In the diocese of Gbarnga, Liberia, a new radio station marks a before and after. This diocese, located in the Northeastern area of the country, lacked a quality system that could quickly and truthfully inform its citizens. The situation in the area saw no newspapers and only a handful of radio frequencies arriving from the capital city Monrovia, leaving the diocese of almost one million people, voiceless, until Radio Paraclete arrived.
The project of Radio Paraclete was born by the will of Bishop Anthony Borwah, a journalist that understood the power of the radio and the need for evangelization done outside the church. He approached SIGNIS Services Rome with the idea of creating the first Catholic radio for the area and we took care of developing the project and finding the necessary funds through the Italian Episcopal Conference. Once all the material was assembled and sent to Liberia, it was received by the local team and Mr. Enoch Morris, the Operations Manager of Radio Paraclete, who says he is “incredibly happy to see the radio become a reality”. This is a radio station powered by solar panels and it involves the community through the work of journalists and doing training for the new generation of professionals, as it wishes to boost the potential of young Liberians. Radio Paraclete also works to teach its people about justice, civilization, youth development, human dignity, peace and reconciliation, in a country that spent many years fighting a bloody war, using a comprehensive approach that is not just spiritual.
The first broadcast of Radio Paraclete was done on Pentecostes Day 2020, in the midst of the lockdown due to the pandemic. A statement of faith that “this station is owned by the Holy Spirit, as its name suggests”, Bishop Borwah said. It has had a big impact on people, especially during this tough time of covid-19 where people are in need of guidance. In Liberia, radio is the most widespread media and people trust it a lot, so it was the perfect timing to have a new outlet and keep people safe. For the future, Radio Paraclete wishes to cover more ground and even reach Monrovia; to broadcast online through a web radio service so it does not matter where you are in the world, you can be transported to Gbarnga, and to become a point of reference for people looking to know more about Liberia, as currently the world gets news and information from international mainstream media.
To know more about this project you can check out our Facebook Live program “SIGNIS With You Live” where we interviewed Bishop Anthony Borwah and Enoch Morris, the Operations Manager of Radio Paraclete.