Paper debates the influence of media corporations in religion and culture

The first thematic panel of the 6th CMRC this Tuesday (12) debated the interface between corporations, media and culture. Professor Dr. Azonzek Ukah, from the Department on Religious Studies of the Bayreuth University, in Germany, presented his research “Banishing Miracles: Politics and Policies of Religious Broadcasting in Nigeria”, pointing out the significative cartel and monopoly that the Nigerian government has over the means of communication, which get quiet the organizations voices in that country. “To the Nigerian government, the religions can create situations that cause problems, threatening their power”, revealed Prof. Ukah. “There is a contradiction, because religious liberty is protected by law there, but in practice, this liberty is restricted by the government, that don’t allow people to express their religion”.

According to Profesor Ukah, 213 means of communication are controlled by the government and 78 are private. “Owning most part of the media, the government make laws and controls the ways they are implemented”. The Professor explained that this situation ends up influencing in violence matters. “The minorities are dominated and victimized by this situation and there is a need for the laws to be reformulated”, he emphasized. 

The great influence power of the governments and corporations was the focus of the discussion in the morning. Professor Sarah M. Pike, from the Department of Religious Studies of the California State University (USA), presented her study about “Corporate Youth Culture and the Gods of Nature”. “The Nature Religion, which is invoked by some movies and teen TV series, worried some American conservative Protestants”. Sarah mentioned the TV cartoon “Capitain Planet” and the books “Golden Compass” and “Harry Potter”, which present elements that put animals and the environment above the Man, God’s supremest creation, according the conservative Christians. “Visual media, especially in the 1900s, has affected the public’s opinion when it comes to nature, and created Earth worshippers”, revealed the Professor.

 Another great “media corporation”, according to Professor Dr. Leonildo Silveiras Campos, from the Methodist University of São Paulo (Universidade Metodista de São Paulo), is represented by Neopentecostals that, from the 1970s on, have established their power in the media. “The Pentecostal insertion has created bad feeling in the businessmen that control the media, especially in Globo Network”. Professor Leonildo presented the research “The New Brazilian Pentecostals in the Media – Visibilty, Challenges and Scandals”, which shows a panorama of the media concessions in Brazil and how these groups had access to the control of the means of communication. “The concessions of the means of communication in the country are basically given by political agreements. That’s why religious groups are so interested in having their representatives in the parliament”. According to the Professor, one of the most recent legislatures had about 63 evangelical congressmen. After successive scandals of corruption involving some people of this group, this number decreased to 35. “It’s a fact that the Pentecostals are present in the media and in the country politics”, he completed.

 GIANA ZEFERINO