Radio Dedication in Assin Fosu
I had no idea the dedication of a new radio station would be such a big deal. I would estimate that over 500 people attended the festivities with brightly colored tents and hundreds of plastic chairs arranged in a u-shaped stage set up in the empty lot beside the new radio studios. Local officials, pastors, leaders, businessmen, the Muslim imam in the area, dozens of taxi drivers and dignitaries joined the tribal leaders in lots of speechmaking and hoopla to kick of the station. The Assin Fosu station NKWA 88.1 FM (meaning “Life”) really is the first local community radio station. Everyone is really excited about it. The whole ceremony was broadcast live on the air and the crowd grew as time went on. We were told that the majority of the taxi drivers had already found the station and were faithfully listening. Traditional drums and dancing punctuated the air for the dancers and helpers in radio station t-shirts passed out water to the sweating crowd.
HCJB Global President Wayne Pederson was on hand to deliver a great speech as well. Even some of the locals looked hot under the tents and I was baking. Woodmen Valley team member Emily simply finds a small child to hold and distracts herself from the heat and the hoopla by loving them. Not a bad deal for her because they soon seem to fall asleep in her arms. This happened several times with Emily—I think it is something about her sweet quiet spirit that puts the kids at ease. I am a bit jealous because the children I try and hold always cry and want away from me when they see my beard!
I passed my time listening to the speeches in Twi (the local language) by watching this hilarious guy who was pretending to video tape the dedication festivities while holding a "video camera" fashioned out of old car parts with a lens made out of an old piece of mirror. He milled around with the crowd and even went out next to the real camera man for part of the ceremony. No one seemed to know who he was or why he was doing his camera spoof. But he did have the best view in the house.
Christian, Donnelle and Louis had to leave right after the end of the ceremony while everyone was milling around in order to return to Accra and catch their flight home. While loading their luggage and saying goodbye I spotted the goat the last village had given us tied behind the radio station with an old paint can full of water for it to drink. I’m pretty sure it will be our supper before too long.
Later, when we walked around some of the local markets in another part of town we heard many people with their radios tuned in to NKWA. I pray the programming and music will bring many listeners to the source of LIFE.
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