Radio Sawtu Linjiila has over 2 million listeners in Cameroon and neighboring countries, with programs in French and 16 local languages including Fulani. Director, Rev. Ngayap Moise (third from right) with local language trainees at the head office in Ngaoundéré. Photo: RSL
Lutheran churches’ radio with over 2 million listeners and focus on interfaith harmony and reconciliation
(LWI) – “Must I greet a person whom I consider my enemy? Can I help a person who is not from my religion?” These are some of the questions posed by online listeners of Radio Sawtu Linjiila (RSL), during a program on promoting peace and fostering interfaith relations in society. Another transmission concerning farmers and pastoralists receives questions like, “Why do herders let their animals destroy other people’s crops? What should I do if someone captures my animals pretending that they had destroyed his farm?”
The Sawtu Linjiila (Radio Voice of the Gospel) FM station broadcasts to over 2 million listeners in French and 16 other local languages, particularly reaching a significant portion of the Fulani community in Cameroon and neighboring countries. Owned by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of Cameroon, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic RSL is a key platform for propagating the churches’ mission in both countries and beyond, including their role of fostering peace and harmonious co-existence in different communities.
Radio Sawtu Linjiila director, Rev. Ngayap Moise. Photo: RSL
Radio Sawtu Linjiila is more than just a radio station; it is a platform for education and transformation
Rev. Ngayap Moise, RSL Director
“Radio Sawtu Linjiila is more than just a radio station; it is a platform for education and transformation,” said RSL Director Rev. Ngayap Moise.
A shared vision
“The vision of the Lutheran churches is to bring God’s holistic salvation to human beings and to work for a peaceful, just and prosperous society for all. The radio’s role is to make this vision known to all those who follow us,” he said. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) supports the radio through its Member Church Projects.
Radio Sawtu Linjiila was established in 1964, initially as a production studio for religious and socio-economic programs in the Fulani language, commonly used in northern Cameroon and neighboring countries. During the mid-60s and 70s, several of its programs were transmitted via the former LWF-run Radio Voice of the Gospel (RVOG) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It has undergone various changes, and today it has more than 30 partner radio stations in Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic.
Its programs cover a variety of topics on the churches’ diaconal work including schools and hospitals, which also serve as centers for the practice of Christian values in a region with a significant population that is Muslim. “In our Lutheran church schools, children are taught the values of peace, respect, honesty and justice. In our hospitals we practice hospitality and love toward the sick. Our reports include the humanitarian dimension of churches serving people in need and defending human rights,” Moise noted.
Engagement with listeners
The radio hosts live on-air debates with faith Christian and Muslim faith leaders and experts on concerns such as farming techniques, human rights and religious and communal tolerance among people of different faiths and cultural backgrounds. The goal, Moise said, is to promote awareness on potential sources of conflict and reconciliation processes, and interfaith harmony.
The radio broadcasts live debates by faith leaders and experts on urgent religious concerns and interfaith and intercultural co-existence. In this photo are RSL producers (from left to right): Rev. Yaya Hamidou, Ms Asta Sabya and Rev. Ousmanou Ibrahim. Photo: RSL
In 2023 RSL transmitted over 6,000 live programs and more than 1,800 recorded programs. In this photo, radio presenter Raoul Gabriel Doba and technician Timothée Donguim during a live transmission. Photo: RSL
He cited a popular morning program, “Rainbow” that sparks lively discussion with several calls from listeners. A panelist responding to a question on how to promote collaboration between farmers and herders highlighted the role of religious leaders, traditional and state authorities in affirming the important contribution of each group’s activities to society, the need for mutual respect, and how to avoid harmful situations. “This kind of interaction goes to show the positive impact of our programs on the population,” Moise said.
Radio Sawtu Linjiila is on air from 05:30 to 22:00. In 2023 it transmitted over 6,000 live programs and more than 1,800 recorded programs. “We hope that RSL will grow into a large-scale Christian instrument of communication especially with the increased use of digital communication. Our dream is to one day expand into a television channel with an evangelical vocation,” Moise concluded.
“We need Christian voices that encourage respect between neighbours of different faiths, spaces where peaceful solutions for conflicts can be found and a platform where different radio stations and churches come together to share good news and hope,” noted Rebekka Meissner, LWF Program Executive for Member Church Projects.
