By Amy Eckert
You would think living in a declared Christian country would be good for believers. 23-year-old DJ Jessica Bwali isn’t entirely sure.
“In recent years there’s been a mushrooming of Christian churches in Zambia,” said Jessica of her home country. “But unfortunately, they aren’t really Christian at all. In many, a kind of prosperity message is prevalent. ‘Buy this broom and you can sweep all your troubles away,’ they say. Or ‘Buy this apple. It will make you pregnant.’”
Bwali, a talented musician and singer, uses her popular Christian radio programme to counter the deceit. She hopes to play a small part in preserving the reputation of Zambia’s authentic churches.
“Many churches in Zambia are nervous about criticizing others,” said the DJ. “So I use my radio programme to encourage people to read their Bibles. I want them to discover what God really has to say about some of these crazy things.”
When the 4-year radio veteran isn’t playing Christian music on air—“all genres,” she says, “rock, hip-hop, anything at all as long as it’s the Gospel”—she hosts a morning Breakfast show on the radio. Twice a week Bwali selects a Bible passage and then broadcasts a call-in show for a live debate on the Scripture she has chosen. On Fridays, her Breakfast show centers around topics of particular interest to youth such as drug abuse, relationships and finances.
“But I don’t just want opinions,” says Bwali. “If you’re going to call in, you need to have a Bible passage ready to support your view. Dig into the word. Find out what the Lord has to say about it.”
The DJ recognizes that Christians living in Zambia lead a charmed life in many ways owing to the government’s official support of the religion. But she wonders whether perhaps Zambians take their status for granted. And she worries that non-Christians in her home country may be subjected to discrimination for their faith.
“It’s been good for me to spend time with non-Zambians at this conference,” said Bwali. “It’s touched me to meet Christians from places like Pakistan and Syria. I realize that some people are risking their lives for Christianity. I just host a radio show.”
Ms. Bwali’s radio programmes air at 92.9 FM in Lusaka, Zambia.