February 17, 2005

In a small production studio north of Quito, Ecuador, Christian radio programs in the unique Cofan language are being recorded for the first time. Unlike any other language in the world, it is spoken by the 1,000 or so members of the indigenous Cofan tribe scattered throughout the Amazon rain forest in northeastern Ecuador and southeastern Colombia.

In partnership with Christian Missions in Many Lands, missionaries Ron and Esther Borman, HCJB World Radio's indigenous language department recorded 36 songs in the Cofan language last year. To date, more than 103 programs have been produced at the studio located in the Bormans' home. They feature Cofan music as well as testimonies of local believers whose lives were changed by the healing touch of Jesus Christ. The programs also teach the Bible, evangelism and discipleship.

A group of eight Cofan believers participated in HCJB World Radio's annual sharathon in Quito last December with music and personal testimony in order to make listeners aware of the upcoming broadcasts. The first known transmission from HCJB World Radio in the Cofan language went out on Dec. 17, 2004.

Cofan programs will begin airing daily Monday through Friday as soon as fix-tuned radios are distributed to the people. The radios, manufactured by Galcom International, a Canadian technical ministry, are preset to the shortwave frequency of 6,050 kHz -- the same frequency used for Spanish broadcasts throughout the Andean region. This will allow members of the tribe to listen to Christian Spanish programming during times when Cofan programs are not on the air.

The Cofan programs are an outgrowth of HCJB World Radio's radio planting and development ministry in Latin America. Staff members also provided basic training in radio production for members of the Cofan tribe. (HCJB World Radio)