My Afrika Corespondent Sympathy Sibanda brings you an exclusive with one of the leading voices in religious radio platforms, to understand the uniqueness of radio on a Christian platform vis a vis the secular stations.

SS: Hallo Malvern. Good to have you here. Please tell us more about yourself?

MM: Thank you Sympathy.  Malvern Makichi is a Radio Presenter/ Producer at Adventist World Radio SID media.  I was born in Chitungwiza three and a half decades ago.I am the first born in a family of three.I grew up in a very humble background full of love.

I am still single, and very much passionate about church and music. I currently present the program *The weekend Chapter* on Adventist World Radio from 5-8pm on weekends.

SS: Impressive work!How long have you worked in media?

MM: I have worked as a voice over artist since 2015 and one year in radio.

SS: What are the most powerful memories over the past one year at AWR?

MM: It has been an amazing year, being a radio presenter was my child hood dream so recording my first show was something else. I was very nervous and excited at the same time. It has also given me an opportunity to get up close and personal with most of those people I used to see on TV and those guys I used to see on stage singing at different church events. I have had some amazing interviews with different personalities which has inspired me and ministered to my listeners as well.

SS: Who is the target for your programs?

MM: As a station we mainly target people who have never heard the Adventist message or those who have heard but  have some misconceptions about our faith, as well as those who are already within the faith. My show though is a bit different in that I mainly target the young people. I try as much to inspire them and also package my presentations in a language they understand and discussing topics that resonate with them. Not forgetting playing mostly their kind of music as well.

SS: What’s your five year dream?

MM: I’m looking forward to continuing in radio and also venture into different other forms of media. I also want to enhance my education in media and eventually I want to open up my own media house.

SS: What would you want those who follow you to feel after listening to your shows?

MM: I want people to feel inspired, for them to know that God loves them and wants them to be the best that they can be in this life before we even talk about heaven and the life to come. After listening to the show I want them to feel motivated and have faith  to face the next day and the week to come because we would have given them reassurance that their maker is with them every step of the way.

SS: How do you deal with issues of lack of funding?

MM: Funding has always been a problem but I guess it’s a matter of trying to make the most of what we have. It’s good that I am working for an organisation that is trying it’s best to carter for our needs, they are really trying so that we reach our international audience.

SS: Is this what you always wanted to do?

MM: A big YES to this one, I had three dream jobs growing up, first one was to become a flight attendant because I love traveling a lot. The second one was to play cricket for the Zimbabwe chevrons Lol, too bad we didn’t have any cricket clubs in my hood or even at our schools. Radio now has always been a passion, I grew up with a a deep love for music, so for me to listen to music I ended up being an avid radio listener. Growing up I loved listening to 3fm and I loved the show By Scott Matengambiri (DJ Scott).

 I loved the way he would engage his listeners so much that it ceased to be just about the music but the interaction he had with all those people who would call in to take part in his shows. Through that I just had something in me saying I could do it as well, so every time I would imitate Radio DJs my friends would marvel. I started going for auditions in 2016 and eventually got hired at AWR in 2022.

SS: How can people access your work?

MM: People can listen in live via the Adventist World Radio App. It’s available to download on play store and App store. They can also follow this link to tune in live.

They can also visit the SID media website www.sidmedia.org  to access my podcast.

SS: Any encouraging words for those who Look upto you?

MM: Everything is possible for those who believe.