'We are sometimes afraid and don't know what to say, but the radio is never afraid...' (Tom, a Fulani evangelist)
Church planting among a scattered, semi-nomadic, mostly illiterate people group, in a country with an on-going security situation is not easy. The Western Fulani are a largely unreached people group of around 500,000. There are about 60 scattered believers among them. Work is being done through radio programmes to reach the Fulani with the gospel and also provide teaching for the scattered believers. Since October 2010 programmes have been aired daily and work is on going to produce new material. As seekers make contact they are given their own mp3-radio full of evangelistic and teaching material.
At present programmes are being aired on two radio stations: Canal Esperance and Canal 3. Canal Esperance is a Christian station which covers the capital, Niamey, and up to 50km outside the city. Programmes are aired twice daily at 3pm and 9pm and many Fulani are tuning in. Canal 3 is a secular station which broadcasts into a much larger area. Programmes are also broadcast daily on this station. It has been encouraging to hear news of listeners phoning in to say thank you for putting Fulfulde programmes on the air. The local Fulani pastor and evangelist have also been busy answering questions from the many listeners.
The Way of Righteousness (100 programmes) is having a huge impact with a number of Imams listening to the clear biblical teaching. The listeners are also enjoying some dramas (5 programmes), the audio of the Jesus Film (10 programmes), God’s story (8 programmes), and some discipleship lessons (13 programmes). Future programmes will include a series based on the book of proverbs, and some health teaching.
To date, 30 mp3-radios have been given out to seekers, new believers and local Fulani evangelists. Local believers are being equipped to do evangelism, new believers are being taught and seekers are hearing the truth.
Abdou is an isolated believer. The first time we visited him he told us with tears in his eyes of how he felt he had been forgotten. He shared how he was being persecuted for his faith. There was little we could do other than pray for him and leave him with an mp3-radio. He was really pleased to accept the radio and to have Christian teaching and songs in his own language. A month later we visited him again and were pleased to find that he was doing so much better. We gathered under a tree with about 20 other Fulani. As we spoke of Psalm 23, Abdou reached for his radio and skipped through the 100 programmes of The Way of Righteousness until he came to the story of David and Goliath. I wondered why he had chosen that programme but towards the end of the lesson, Psalm 23 was read, and it became clear that Abdou had not only listened to all the teaching but he knew it inside out! After we had listened to the teaching Adbou played his favourite song for us, then Tom, another believer who had joined me for the journey, took the radio and chose his favourite song. After singing a few songs we then prayed together. It was a wonderful time of hearing God’s word, singing his praises and encouraging each other in prayer. As I sat in the shade of the tree, watching the Fulani gathered around the radio, I thought to myself – ‘This is church!’
