Contact: Larry Jacobs, 815-222-2490, larry@worldcongress.org; Carol Griesbach, 815-964-5819, carol@profam.org both with World Congress of Families

MEDIA ADVISORY, June 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- The World Congress of Families "Dialogue of Civilizations" -- held in Abuja, Nigeria, June 4-7 -- was an unqualified success with more than 300 in attendance from Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The conference was organized by the Foundation for African Cultural Heritage.

Speakers at the first WCF event in Africa decried attempts of international agencies and Western aid-givers to force abortion, contraception, smaller families and homosexual "rights" on Africa.

Speakers included Nigerian Senator Osita Izunaso; Theresa Okafor, Foundation for African Cultural Heritage; the Most Reverend Valerian Okeke, Archbishop of Onitsha Archdiocese; Mr. Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa, Focus on the Family International, Ghana; Prof. Mark Nwagwu, a cell-biologist at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria; Professor D.O.S. Noibi, Executive Secretary of the Muslim Ummah of South Western Nigeria; Henk Jochemsen of the Dutch development group PRISMA; and Chief Albert Ngwana, National Chairman, Cardinal Democratic Party of Cameroon. There was also a good will message delivered by a representative of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The World Congress of Families was represented by its communications director, Don Feder, who also spoke on "Demographic Winter." The following WCF Partners also spoke at the Conference: Christopher Carmouche (GrassTopsUSA), Sharon Slater (Family Watch International) and George Wirnkar (Human Life International).

Topics included: Pornography and the Family, Sexual and Reproductive Health, A Review of the Plan of Action on the Family in Africa, A Christian View on Sexuality and Family, Population Decline of the Developed World  - A Lesson for Africa, A Plan to Defend the Family at the United Nations, The Role of Scholars in Influencing Policies Affecting the Family, and The Family Unit and Global Peace.

Feder noted: "Theresa Okafor, Sen. Izunaso and others of the Foundation for African Cultural Heritage did an exceptional job of putting this conference together. I was impressed by the diversity of participants -- which included elected officials, academics, medical doctors and religious leaders -- who are united in support of the natural family."

Feder also commented: "Several speakers referred to efforts to legalize abortion and homosexuality, and promote condom distribution as attempts to impose 'Western values' on Africa. I reminded them that these are the values of Western elites, and that authentic Western values -- based on Judeo-Christian morality -- are the very opposite of those promoted by the UN, European Union, etc."

Along with the "Riga (Latvia) Family Forum" on May 15, the Nigeria meeting was a preparatory conference for World Congress of Families V in Amsterdam, August 10-12. For more information or to register for WCF V in The Netherlands, go to www.worldcongress.org. To arrange an interview with a representative of the World Congress of Families, contact Carol Griesbach at 815-964-5819 or carol@worldcongress.org

The World Congress of Families (WCF) is an international network of pro-family organizations, scholars, leaders and people of goodwill from more than 60  countries that seek to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit and the 'seedbed' of civil society.  The WCF was founded in 1997 by Allan Carlson and is a project of The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society in Rockford, Illinois (www.profam.org).  To date, there have been four World Congresses of Families – Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004) and Warsaw, Poland (2007).  A fifth World Congress of Families will be held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, August 10-12, 2009 (www.worldcongress.nl).