As South Africa celebrated 100 years of “the wireless” this week, personal and professional memories raced through my mind, akin to the adrenaline rush of every live radio broadcast in my 20-year career.
This image became imprinted in my mind. Serendipitously, I realised this picture was taken exactly 10 years ago in the December of 2013, which explains my younger and much slimmer frame.
If my colleague Genevieve and I appear nervous to you in this picture, that’s because we were. This is us, at the lawns of the Union Buildings in Pretoria, remembering, celebrating, and saluting the life of our former president, Nelson Mandela as his body lay in state. As part of the Lotus FM Newsbreak team, within SABC Radio News, an enormous responsibility rested on our shoulders – to bring the unfolding events and emotions of the colossal loss of the Father of Our Nation directly to our audience.
We observed and absorbed, then followed up with intense brainstorming sessions to ensure every minute on air was informative and interesting. On the final day of our coverage, Genevieve was the anchor based in studio at the arch of the Union Buildings and I was the journalist on the ground, interacting with, and interviewing the crowd that lined the streets. I clearly remember how they stood for hours under the scorching sun, some clad in saris, some clutching walking sticks. They stood as a united South Africa, sharing their outpouring of love for Mandela and shedding tears too.
As broadcasters, we had to literally think on our feet and contain our feelings. We were also mindful that given the high concentration of people, cellphone connectivity and clarity could pose an issue. But we had planned for this. We made it clear – if at any time we could not hear each other, we would just continue talking so that there would be no dead air. Thankfully we pulled it off seamlessly, with our creative energies in sync.
Are you surprised at the level of planning for a fleeting medium? Yes, radio is immediate and everything seems to unfold very quickly, but there’s a detailed thought-process and structure that drives it all. During that week in history, we were driven by our experience and understanding of what constitutes powerful radio combined our passion to paint a holistic picture of a global icon. Radio after all, is the theatre of the mind.
This year, I hung up my headphones, but my love for radio is never-ending. For me the greatest beauty of radio is that because it is easily accessible, it speaks to one person and it speaks to every person at the same time. I tune in to different radio stations daily – I smile, I laugh and often I am moved to tears. Radio truly touches people’s lives, and it has changed mine forever.