Radio Alinafe Management on 6th June, 2021 organized a short refresher session for its staff as one way of improving their performance.
The session was organized to cover areas of technics of presentation, radio personality branding, behaving in a religious radio station, among others.
Jeremiah Kamanga is one of the new volunteers who attended the session and says he learnt a lot from the session. “I learnt on how to produce programmes and how to present them to the listener. Furthermore, I learnt the need to be confident on the radio. I also learnt that preparation is critical for a successful presentation.”
Catherine Damazio, another volunteer expressed confidence that with what she learnt will assist her to improve her presentation. “I was helped to write a script as a guide for my content and to be very selective in the use of language considering that Radio Alinafe is a religious Radio Station.” she said.
Mr. Gabriel Kamlomo, a radio personality facilitated the session.
Radio Alinafe, largely is served by volunteers with various professions.
Gabriel Kamlomo facilitating the session
Radio Alinafe Volunteers following the lessons during the training at Radio Alinafe Hall
Radio Alinafe trains new cohort of volunteers every year; but for the past two years we have not trained any volunteer because of the COVID -19 pandemic. Recently, we called for radio programmes production and presentation lessons for those who had applied before COVID – 19.
This time we have 13 new volunteers, 12 men and one lady.
On Easter Sunday, 2021, Radio Alinafe organised and successfully held a radio choir festival. The activity initially did not attract many choirs because it was an idea that is very new and few understood how it would be conducted.
On deadline, we had only registered 20 choirs. The number increased drastically few hours before the actual day for the festival. Radio Alinafe had a huge listenership on this day, perhaps second to the days the Archdiocese lost His Grace Tarcisius Ziyaye.
Radio Alinafe is an archdiocesan Radio Station operating on 97.1FM covering the central Malawi region and some parts of the north and south. It is also linked on radioalinafe.com
The main objective of the Radio Station is to evangelize the people. We have Bible programmes, Catechetical and spiritual programmes, health and environmental programmes, agriculture and educational programmes.
The Radio Station also, though not its main objective, offer time for adverts and announcements on an affordable fee. At Radio Alinafe we can produce and air sponsored programmes.
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) held a better motherhood interface encounter with different concerned groups found in Traditional Authority Chitukula in Lilongwe.
The meeting focused on the challenges faced by the pregnant mothers when they want to access health facilities at Balang’mbe clinic and Lumbadzi clinic, both found in Traditional Authority Chitukula in Lilongwe.
Many women lamented the abuse by some nurses, especially at Lumbadzi Health Centre. “We are subjected to ridicule and embarrassment at these hospitals, especially at Lumbadzi Hospital,” one lady lamented. “We are not well received and sometimes we are told to sleep on the floor while shouting at us,” another woman spoke.
On the side of the health centres’ representatives, the issue is about understanding the motherhood steps. One nurse explained that good motherhood begins way back before pregnancy. “A woman or girl should have the recommended age to get pregnant. Not only age, but also knowledge of how the body of a woman works,” she explained. She however accepted that there might be bad nurses among them. What the mothers should do is to report the careless nurse to the relevant authorities.
The meeting resolved that both parties should take their role seriously; women should follow advise from the health personnel and the health personnel should be able to listen to the women when they come the facilities to seek medical help.
CCJP, through funding from UN Women is engaged in a campaign to end motherhood challenges such as reproductive health and gender based violence in Traditional Authorities, Tsabango and Chitukula, both in Lilongwe.
It never rains but pours for the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe; in nearly just week it has lost four servants, one nun, Sr. Odilia Mtanga (died on 29th January, 2021) belonging to St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Congregation, a local congregation in the Archdiocese and three local clergy, Fathers Martin Mthumba, ordained in 1974, (died on 23 January, 2021), Vincent Epulani, ordained in 2000 (died on 22 January, 2021) and Cyprian Chipalamwazani, ordained in 1993, (died on 30th January, 2021).
Fr Vincent EpulaniFr Cyprian ChipalamwazaniFr Martin Mthumba
Until their respective deaths, these servants were working in the following institutions:
Fr. Martin Mthumba was assistnant priest at Likuni Parish. Fr. Vincent Epulani was assistant priest at Namitete Parish and Fr. Cyprian Chipalamwazani was Parish Priest at St. Mattias Parish in Lumbadzi.
Hardly days after Archdiocese of Blantyre lost Rev Fr. Paul Mangwiyo in a tragic road accident, the Catholic Church in Malawi mourns again the death of Rev Fr. Gabriel Jana, the founding director of the first Catholic community radio, Radio Alinafe, in Malawi.
Fr. Gabriel’s final resting place
After a long battle with kidney problem, Father Jana lost the battle on Wednesday, March 20 at Mwaiwathu Hospital in Blantyre.
In his homily at requiem Mass held at Likuni, Fr. Patrick Thawale of Archdiocese of Lilongwe challenged his congregation on that Fr. Jana’s death is a wake up call. “brethren,” its is time to take a day at a time,” he said. “If you live as though you will never die, you will die as though you never lived,” Msq. Thawale added. The vicar that Fr. Gabriel will ever be remembered for his work spirit displayed in implementing the resolutions of the 1995 Africa Synod where the Church was challenged to embark on using the radio ad means of social communications for evangelization.
Vice president Saulos Chilima and wife Mary laying wreaths
The late Father Jana had a vision. He longed that Radio Alinafe be an effective instrument of establishing communities that will witness and bring about justice, peace, love and unity in the light of the Word of God. His vision and dream materialized as Radio Alinafe indeed benefits people by facilitating dialogue, communication and awareness raising on different issues and activities affecting the Catholic community in the parishes.
Through its programing, the radio has been instrumental to the development of the people through educational programs on health, agriculture and good governance, as well as in the pastoral areas such as evangelization, Catechism and liturgy. During his time as director, Radio Alinafe took holistic approach so that it promotes the integral development of the human being.
…the remains of Fr. Gabriel lowered into his last resting home at Likuni
Speaking on behalf of all bishops ECM, Bishop M. Mtumbuka appealed to all Catholics to contribute towards people devastated by floods elsewhere in Malawi. However, he also admonished politicians against violence through the electoral process.
Fr. Gabriel Jana was born on 4th June, 1965. He from Ngolowindo village in Salima District.
He was first educated at Lilongwe Boys’ and Mlale preparatory Seminary; secondary education at St. Kizito Major Seminary; philosophical studies and later went to Kachebere Major Seminary and theological at St. Peter’s Major Seminary.
Ordained priest on 7th August, 1993, he served in various parishes before he was sent for specialization studies in Communications at the Gregorian University in Rome, 1991, where he majored on radio production at Gregorian University in 2001.
…multitudes turned to pay their last tribute to Fr. Jana, the media priest
Thousands of Catholics showed up at Likuni Parish to pay their last respect to late Fr. Gabriel Jane, the priest, communicator and a mentor to many. Hon. Saulos Chilima and Hon Lazarus Chakwera are among those that turned up to bid fare well to Fr. Jana.
In the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Fr. Jana has also served as Communications Secretary and Archdiocesan Overseer of Events and until his departure.