “We are called to share God’s love, and that’s what we’re doing over the airwaves. At the Media Institute, we’re giving younger generations the knowledge they will need to share God’s love. We thank all our donors who have given us the resources to deliver this message in Africa.”