Merhy Seba: 

“While the dissemination of Spiritism raises the interest of so many, the assistance provided makes the difference” 

The National Coordinator for Public Relations at the Brazilian Spiritist Federation (FEB) talks about the efforts to take the Teachings to a wider audience

	Merhy Seba (photo), a university lecturer and advertising executive, lives in the city of Ribeirão Preto, in São Paulo state. He has Masters degrees in Social Communication, Marketing and Education. He became a Spiritist in 1966 and has since joined the efforts to publicise the Teachings. He is the National Coordinator for Public Relations at the
Brazilian Spiritist Federation’s National Council. He is also the author of four books and the author of many marketing campaigns that have helped the dissemination of Spiritism in Brazil.

When and how you first came in contact with Spiritism? 

It all began in 1966, after I married Maria Clélia, who had been born into a Spiritist family. Also in 66, I met the great Spiritist, Prof. José Herculano Pires, who showed me the way. I already leaned towards spirituality and soon after got involved in the Spiritist Movement. 

What experiences in the Spiritist Movement do you consider to be the most remarkable? 

There are many, but I would highlight the 1972 Spiritist marketing campaign “Begin from the beginning”. It was launched in São Paulo in 1972 and last year, in 2013, it was also approved by FEB’s National Council, at national level. It was a great joy to find out that it has now become a nationwide campaign. 

What have been the main advances achieved in the dissemination of Spiritism in recent years? 

We have achieved a great deal at state level. The state federations have improved their traditional media communication and PR tools, and digital media tools have been embraced by those working in the dissemination of the Teachings. The outcome and results are very positive now, with the internet and all its tools. 

What has been the position of FEB’s National Council towards the new technologies? 

Every new development meets resistance and it takes time before it is accepted, even if it is only as matter of caution. But once we set up the FEB web portal and TV CEI (the first television network in the world using the internet), the doors were opened for the creation of a huge number of new websites, web radio stations, online shops and other efficient tools that have helped us reach a wider public. What we can say is that virtual technology has had a very big impact on society, radically changing its means of communication. All that naturally had an impact on the Spiritist Movement, where the new tools have been absorbed. The presence of young people in the movement has also helped keep our communications and marketing departments fresh and up to date with the latest technology. 

What marketing tools and concepts can be employed more efficiently in the dissemination of Spiritism? 

We can indeed apply the tools of marketing in non-profit organisations. It helps organise the strategy of those working with the dissemination of the Teachings, regardless of the size of the organisation. We must define our goals, make an assessment of the conditions, plan and establish strategies and ways of achieving our goals, find the resources and means, implement the strategy and finally, control the actions and the outcome. These are marketing tools the modern world cannot do without. 

Is there any particular experience from your area of expertise within the Spiritist Movement that you would like to highlight? 

A remarkable, and yet challenging aspect of the Brazilian Spiritist Movement is its diversity. Each region has a different perspective, each region is like a country and hence each part of Brazil has a different analysis for the same issues. But alongside all that diversity, we find a unity around Allan Kardec and his followers. In the Public Relations and Communications Department of the National Council we have set the goal of boosting our programmes around the country, with the implementation of the National Spiritist Social Communication Plan, which has been approved by Brazil’s 27 state federations.

What is the priority in terms of investment in order to get even more people in Brazil to find out about Spiritism? 

I believe we need to invest in two areas: the permanent dissemination and in the reception, the welcoming areas of Spiritist Centres. While the dissemination “shows the face” of the Teachings to a wider public and provokes their curiosity, the second aspect enables a “one-to-one” contact, encouraging dialogue, which is followed by clarification, comforting and guidance. While the dissemination of Spiritism raises the interest of so many, the assistance provided makes the difference, as it certainly leads people towards conviction.