wfn.org | ABC-TV Stations Air ELCA's 'Ready to Forgive: An African Story of Grace'

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

Title: ABC-TV Stations Air ELCA's 'Ready to Forgive: An African Story of Grace'
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>October 16, 2009  

ABC-TV Stations Air ELCA's 'Ready to Forgive: An African Story of Grace'
09-227-JB

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Beginning Oct. 18 through December, at least 89
ABC Television affiliate stations plan to air "Ready to Forgive: An
African Story of Grace" hosted by Immaculée Ilibagiza.  Ilibagiza is a
survivor of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and author of "Left to Tell:
Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust."

The broadcast is a production of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) through the National Council of Churches USA and the
Interfaith Broadcasting Commission.  It was funded in part by a grant
from Odyssey Networks.

The documentary is a story about forgiveness and was shot entirely
on location in Uganda. "Through 20 years of war, the Acholi people of
Northern Uganda endured rape, torture and child abduction," according to
information on the ELCA Web site.

"Thousands died. Many were displaced in squalid camps. Others are
still missing. Despite all of this, the Acholi are united in a belief
that the only real solution is reconciliation and forgiveness," according
to the Web site.

ABC-TV affiliate stations that have agreed so far to air the program
represent 55 percent of the network's affiliates, said Ava Odom Martin,
director for public media, ELCA Communication Services.  Martin is
executive producer.

In a review of the program, Cliff Vaughn, managing editor and
producer, EthicsDaily.com, said "genuine forgiveness ... lies at the core
of the hour-long documentary."

"'Ready to Forgive' is laced with on-location photography and
plentiful interviews -- not only with survivors of attacks, but also
members of the Lutheran World Federation and others in Uganda who have
worked to restore peace to Northern Uganda after more than 20 years of
conflict," Vaughn wrote.

The 60-minute documentary was adapted from the MOSAIC Television
series, a former ELCA production.  The ABC-TV broadcast has been updated
with new footage and interviews.  Tim Frakes, an independent television
producer, Lombard, Ill., is the program's writer and producer.

Information about the documentary is at

http://www.ELCA.org/readytoforgive on the ELCA Web site.  A listing of
broadcast dates and times is at http://www.interfaithbroadcasting.com
on the Web.

>---

Cliff Vaughn's review is at http://www.ethicsdaily.com/news.php?viewStory=15034
on the Web.

For information contact:

John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog