“People wanted to know how to better use the Internet as a tool of engagement, and as a means of relating better to a younger, more connected generation,” says Feba’s Mark Taylor, who presented a plenary session, New Media: Hype or Hope? About 100 people joined together for the Africa by Radio Continental Convention, 13-15 September, in Ghana, to network with other media workers and stay informed of trends.

Keynote speaker Dr Seth Anyomi (Founding President of Africa Christian Mission and Ghana Evangelical Missions Association) addressed the spiritual perspective of the conference theme, Reaching the Continent One Listener at a Time.

“For me, the most exciting presentation was given by our own Mark Taylor on New Media. Africa is way behind the rest of the world when it comes to access to the Internet - but it is catching up very fast. Will we be ready to take advantage of the opportunities when Internet does become a significant force in Africa? I was challenged to consider what we need to do to be ready,” says Tim Miller, Ministry Specialist (Africa).

New Media: Hype or Hope?
Here’s an excerpt of Mark’s talk:
“If we look at the way the number of internet users has grown since 2000, we find there has been explosive growth in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. In the last eleven years, Africa has seen a growth of more than two and a half thousand percent, pretty much double the growth in the Middle East. It’s partly because Africa is a very big continent, and partly because Africa has so much ground to make up.

“With all this growth, who is getting access to the technology, and is there in fact a new ‘digital divide’ opening up in front of our (screens) eyes? What’s happening to the gap between most of us who have a mobile phone, and little boys in Africa, who can only dream that one day they might have one too? Three divides come quickly to mind: geography, literacy and money…

“1 - A significant number of the most excluded, remote communities in Africa still don’t have a mobile network signal.
2- Literacy rates in Africa are improving, but the rate of improvement is slow in comparison to the staggering growth of mobile internet access. We must think about what this means for ministry in the future: the inability to read, much more than rather lack of access to the technology, will soon become the key barrier to accessing the internet.
3 - Using a mobile phone costs money. In parts of Kenya making a money transaction using the mobile banking service costs the same as a bag of maize. Costs have to come down to bring this technology within reach.

“Here we are, at the Africa by Radio Continental Convention, and I want to say with all of my heart, I still believe that RADIO is fundamental. The difference between ‘way back then’ when many radio ministries first got going, is that today there are more ways to listen to your radio than just on your radio. FM chips already exist in many mobile phones. Short-wave radio chips are possible, and the trend is worth watching because it might lead to a resurgence of short-wave radio…”

Other conference highlights…
About 20 people attended Tim’s break-out session called Portable Recorders, Evaluating the Options. Capturing information and reporting events happening in a station’s community are vital to vibrant and relevant programming that increases audience participation and engagement. Portable digital recorders make it possible to capture the moment and quickly bring events to listeners. This workshop gave participants the opportunity to learn what recorders are worth considering, comparing their strengths and weaknesses, helping them make informed decisions about what digital recorder will best meet their needs.

Other main sessions included a range of practical and spiritual topics:
- Unreached People and the Role of Media
- Transmitter Installation and Maintenance Basics
- E-Learning
- Planning and Programming for Christian Radio Stations
- Studio Design and Operation Basics
- Pastoral Care by Radio for Rural Christian Workers
- The Importance of Media Ethics
- Biblical Worldview with a Radio
- The Role of Church Mission and Media, the Strengths and Weaknesses of Radio

Networking with others
“The most useful aspects of the convention for me were the networking opportunities,” says Tim. “I spent a good amount of time finding out what is happening in Christian radio in South Sudan, with a view to considering whether Feba should be doing more there. This is something I will continue to investigate in the coming months.

“I also discovered that another mission is planning to visit the Cush4Christ FM station that we partner with in South Sudan at the end of September. It was very useful finding out what they plan to do there, and be able to get them to look into other area's of the station's development.

“I learnt of a proposal to review the development of one of the short wave services into the Horn of Africa – a process we would very much like to be part of.”