Power of Radio and TV

From SPARK

Brief Summary

How radio and TV spots changed attitudes among the Quechuas

Introduction

Since the Spanish conquest in 1532, the Quechua-speaking people of Peru, descendants of the Incas, have been told that their language is worthless. It is like animal talk. In the Quechua dialect of South Conchucos, linguists were translating and printing the Scriptures. When they saw their language in print, the Quechuas said, “That’s not our language. It doesn’t say anything. Quechua is only spoken. You can’t write it.” When asked if they could learn to read in Quechua, they would say, “No, it’s impossible. You can only read in Spanish.”

Key Factors

What Was Done

If these attitudes did not change, there would be no readers for the New Testament. We developed a plan to change them. We began by training some young men who could read Quechua, how to produce digital spots for radio that promoted the value of the Quechua culture and language. This demonstrated how much easier it is to read Quechua than Spanish. These spots were played many times each day on local radio stations in the dialect area.

Next we trained them how to take digital photos of people reading Scripture portions out loud. These showed mothers reading to children and children singing from chorus books.

Then we showed them how to record and edit the TV spots using PowerPoint. They wanted to produce short videos for TV. These would show Quechuas of all ages learning to read the Scriptures publicly.

Results

The people learned that reading was something they could do. They realized that reading out loud helped others to hear and understand the message. Reading was beneficial to everyone. Two years later, if you asked anyone if it were possible to read in Quechua, they would say, “Sure, it’s easy – I saw it on TV!”.

Next the linguists translated and printed the Tyndale Bible Story Book with 150 Bible stories. Ten thousand copies were sold to readers. When the New Testament was dedicated there were thousands of readers, both young and old.

Another result of the spots was that the Quechuas of Conchucos had new respect for their language and culture. They no longer had to look at the ground, even in front of Spanish speakers.

Helpful Information from the Author

By: Al Shannon

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