Environmentalist Lauds First-Ever SIGNIS World Congress in Africa Organizers for Including Care for Creation in Theme

The Board of the World Catholicism Association for Communication, SIGNIS, has approved the theme and seven subthemes to guide the planned 2026 SIGNIS World Congress.

In a notification that ACI Africa obtained on July 15, officials of SIGNIS Africa, the African region of the World Catholic Association for Communication, confirmed the approved theme and subthemes.

According to the one-page notification, SIGNIS Africa said the next step after the approval of the theme is to “conceive and design a fitting logo for the branding of the event.” 

In a separate statement, SIGNIS Africa leadership explained the Congress theme and outlined subthemes to guide the Kigali event.

“This general theme will enable participants at the SIGNIS WORLD CONGRESS to reflect on the implications of the use of digital communication and design communicative strategies which can guarantee communion, peace, equity among individuals and societies, and also help to take care of our environment (our common home),” SIGNIS Africa leadership said.

Environmental Communication and the Care for Creation is among the subthemes that the World Board of SIGNIS approved to guide the Congress.

SIGNIS Africa officials have said that the ecological stewardship subtheme that was inspired by Laudato Si’ and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is an acknowledgement that “environmental concerns are central to any discussions on human development.” 

The SIGNIS officials say that the panel handling the subtheme on ecological stewardship “will examine the role of communication in the promotion of environmental well-being.”

In the July 18 interview, Ms. Kitisya said that the choice of Rwanda, a country that she says “embodies resilience, innovation, and ecological stewardship” was well informed as the African nation offers “the perfect backdrop for a global conversation.”

“As someone rooted in both faith-based advocacy and the transformative power of media, I find the theme and subthemes incredibly timely,” the Laudato Si’ Movement official told ACI Africa, adding, “We are at a crossroads where digital tools can either divide us or bring us closer together, closer to one another, to our common home, and to the divine.”

Credit: Ashley Kitisya

In their July 15 statement, SIGNIS Africa officials recognized the opportunities and challenges of the expansion of digital communication, which they said has brought the world to the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

They recalled the late Pope Francis’ note about the ambiguity of AI during his 14 June 2024 address at the G7 session, where he said, “On the one hand, it (AI) generates excitement for the possibilities it offers, while on the other it gives rise to fear for the consequences it foreshadows.”

Digitality, SIGNIS Africa officials said, “has implications for the spiritual and social dimensions of human life as well as the wellbeing of the environment.”

In the July 18 interview with ACI Africa, Ms. Kitisya also lauded the organisers of the 2026 World SIGNIS Congress for considering the subtheme on digitality. She said, “Equally exciting is the focus on Digital Discipleship and AI in media.” 

(Story continues below)

Credit: Ashley Kitisya

“These are no longer futuristic ideas; they are our present reality, and we must shape their evolution with ethical grounding, justice, and love,” she said, and added, “We need digital prophets and climate communicators who can disrupt misinformation, centre marginalized voices, and restore communion.”

She lauded SIGNIS Africa and the global planning team for setting such a bold and visionary course, saying, “Count me in! Whether it’s in shaping the logo, convening faith-based communicators, or championing youth and women’s voices in digital spaces, I’m excited to be part of this journey.”

“The road to Kigali 2026 starts now, and I believe Africa will not only host but lead this global dialogue with creativity, depth, and hope,” Ms. Kitisya told ACI Africa, and added, “Let us communicate not just to inform but to transform.”