ZAMBIA LUSAKA

Communicating the Catholic faith through TV

Communicating the Catholic faith through TV | Zambia

In 2019 the Zambia Episcopal Conference launched a television-broadcasting project called Lumen TV-Z with the financial support of the Italian Catholic Bishops Conference, hoping to "promote human dignity and relevant programmes for the integral evangelisation and development of the Zambian society”. In 2020, Fr. Winfield Kunda led a funding project to purchase studio equipment after receiving subsidies from the Pontifical Society of the Propagation of the Faith (PSPF) through SIGNIS Below, he explains how the equipment received helped the broadcasting station in its efforts to promote human dignity by communicating the Catholic faith

Could you tell us more about the project's human impact on your community?

Viewers of Lumen TV can now watch programmes such as the celebration of mass from different locations outside the studios In this COVID-19 pandemic, Lumen TV Zambia viewers have been nourished spiritually from the spiritual programmes we produced using the equipment bought

What can you tell us about the community where the project took place?

Lumen TV-Z is broadcasting in the Lusaka province, the capital city of Zambia, and its surrounding areas It is a cosmopolitan city with a diverse community from different backgrounds. The official language spoken is English though Nyanja, a local dialect of the language from the Eastern Province of Zambia, is also used. There are an estimated 1 5 million Catholics in the province The economy of Zambia fell into a deep recession following the COVID–19 pandemic.

What were your main objectives with this project?

Our main objective was to capture and broadcast content on the spot, such as ordination masses, religious professionals, and other functions outside of the studios. In the past, we had to go out, record, and then come back to the studio to edit the materials, which meant we could only broadcast content that was already stale.

Is there an anecdote you recall from these last three months?

When implementing the project, we needed to train our staff on using the equipment. With the support from people who had the necessary expertise, we managed to start using it accordingly

Why should PSPF continue to support these types of projects?

Catholic Media apostolate is still growing in Zambia, and the support for media is vital for the Church's evangelisation efforts. The funding also helps us establish our presence as Catholics on media platforms Evangelicals and protestants have invested heavily in audio and visual evangelism on TV, radio and social media and are way more present than us Catholics Ultimately, the funds received contribute to having Catholics counteracting the Christian fundamentalism and proselytism that come from these sources

Published on 31/03/22