Time to make a stand

Catholics in South Africa have long been reticent in making known their demands and expectations from the secular establishment. Lately some South African Catholics have petitioned satellite broadcaster DStv to include the US-based television station EWTN Global Catholic Network in its diverse bouquet of channels.

The request seemed reasonable since EWTN was already included in DStv’s bouquet for the rest of Africa. For its part, EWTN seemed glad to give DStv broadcasting rights for South Africa.

DStv, however, not only declined the South African request, but also proceeded to remove EWTN from its Africa schedule altogether.

The reaction to this in Nigeria has been instructive. Angered by the seemingly arbitrary decision, the bishops, clergy and laity of Nigeria made it unambiguously clear to DStv’s owners, Multichoice Africa, that the cancellation of EWTN would be met with public protests and a boycott of the satellite broadcaster’s services.

Multichoice quickly saw reason and reinstated EWTN to the Nigerian bouquet. At the same time, however, Multichoice made it clear that it would not allow the inclusion of EWTN on DStv’s services in South Africa, declaring the decision “final”.

Invited by The Southern Cross to explain its decision to the Catholic public, Multichoice issued an elusive statement which was evidently recycled from one composed for the Nigerian market, as we reported last week.

In its attitude Multichoice is showing unequivocal disregard for the Catholic community of South Africa.

Moreover, in absence of any attempt at clarifying its decision, the removal of EWTN from DStv’s bouquet for the rest of Africa can be interpreted as an act of spitefulness, an unspoken declaration of contempt for the continent’s Catholic Church.

The more charitable and only other plausible explanation for Multichoice’s decision and failure to communicate coherently may be located in the arena of sheer incompetence.

DStv’s central attraction, aside from its near-monopoly on sports coverage, resides in the variety of special interest channels it can make available. Catholic programming, which is quite distinct from that offered by existing evangelical channels such as Rhema TV and IBN, surely is an option which would serve a portion of DStv’s client base, and potentially extend it.

It may very well be that the content offered by EWTN has failed DStv’s quality control standards. It is fair to note that EWTN has its critics even among Catholics.

Should it be the case that EWTN’s content has failed to meet DStv’s quality standards, then this should have been communicated to the Catholic public by way of explanation. Anyhow, there are alternative Catholic broadcasters, such as the Canada-based Salt + Light Television network, which might find a home on DStv.

If there is no bigotry behind DStv’s decision to withhold Catholic programming from its channels, then Multichoice’s shareholders, many of them doubtless Catholics themselves, must demand to be told why the broadcaster is deliberating excluding South Africa’s second-largest single religious entity. Shareholders might also ask why Multichoice should not wish to tap into a market which has, unique among Christian communities in South Africa, maintained a weekly national newspaper?

One may question to what purpose Multichoice is so casual about offending and marginalising the Catholic community? Is there an anti-Catholic agenda?

Those who petition Multichoice for the inclusion of Catholic programming, if only to counterweigh the stream of morally questionable material on so many of its channels, are either existing customers or prospective subscribers to DStv.

In denying them Catholic programming, Multichoice is communicating that their business is not appreciated. And to the Catholic Church in general, Multichoice is showing disrespect.

As consumers and as Catholics, we are not obliged to tolerate such treatment.

South Africa’s Catholics should no longer accept being marginalised, ignored and insulted. South Africa’s Catholics, from bishops and clergy to the laity – and even those who do not care for EWTN’s programmes – must be called on to stand up and protest against the creeping alienation of their Church and faith.