We left Iceland in a snowstorm and when we landed in Addis Ababa it was 30°C ! We were driven to the Radio Voice of the Gospel (RVOG) headquarters, where the entire staff was gathered in festive mood.
Another car came and the Emperor Haile Selassie appeared to celebrate RVOG’s 10 years of operation. We immediately understood the status of RVOG in the country. This was late February 1973.
Four years later, very early in the morning on 12 March 1977 two fullly armed soldiers knocked brutally at the doors of the RVOG staff house and led us to the radio station, where we were informed that the Provisional Military Government of Ethiopia had nationalised RVOG. The buildings and equipment were confiscated for the services of what was to become Radio Voice of Revolutionary Ethiopia.
A few key staff would continue working temporarily but nobody was allowed to leave the compound. The lady who operated the telephone switchboard was unable to reply with the new name. However, she found an acceptable solution: Tena Steling (which means “Hello”, “How are you?” in Amharic), Radio Voice!.
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