ChurchofJesusChrist.org reports that on Sunday, April 19, the Temple Square Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra’s “Music and the Spoken Word” program will be a special broadcast live on television networks in more than a dozen African countries.
The episode, titled “The Joy We Share,” will feature music and footage from several countries including Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. (See below for a list of broadcast stations and broadcast times.)
“Music is a very important part of our worship as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” said Elder Isaac K. Morrison, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the Church’s Africa West Area Presidency.
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is full of joy and hope and full of light,” Elder Morrison added. “Choir music is joyful, and we are so excited to share this sacred music with our friends and neighbors across Africa. Our hope is that when people listen, they feel hope, peace, and the love of the Savior in their hearts.”
How to watch “Music & the Spoken Word” on April 19th
The special episode begins at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time at the Salt Lake Tabernacle in downtown Salt Lake City. Doors open at 8:15 a.m. Admission is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. We recommend that you be at least 8 years old to participate in person.
There will be performances before and after the show, including performances by members of St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and members of the Parley’s Creek (Swahili-speaking) Chapter of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It will also include short messages from church leaders with ties to Africa.
The pre-show begins at 9am, the half-hour broadcast starts at 9:30am, and the post-show runs from 10am to 10:15am, all three available on Facebook at bit.ly/tabernaclechoir-africa.
The special episode will expand the show’s reach to an expected approximately 8 million African viewers across the continent, the announcement reported. For information about the broadcast, visit thetabernaclechoir.org/africa.
The 360-voice Tabernacle Choir and 200-member orchestra, all volunteers, perform a weekly 30-minute “Music and Spoken Word” broadcast. We celebrated our 5,000th episode in July 2025.
“Something special is happening in Africa”
Derrick Porter, executive producer, lead writer and host of the weekly show Music & the Spoken Word, traveled to Africa in January and February, visiting Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa. and Harare, Zimbabwe. Nairobi, Kenya. Accra, Ghana; and Lagos, Nigeria.
“This was the most amazing trip,” Porter wrote in an email to Church News. “We began our journey in South Africa, then continued on to Zimbabwe, then Kenya, then Ghana, and finally Nigeria. At each location, we had the opportunity to meet with church members and friends and discuss the power of music together.”
In addition to recording the April 19 broadcast of “Spoken Word,” he and the team at Bonneville Distribution, which distributes the weekly “Music and the Spoken Word” program worldwide, met with potential distribution partners, held business meetings with radio and television personnel, and conducted interviews with television and radio stations. These include hosting ‘The Morning Brief’ in Lagos, ‘The Today Show’ in Johannesburg and ‘GH Today’ in Accra.
“Music & the Spoken Word” currently reaches more than 700,000 viewers each week in Africa, Porter said.
“Sacred music is powerful because it brings us closer to heaven. When we incorporate sacred music into our daily routines, we feel the power of God. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, we feel the musical testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer,” Porter said.
Porter said that while preparing for the trip, he learned that his fourth great-grandparents joined the church in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 169 years ago. “We were able to visit the exact spot on the Bushmans River where they were baptized.”
Porter also participated in devotionals attended by hundreds of people in Accra, Lagos, and Nairobi under the guidance of local leaders. He also attended the Home Evening Night at the University of Zimbabwe and the YSA Fireside in Johannesburg.
“It was clear that something special was happening in Africa. People were putting their faith first and turning to God,” Porter wrote, adding, “I left Africa feeling very inspired and I hope I can be like these great saints.”
Broadcast in Africa
Live broadcast schedule by station
TVA-TV (TVAfrica): Cape Verde, Praia, 2:30pm CVT (Portuguese; also reaches Angola, Mozambique and Guinea) GH One: Ghana, Accra, 3:30pm GMTChannels Television: Nigeria, Lagos, 4:30pm WATNTV: Kenya, Nairobi. 6:30pm EATNBS: Kampala, Uganda, 6:30pm EATBalaguru TV: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6:30pm EATBuja Media: Bujumbura, Burundi, 5:30pm CATBT Media: Yaoundé, Cameroon, 4:30pm WATB-One TV: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4:30pm WATDRTV Congo: Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 4:30pm WATRBA-TV: Rwanda, Kigali, 5:30pm CATC Cape Town TV: South Africa, Cape Town (nationwide), 5:30pm SASTChannel Ten Plus: Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, 6:30pm EATZTN-TV: Zimbabwe, Harare, 5:30pm CAT
tape delayed broadcast
SABC-TV: Johannesburg, South Africa (nationwide + additional African countries) — Sunday, April 26, 2026, 9am (SAST) (1 week tape delay)
For broadcast information by country, state and city, visit musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedule.
