The three seasons, and 36 episodes, of the 5-minute radio program Still Speaking has been recognized as being the best in the Exhibit/Projects category at the Association for Manitoba Archives recent annual awards.
Created by Archivist Conrad Stoesz, and produced by Mennonite Heritage Archives (MHA), it told stories about people, places, and events preserved in documents and artifacts in the archives. It covered three themes over its three season including the Archives itself, Mennonites coming to Canada in the 1920s and the 150th anniversary of Mennonites in Manitoba. The program aired on Golden West stations CFAM Radio 950, AM1250 Radio and CJRB Radio 1220.
"The judges say the program, Still Speaking, brings the archives to life and shows a rich connection between historical objects and the Archives," explained Stoesz regarding what set the program a part. "The judges know the unique reach of the program, because they broadcast, they reach a much wider audience than typical for in-house productions. It really speaks to the contribution of Golden West with the Archives. It's not just a podcast. It's not just text. It's on the radio, so it reaches tens of thousands of people that it ordinarily wouldn't."
Furthering that reach, in March 2025, Low German translations of excerpts from Still Speaking began airing on Waut Passieet, a podcast of the Mennonite Community Services of Southern Ontario. The translation was completed by Mennonite Community Service, De Brigj.
"Reaching more people is important, because for people to support you, they have to know you exist, that's the first step, and so this is helping us with that first step in reaching more people," added Stoesz who noted he is not aware of any other archive using public radio on a regular basis to tell stories. "I think that's important because as archivists, as a profession, we've not done a great job in telling our own story. We've usually let other people tell our story, or tell why the archive is important, and that's led to a low profile for archives and archivists and low support."
Still Speaking prompted a follow program
After the three season run of Still Speaking, Stoesz and the MHA were provided with an opportunity to further the story telling a reach with a weekly, 15-minute program on Golden West radio stations.
"Golden West said this is going pretty good, what about doing something longer, something on a regular basis," he shared. "I said, 'That's a great idea, but I don't have time for that.' So, Golden West was able to find some funding for me, and we got to hire some people. I'm working behind the scenes, finding the stories, and we have some writers and we have a host. We created a new program called Tales From the Mennonite Heritage Archives, with the tagline, interesting people, places, and events from Mennonite history. We're passing 40 episodes now in Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives."
Season one of Tales is soon coming to a close, and the creative team is eyeing a season two.
"I have a spreadsheet of different story ideas that we want to tell, so that's all in the works, but we're needing funding for season two," noted Stoesz who indicated Golden West is again providing free airtime for the program, but funders are needed to pay for the host and writing team. The goal is $50,000, and those interested in offering financial support can call the MHA at 204-560-1998.
Many more stories to tell
Stoesz and the team at MHA has told a lot of stories through the two different radio programs, but there are so many more that could be shared.
"We are here for a reason, our ancestors made decisions that brought us here, so why are we here," he said. "We don't have to agree with the decisions our ancestors made, but they are a part of us. It's important to understand those decisions, and I think events like this, like storytelling and the anniversary events, can bring the community together. We can talk about why are we here? What had happened? What do we want to take from the past and carry that forward? What do we want to change? We're not shackled to the past, but we are connected to it, and the past always has something to tell."
You can listen to our entire conversation with Conrad Stoesz, below.