November 30, 2005

The newest language on HCJB World Radio's shortwave station in Ecuador airs for just five minutes a day, making it the "shortest language program we've ever done," said Station Manager Doug Weber. "But I think it's an important program because it's a Bible-reading program."

It's also the first Kulina radio programming -- secular or Christian -- according to HCJB World Radio's partner ministry in the area. The new programs began airing as part of the Portuguese-language release (or programming block) on Sunday, Oct. 30.

Kulina is one of four living dialects of the Arawá language family. Producers at HCJB World Radio's World Office in Curitiba in southern Brazil collaborate with a Kulina speaker working in the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon region. From Curitiba, the programs are sent via the Internet to Eunice Carvajal in Ecuador who coordinates program releases.

The Joshua Project, a missions research ministry, lists 1,200 Kulina (also known as Colina or Madija) speakers in Peru and Brazil. Carvajal puts that figure higher, saying the broadcasts could reach as many as 4,000 people. Since many Kulina speakers already tune in to Radio Station HCJB's Portuguese programs, it was a natural fit to add their native language.

Normally at least one person in each village has a shortwave radio, along with a public address system for communal listening, said Ingrid Winter who directs the mission's Portuguese Language Service from Curitiba.

University anthropologist Domingos Bueno da Silva noted that Lutheran and Wycliffe missionaries have worked among the Kulina. Evangelicals make up less than 20 percent of Kulina speakers with 70 percent claiming to be Christian, according to Joshua Project. The remainder adhere to ethnic religions. Operation World calls Brazil the "largest spiritist country in the world" with a majority of Brazilians involved in spiritism while still claiming to be Christian. Da Silva added that many of the Kulina believe sickness is "basically caused by dori or witchcraft."

Shortwave radio penetrates areas otherwise inaccessible by radio, especially Christian radio. "Many of our listeners send us letters telling us that they live two or three days' walk from a town where they can attend church (which they do infrequently), stock up on food, or mail letters," Carvajal said.

Weber said he isn't looking for many letters from Kulina listeners, but he hopes to hear results of the broadcasts via the Curitiba staff's contact with the Kulina-speaking program producer.

"You have to remember that a lot of people listening in that region are never going to write a letter [to the station]," said HCJB World Radio's Curt Cole. He preceded Weber as station manager and oversaw the station's mid-2003 transition that refocused Quito broadcasts on Latin America. Cole now serves as the mission's vice president of international ministries. He said of the Portuguese-language block, "I think it's a very strong release-one of our strongest."

Both before and after the 2003 ministry transition, lesser-known languages have been added. Daily Low German broadcasts have been airing since early 2002 for Mennonite settlers in Central and South America. Languages such as Woarani (started in 1999), Cofán (started in March 2005) and now Kulina have joined the lineup of indigenous languages, including Quichua and Quechua which have aired for decades.

More indigenous programming is planned. "We have some others actually that are in process too, that we would like to add," Weber said. HCJB World Radio's presence on shortwave radio continues across Latin America from Quito and in the Asia Pacific region from Kununurra, Australia.

The Kulina broadcasts come on the heels of HCJB World Radio-Australia's addition of seven languages to its broadcast schedule. In late August programs in Bangla, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telegu, Marwari, Marathi and Santhali were added for Asian audiences.