Seventh-day Adventist media operators in Fiji are looking at ways to reach the almost 50 per cent of the country’s population who are of Indian descent.
“We want to reach out to the Indian community, most of whom are not Christian,” said Hope Radio manager Wyse Bete.
With this in mind, they plan to launch a Hindi language station using Hope’s second radio frequency. It will feature all Hindi programming and complement the work of Hope FM 107, which has been operating since 2000 and reaches more than 85 per cent of homes in Fiji.
Similarly, Hope Channel TV has recognised the need to include Hindi programming in its broadcast schedule. Its weekly Sabbath School panel discussion is now in both the Hindi and Fijian languages.
Ashley Naicker and Sanjeshni Mandri are the hosts of the Hindi language program, known as Asha Sabbath School. The program is screened several times throughout the week.
Ms Naicker is a lecturer and Ms Mandri a tutor at the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences in Fiji. Both attend the Nasinu Hindi-speaking Adventist church in Suva.
“Our main aim (for the program) was to just let people know that there is a God who loves them,” Ms Naicker said.
“When we are up there and discussing something from the Bible we want people to hear about Jesus. We try to relate it to something from our lives.”
The enormous opportunity Hope presents is that it is a free-to-air TV station.
“It goes straight into people’s homes,” Hope Channel TV director John Tausere said. “If we can be speaking through these mediums (TV and radio) we can definitely reach hearts.”
