"Nala Twasekera" (Congratulations, We Celebrate!)

TWR Africa recently celebrated the dedication of its two newest transmitter signals through TWR Malawi. [image courtesy of TWR Africa] 

It was a joyous moment of praises and dances during the official dedication of two additional transmitter signals in Chitipa and Karonga districts in northern Malawi. TWR (Trans World Radio) Malawi covered the events LIVE on radio to enable listeners across Malawi and online to follow. Local musical groups led in the celebration in praising God for the achievement.

In 1994, a few faithful believers started praying for an FM signal for Malawi. This was at a time when no one ever thought that it was technically going to be possible, because of the one-party state prior to that. Their cry was that TWR would be able to reach Malawians on FM and not on short wave, as it had been since 1974. God heard their prayers.

While ten of the now thirteen FM transmitter sites were set up with funds purely from outside Malawi, the most recent ones have been unique, as cumulatively about 3,600 listeners and friends to TWR Malawi raised approximately 62,000 US Dollars in two separate projects to purchase transmission equipment and install it in Karonga in March 2020, and in Chitipa November 2021.

Within minutes of starting to hear, listeners based in Kameme, Misuku, Chitipa plains and Nthalire contacted Trans World Radio (TWR) to express their excitement.

Luckman Chiselu-Msiska, living on the Malawi border area with Tanzania at Kameme, said he used to listen to TWR from Manzini, Swaziland in the 1980s and 1990s. Upon starting to hear TWR on FM, he said, “Kameme is part of Malawi because of TWR. Welcome TWR, my radio.”

On 30 April 2022, at the dedication of these two transmitters, TWR Malawi National Director, Victor Kaonga, paid tribute to many who had planned for, prayed for, gave and encouraged these efforts. Speaking in the local Malawian language, Chichewa, he emotionally narrated the journey of planting transmitters in Malawi since 2000.

In attendance, among other dignitaries, was TWR Malawi Board Director, Dr. Japhet Mchakulu. He stated that the days truly marked the fulfilment of the twenty-year desire of TWR Malawi from 2001, “when the Malawi Government through MACRA challenged us to cover the whole Malawi with a clear and clean signal. Thank you for that challenge. Today, we are humbled and honoured to say ‘Nala Twasekera’ (Congratulations, we celebrate).”

TWR Ministry Director for Southern Africa, Sphiwe Ngwenya, congratulated TWR Malawi for championing and spearheading the fundraising campaign which, as she put it, “has brought a lot of hope and inspiration to Malawi and Africa.”

The Traditional Authority, Chief Mwaulambya of Chitipa, conveyed his excitement about the development that TWR brought in his community.

“’Ndagha nkhani’ (Thank you very much) to each of the people that gave to let us hear the Word of God. You have shown love to the people in this part of Malawi, which is often forgotten in some development issues,” said the Chief.

In his remarks, Francis Mkandawire, General Secretary for the Evangelical Association of Malawi, prided in TWR being her member organisation in radio ministry in Malawi because “these two special projects enabled fellow country folk to be reached with the Gospel.”

The most senior traditional leader said, “The presence of TWR in the area and the programmes has come to unite us and point us to the correct focus, Jesus Christ. The fruits we expect is a community displaying Christ’s love in caring for one another and for the environment.”

Several listeners shared how they had longed for more transmissions during the 1980s through the 2000s, while they still listened on shortwave.

At both events in Karonga and Chitipa, people testified to the presence and quality of the FM signal, and more importantly, how their lives had already started being impacted through the Christian content that they are now able to receive in their mother tongue.

We give God the glory for these two home-owned transmitters covering the most northern part of Malawi, as well as neighbouring countries like Mozambique, Tanzania and even some areas in Zambia.

Please pray that God will use this ministry opportunity to touch and transform many lives through the Holy Spirit, and that the Biblical programmes will speak hope in situations of despair.