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airobi’s Jamia Mosque is the most important Islamic centre in Kenya. In a country of 49.7 million people, Islam is the second largest religion in the country with 11% of the population loyal followers. As early as 2003, the Jamia Mosque community saw the need for a Muslim TV station. Soon after, they acquired a TV licence, but it took the maturation of online streaming tools to allow them to launch their vision properly. In 2016, Tamaz Communications, a company owned by the Jamia Mosque Committee, launched Horizon TV, the first Islamic TV station in Kenya. Horizon TV features preaching and Quran recitations, educational shows and political discussion – even children’s programming and a physical fitness show. The station’s stated goals are “to provide an alternative viewpoint for the Muslim community and promote a better understanding of Islam among Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as clearing the spread of stereotypes and misinformation, which have the drastic effect of increasing Islamophobia”. Horizon TV live streams via Ustream and Facebook and offers its content on demand via YouTube, as well as providing teasers and highlights on Instagram. The channel has also become available on a host of African TV platforms, including GoTV, StarTimes, Bamba, Zuku and Azam. HIGHWAY TO HORIZON Abu Ayman Abusufian, head of media at Jamia Mosque, was editor of the mosque’s regular publication for Kenyan Muslims before he was drafted into overseeing the new channel. “I had been editor of that publication for 13 years,” Abusufian says. “Coming from that area, from the media angle, I was given the responsibility to head the team that launched Horizon TV. It took about six months to get the equipment set up and get the station started.” Highway Audio Visual, which has offices in London and Nairobi, was the system’s integrator for the project. The Highway team, headed up by technical support engineer Maula Sefu, opted for a production set-up based on NewTek equipment. The hardware and software company has a large footprint in houses of worship worldwide with widespread adoption of its powerful and practical tools in everything from microbroadcasters to serious television outlets. “Highway Audio Visual told us that NewTek had some of the best equipment
in the industry. Even some of the local TV stations are using NewTek,” says Abusufian. “We are really satisfied with the equipment. It works and works.” Highway’s Maula Sefu installed the NewTek TriCaster® multi-camera production system as the centre for the Horizon TV control room inside the Jamia Mosque complex. Sefu convinced the Horizon TV team to purchase the system by bringing a portable TriCaster Mini system into Horizon’s offices for a demo. “While other video production suppliers had to present their proposals and explain their workflows on paper,” explains Sefu,
WE ARE BROADCASTING IN TWO LANGUAGES, SWAHILI ANDENGLISH
RELIGION MEETS TECHNOLOGY According to Highway Audio Visual, NewTek has some of the best equipment in the industry, with some of the local TV stations using NewTek
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