SOUTH SUDAN: New Radio Station Hit Juba Airwaves
Most Rev. Stephen Ameyu
Sr. Henriette Anne, FSSA
Juba’s media space continues to grow to open up every day with an aim of reaching readers and listeners with something fresh and unique.
In Juba, the Catholic Church has set up a new Radio Station called Radio Maria Bhakita based at St. Joseph Parish new church compound, next to Bakhita Radio in Juba.
During the blessing of the studios, the Archbishop of Juba Most Rev. Stephen Ameyu narrated the history of Radio Maria Bhakita in South Sudan, saying, “The history of this radio to become part of Juba was after a meeting of Sudan and South Sudan Bishop’s Conference in 2017. After the meeting, they wrote a letter to the office of Radio Maria in Italy inviting Radio Maria in South Sudan. Concurrently, His Grace Paulino came and wrote a letter confirming what the Bishops had decided and expressing that the radio be brought in the Archdiocese of Juba since the Archdiocese is in the Capital city”.
Reflecting on the Gospel when Jesus was taken up to heaven and instructing his disciple to go all over the world to baptize people, Archbishop Ameyu noted, “Jesus used humankind to spread the Gospel but with humankind is also the ministry of communication which is very crucial for evangelization,” he continued, “We cannot reach far distances with our mouths but we can reach with radio, TV and also pictures”.
The goal of the Radio is evangelization, Archbishop Ameyu concluded, as he stressed that the Catholic Church approved this means of communication in 1963 during the Second Vatican Council since the means of communication enrich evangelization.
On his part, Fr. Charles Busaka the director of the same Radio explained that “the presence of Radio Maria Bhakita in South Sudan is not coming as Radio Maria but it is coming to boost the Radio’s already existing in South Sudan, like in Juba, he continued, Radio Maria Bhakita is boosting Radio Bhakita since we want it to get stronger”.
Fr. Charles pointed out the principal objectives of Radio Maria Bhakita, stressing that the radio has to conform to the teaching of the church, he further explained, that the radio has a Marian Spirit and the main objective is to evangelize.
