Tanzania: Mbinga Diocese’s Radio Hekima brings local news to residents.

Paul Samasumo – Vatican City.

There have always been national radio broadcasts to Mbinga and surrounding areas. Except the broadcasts were always from the capital, Dar or neighbouring Malawi. Inevitably the broadcasts were almost always about happenings in Dar es Salaam -rarely any local news about Mbinga and its surrounding areas.

Radio Hekima FM 102. 7, winning hearts

Radio Hekima was inaugurated in March 2020, right in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. This meant the radio station hit the ground running. There was so much misinformation about Covid-19 at the time that the radio’s timely and authoritative information won the hearts of listeners. The Ordinary of the Diocese, Bishop John Chrisostom Ndimbo, is the figure behind the Radio station.

Bishop John Chrisostom Ndimbo of Mbinga during Mass this week.

The highest number of Catholics

According to Bishop Ndimbo, the Diocese of Mbinga, which is part of the ecclesiastical province of Songea, is home to the highest number of Catholics in the country.

“Ninety-five per cent of the population here are Catholics. This implies a lot in terms of evangelisation. The demand for evangelisation is high. The priests we have do not suffice to cater for all Catholics in the Diocese of Mbinga. Given the demand and following up on Church documents about social communications, we found that radio would be an ideal supplementary pastoral effort towards evangelisation,” said Bishop Ndimbo in an interview this week.

Staff of Radio Hekima FM 102. 7 Mbinga

Radio Hekima and SIGNIS

“Already in 2013, we came up with a resolution that we set up a radio station which would supplement the efforts of the priests. This resolution was incorporated into our five-year strategic plan from 2013 to 2017. So, we started working on it. We got in contact with SIGNIS Services Rome, and we were grateful. In fact, we are still grateful for the technical support we have received from SIGNIS Services Rome,” said the Bishop of Mbinga.

Isaac Atchikiti and Maria Chiara de Lorenzo of SIGNIS Services Rome, being shown around Mbinga’s Hekima Radio.

Last year, Radio Hekima told SIGNIS’ Maria Victoria La Terza how the radio station, which means “wisdom” in the local KiSwahili language, came in handy during the middle of the covid-19 pandemic. Radio Hekima quickly adapted and started spreading awareness and information about the virus; how to protect oneself, explain the situation to children, know about the risks, and so on.