The Grow Up Plan — The Birds and the Bees, the Banks and the Bonds; Now on Radio!

Madhav Prakash broadcasting from Tafelsig on the Cape Flats

Introducing a brand new show for the youth, by the youth, about sex, money, muscles and everything else that matters. 

In the vast expanse of Cape Town’s townships, where hope and despair dance on a razor’s edge, a generation finds itself teetering precariously on the threshold of adulthood. Behind the vibrant façade of the Mother City lies a somber reality, particularly on the Cape Flats. Here, the youth face a web of challenges that threaten to entrap them before they even have a chance to spread their wings. Single parenting, gang violence, poverty, and a scarcity of opportunities converge, casting an ominous shadow over the dreams and aspirations of Cape Town’s future. It is a treacherous landscape where the road to maturity is paved with hardship, making the transition from vulnerable adolescent to empowered adult a feat as daunting as any they may encounter.

In investigating the needs of Capetonian youth, our programming intern, Madhav, identified a unique opportunity to engage with Bush’s younger audiences. Drawing from his own experiences maturing in a single-parent household in India and navigating finances, health, sex, relationships, and family on his own, Madhav conceived The Grow Up Plan. In each of its 55-minute episodes Madhav learns about classic coming-of-age struggles and insights buttressing a different aspect of adulthood. He describes the show as one on adulting — the art of being a grown-up.

Designed with the belief that young people are most willing to pay attention to other young people, most of Madhav’s expert guests are young entrepreneurs, teenage founders of NPOs, activists, and friends. Ending every show with an exciting ‘Ask an Auntie’ segment, where the perspective of an older and wiser citizen of the world dots the Is and crosses the Ts, makes for a show that is well-rounded, young, and wise. The 55 minutes is equal parts banter, learning, and relevantly named pop music, and the first 4 episodes are available for listening on Madhav’s YouTube channel, linked to this article. 

Episode 1: Love, Sex, and Bedrog

Join Madhav as he learns about all things sex from people who look like they’ve actually been in love before. Thaina Theodoro, Founder of Sem Medo, an NPO that partners with schools to further sex education teaches us the basics of safe and pleasurable sex. Kurt Godinez, all the way from the Philippines, speaks of his own experiences with loving. Dr Priya Puri, clinical psychologist, discusses the primary concerns that young people today have in their relationships and about sex. Sex therapist and India’s Aunty Gunjan Sharma answers all the questions that you were too afraid to ask your mothers. 

Episode 2: Gymbros, Koeksisters, and Geriatric Health Issues caused by Excessive Gatsby Consumption

Episode 3: YOUNGDUMB&BROKE

Episode 4: Babies in Diapers and Grandmas in Dentures

About Madhav: Madhav Prakash is a 19-year-old student from New Delhi, India. An incoming freshman at Stanford University in the USA, Madhav has been a part of the programming team at Bush Radio since March. At Bush, he produces for and co-presents SakhiSizwe, weekdays from 12:00 till 14:00, hosts The Grow Up Plan, Saturdays at 15:00, and is working on a number of side projects with the goal of revitalising the community media space in Cape Town. You can find him on Instagram, or through his webpage at madhavprakash.com.

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People’s names are important, and getting it correct is especially important to us. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. New intern Madhav Prakash takes us through pronouncing theirs. #hindi #aroundtheoffice #BushRadio

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The Spirit of the Silinga’s (Tribute to Raymond Silinga)

Raymond Silinga (31 January 1977 to 30 March 2023)

A tribute to Raymond Silinga by Bush Radio Programme Integrator, Adrian Louw

April is a significant month in South Africa – it is the month we mourn but also celebrate the life of one of the greatest leaders, Chris Hani.

Unfortunately, this time of the year will now also be a reminder of the loss of another leader who passed on to soon.

Raymond Silinga.

Raymond joined Bush Radio, Africa’s oldest community radio station project, as an intern in our newsroom in the late nineties – a time when we were still euphoric about the change that occurred in our country, and filled with hope, passion and energy for the potential of our new democracy.

He then grew from being a journalism student doing his practical from the Peninsula Technikon to be the head of our newsroom.

At Bush Radio every department is important but we felt, due to our history, that news was at the forefront of our newly earned democracy. We wanted to make sure that we hold the government and its institutions accountable to the people – one of its most important functions.

Bush Radio felt lucky in having Raymond, someone who understood the importance of this role of the media…and to make sure that we never…ever see the darkness of our terrible past again.

But luck had nothing to do with it… it was the struggle… the struggle, for our people to be free, to demand, and fight for the rights for all our people. Especially the rights of those who still suffer from the evil legacy of apartheid.

Raymond never called on his families’ struggle credentials to prove his worth – but the spirit and blood of Anne Silinga ran strong in his veins.

Raymond’s passion to hold officials accountable was visible in his passion for leading the team in covering our second democratic national elections. Even with his own strong political beliefs, he ensured that all political parties in Cape Town received fair coverage on Bush Radio.

Perhaps this was because he knew how fragile democracy is, or remembering the sacrifices of so many to achieve our liberation, he never took his role lightly.

We asked Raymond’s former news editor at Bush Radio, Juanita Williams, to share a memory of Raymond and of her time working with him: “His smile. Not something he did often while working, but it did the light-up-the-room thing. Also his no-nonsense attitude. We didn’t always agree, and debates were plentiful. I’m so sad that I won’t randomly run into him in town to see him flash that smile and hear his smooth voice. I’m so sorry that his career was cut short, he had so much to contribute.”

We also asked another of Raymond’s former colleagues, Berenice Joshua Moss, who is a journalist at the SABC to share her thoughts with us: “When I started my journey at Bush Radio in 2002, Raymond Silinga was my Editor and mentor in the news room. A smart dresser and always very precise. He was always straight to the point and you knew what was expected of you.

Raymond enabled me to follow my passion for court and crime reporting by allowing me to go on certain assignments. But made sure that I produced a story worthy of making it to air. Early morning diary meetings set the tone for the day and Raymond made sure we all understood what we needed to do.  He was my first Editor in my journalism career. Thank you for the lessons learnt Raymond.

May you rest in peace and rise in glory.”

Raymond’s passion for politics and his willingness to debate created a newsroom that any journalist would have been proud to serve in – and his snazzy dress sense meant Bush Radio didn’t look too disheveled at public functions.

To those who knew Raymond, we share your sense of loss, but we think as Raymond knew… that our democracy is precious, that our futures are precious… that taking care of this fragile gift that our ancestors gave us can also be a burden… but it is something that must be protected, and we must remember who we are doing it for.

In radio training we always remind people that when you are in studio you need to imagine that you are talking to one person…at Bush Radio we also remind newcomers that we exist to make our people’s lives better – that we are here to serve.

When our previous managing director, the late Zane Ibrahim, ended our staff meetings, he would always remind people that they need to visualize Mrs Silinga in Langa — much to Raymond’s embarrassment — and would ask staff and volunteers: “Did you? At the end of your shift … make her life better?”

Raymond, you made our lives better– you always made sure that Mrs Silinga in Langa’s life was better at the end of your shift.

We will miss you.

Aluta Continua

RIP Raymond Silinga

• 

• 

• 

It is with shock that we at Bush Radio learnt about the passing of Raymond Silinga former news editor of Bush Radio. The loss is compounded by the passing of his elder brother.

Raymond joined the station as an intern from Peninsula Technikon (now CPUT) and then continued as member of the news team, eventually leading the team as news editor before pursuing position at an online publication.

Raymond was active in his community and we wish to express our condolences to all who knew and worked with him.

What are Human Rights?

According to the United Nations, Human Rights are defined as:

“rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.”

Do you know your human rights?

Check out the illustrated version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Sign to support our 2023 License Renewal #BushRadio

Bush Radio, Africa’s oldest community radio station project is in the process of renewing its broadcast and frequency spectrum license.

As part of this process we would like all our listeners, supporters, community organisations and clients to sign a petition to show their support for the application.

You can sign the form online.

Thank you for your support.

Related: Disrupting the media and saluting our roots

International Women’s Day 2023

This #IWD2023 we call for a more inclusive world online:

#PowerOn to give women and girls equal access to technology!

#PowerOn to end technology-facilitated violence against women and girls!

#PowerOn to close the digital gender gap!

Are you with us?

Sometimes you need to take a time out and Rush!

At Bush Radio we deal with very serious issues everyday and an important part of what we do is also individual development (you need to be learning something to be part of Bush). So every Wednesday at the station we host a Staff Development session – normally we gather around “The Big Table” to discuss, debate, watch and learn.

Sometimes we have a chance to get out of the office for some fun. This time Rush hosted us for a fun session, where we could blow off some steam.

Disrupting the media and honouring our roots

Want to learn how to have safe sex? – watch this

Zola, Clinic Assistant (Health and Support Services Programme) of Triangle Project demonstrates how to use the finger clot, dental dam, female condom, and male condom from the Triangle Project pleasure pack.

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Related: If it’s not on, it’s not in – International Condom Day

Disrupting the media and saluting our roots

Almost 30 years after Bush Radio went on air to defy the apartheid government’s control of the airwaves, staff, volunteers and interns had the opportunity to host one of the first volunteers at the community radio station, Mervyn Swartz.

A representative of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the 1990s, Swartz can be seen in the Bush Radio Partial Eclipse documentary, and trained with “networkers” (the former term for Bush Radio volunteers) and partner organisations to establish community radio in South Africa and help free the airwaves from the apartheid government’s control. Originally an engineer, Swartz went on to serve as the director for Cosatu’s Campaign for Democratic Communications (CDC) in Johannesburg.

He was interviewed for a new documentary on the impact of community media, and Bush Radio grabbed the opportunity for new interns to meet him, and hear about his experiences in the early 1990s.

Bush Radio is constantly welcoming fledgling media disruptors and active citizens to the station, and listening to how the station was repeatedly denied a broadcast license by the repressive state, but still went on to broadcast without one, showed how important history is to the present day.

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Bringing (radio) power to the people

In line with the Bush Radio philosophy of “Don’t curse the darkness, light a candle”, the station has been hard at work looking for the resources to ensure that we remain on air during load shedding.

In 2018 the station installed a UPS system, but the constant load shedding led to the batteries degrading to such a point that the station would only remain on air for 20 minutes when the power went out at its studio in Salt River.

This past weekend the Bush Radio team guided AB Technical Solution installed and tested an auto-start diesel generator system which will allow us to stay broadcasting during load shedding.

As much as the new system relieves the immediate need for the station to remain broadcasting, it is not the final step. We would like to have a more environmentally and economic solution to power the entire station (the newsroom and administration). To this end we are looking for partners who could assist in taking the station to the next level, perhaps exploring a solar power solution and make sure that the “Mother of Community Radio in Africa” keeps bringing light to the airwaves and online with its dynamic programming and social upliftment projects.

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When you know it is going to be #Fridaypsydayon #BushRadio and you don’t have to worry about #loadshedding @mr.meyer05

♬ original sound – BushRadio