Although perhaps not a well known name in Christian broadcasting, Radio Voice of the Gospel has a distinguished history, alongside ELWA in Liberia, of Christian broadcasting in Africa, although modified over the years through political change.
RVOG was established in l963, producing radio programmes in Lutheran Radio Centre Moshi which were then sent to RVOG in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia tranmission, the RVOG signal being heard all over East and Central Africa, the Middle East and Far East in 1960's and l970's.
After 16 years, this work came to an end on 12th March 1977 when the Marxist Government of Mengistu Haile Mariam came to power in Ethiopia and "stole" the RVOG tranmission, studio and administration facilities.
A notice in the government gazette read
"Radio Voice of the Gospel (RVOG) and all its affiliates within the country, their studios and equipment as well as buildings and entire property have, as of yesterday, been wholly taken over by the Ethiopian Government."
This confiscation first affected the RVOG Centre of studio, offices and medium wave transmitter at the road to Jimma as well as their short wave tranmsitter station at Gedja. A few days later the Yemisrach Dimts Centre at Asmara Road, which included the local radio studio, the literature programme and the literacy campaign, was also confiscated.
Confiscation of these facilities met the dual requirements of the Marxist government of providing them with a powerful media outlet as well as causing a blow to Christianity and general religion.
The loss of the RVOG transmission facilities affected the Christian church in the whole of Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia. In one blow, Christian radio programming from 9 regional studios and in 19 languages was affected.
Death of Rev. Manfred Lundgren, former Director of RVOG Ethiopia
GENEVA, 15 December 1999
Rev. Manfred Lundgren passed away on 6 December 1999 at age 85.
He was director of "Radio Voice of the Gospel" (RVOG), stationed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 1974 to 1977, having served as its acting director since 1971.
After the radio station was taken over by the Provisional Military Governing Council of Ethiopia, early in the morning on 12 March 1977, Lundgren served in Geneva as Director of RVOG/Alternate Media of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), until his retirement in 1979.
LWF General Secretary Noko emphasised Lundgren's importance for the LWF radio station: "He contributed to international Christian understanding and solidarity through Radio Voice of the Gospel."
Marc Chambron, former director of the LWF's Communications Department, said that Manfred Lundgren's colleagues at the radio station called him "an Ethiopian of Swedish descent". Chambron continued: "As a long-time missionary, and an expert on Ethiopia, as a missiologist concerned with development issues, as the last station director of RVOG, Lundgren has played a very significant role at the service of the Gospel."
Manfred Lundgren was born on 26 September 1914 in Lovanger, Sweden. He received his theological education at the Swedish Evangelical Mission Theological Institute, Johannelund in Stockholm, Sweden, from 1933 to 1938. In 1935 and 1936 Lundgren interrupted his studies to take part in ambulance service with the Swedish Red Cross in Ethiopia during the Italian invasion.
Following his ordination in 1938, Rev. Lundgren served as a pastor for youth in Helsingborg, Sweden, until he was sent as a missionary to Ethiopia in 1945. Ethiopia became the focus of his life's work, until he was compelled to leave the country in 1977 when the "Radio Voice of the Gospel" station was nationalised.
Lundgren served from 1964 to 1966 as Africa Secretary in the Department for World Mission of the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva. In 1966 he returned to Ethiopia, where he directed the literature and literacy programme of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Jesus (EECMY) until 1968.
From 1968 to 1970 he was Director of Foreign Mission for the Swedish Evangelical Mission in Stockholm. As Director of the "Radio Voice of the Gospel" station, which was started as a Lutheran World Federation project in 1963, Lundgren directed a broadcasting team of 200. The 200 kw station could potentially reach a billion listeners throughout Africa, in the Near East and parts of Asia, on short-wave and medium-wave frequencies and in up to 17 languages. From 1963 till the time of nationalisation it was broadcasting 130.000 hours.
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