From January 14 to 18, more than 100 people involved in evangelical radio stations in French-speaking Africa took part in a training seminar in Lomé. On this occasion, participants signed a declaration aimed at promoting relations between evangelical radio stations. They immediately created a Facebook page and discussed the creation of an evangelical press agency and a Federation of Evangelical Media in French-speaking Africa.

Reprint of Serge Carrel's article published on January 21, 2019, on lafree.info

On Friday, January 18, in Lomé, journalists, presenters, promoters, and technicians from more than thirty evangelical radio stations in French-speaking Africa signed a document entitled "The Lomé Declaration."

A Facebook group to encourage collaboration

This document decides on the creation of an electronic group to encourage personal and professional exchanges between participants in the Training Seminar for Evangelical Radio Stations in French-speaking Africa, held from January 14 to 18 in Lomé at the initiative of Radio Réveil (Switzerland). This declaration also raises the possibility of creating a website for the exchange of radio content and an African, evangelical, and French-speaking press agency in the future. Finally, the Lomé Declaration proposes the creation of a Federation of Evangelical Media in French-speaking Africa.

For Alphonse Teyabe, a Cameroonian author of a doctoral thesis on "Church and Media: The Contribution of Evangelical Radio Stations to Mission" and an influential speaker in the field of training, "this declaration aims above all to encourage different radio stations to come together and form a team. It is imperative that we work together to overcome the various obstacles that stand in our way: lack of professionalism, difficulty in promoting holistic radio programs or those marked by integral mission." The founder of several radio stations in northern Cameroon also welcomes the idea of the future creation of a federation of evangelical media in French-speaking Africa, which was accepted without opposition by the participants.

Encouraging a new attitude among radio stations

"This meeting helped break down barriers between evangelical radio stations," adds Emmanuel Ziehli, director of Radio Réveil and organizer of the meeting. Another concern of ours is the generation gap between people born in the 1960s and 1970s and young people who do not identify with older leaders. Our goal is to encourage the emergence of new leaders who can communicate the faith to the younger generation."

Emmanuel Ziehli is planning to organize a second edition of this seminar. It could take place next January in Lomé. "With the population of French-speaking Africa doubling every 25 years, the time has come to pass on the baton," concludes Emmanuel Ziehli. "It is no longer up to the 'little Swiss' or the French to produce programs for Africa, but up to Africans to take up this challenge. Radio Réveil wishes to contribute by promoting training on the ground."

Radio stations from 9 countries

From January 14 to 18, Radio Réveil, a producer of evangelical radio programs for the entire French-speaking world based in Bevaix, Switzerland, organized a training seminar for Christian radio stations in French-speaking Africa in Lomé, Togo, to mark its 70th anniversary. This seminar was organized in partnership with the International Christian Center for Study, Research, and Information (CICERI) in Lomé and Radios Ebène et Développement in France. More than a hundred people involved or interested in radio production from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Niger, Senegal, and Togo participated.

Serge Carrel

Download " The Lomé Declaration " published on the occasion of the Training Seminar for Christian Radio Stations in French-speaking Africa.