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.
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.
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.
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
13 February 2018 is World Radio Day– a day to celebrate radio as a medium: to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves.
Radio is the mass media reaching the widest audience in the world. It is also recognised as a powerful communication tool and a low cost medium
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has declared the 13th February as World Radio Day. As Africa’s oldest community radio station project we at Bush Radio fully support this intiative as we believe in the power of radio to help build communities and improve lives.
Whether it is through our Children’s Radio Education Workshop (CREW) launched in 1996 where young people learn to use the medium to develop their skills and understanding of media or one of our programmes like Sakhisizwe – Bou die Nation, Build the Nation or even our specialised music programmes like Blues in the Bush where we connect the music to its roots in Africa – radio plays a vital part in almost everyone’s daily life.
Through technology like internet streamingBush Radio is able to connect to the entire planet with it’s audience not just from Cape Flats but with dedicated listeners in Asia, Europe and the Americas tuning into the station online through computers or mobile phones, Bush Radio truly is more than just FM radio.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has declared the 13th February 2013 as World Radio Day. As Africa’s oldest community radio station project we at Bush Radio fully support this intiative as we believe in the power of radio to help build communities and improve lives.
Whether it is through our Children’s Radio Education Workshop (CREW) launched in 1996 where young people learn to use the medium to develop their skills and understanding of media or one of our programmes like Sakhisizwe – Bou die Nation, Build the Nation or even our specialised music programmes like Blues in the Bush where we connect the music to its roots in Africa – radio plays a vital part in almost everyone’s daily life.
Through technology like internet streamingBush Radio is able to connect to the entire planet with it’s audience not just from Cape Flats but with dedicated listeners in Asia, Europe and the Americas tuning into the station online through computers or mobile phones, Bush Radio truly is more than just FM radio.
We found out that the television journalist enjoys listening to the Breakfast Show (via Twitter) and we felt it was only right that he had an opportunity to join the craziness in the studio.
Dreadlock brothers: Lester Kiewit looks on while Chad Saaiman explains his hairstyle
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for Victor J, Chad Saaiman joined them in the studio.
They discussed Saaiman’s new CD The Flight but – because the guest presenter and musician share a hairdresser – the conversation turned to their signature dreadlocks! And the speed at which Bush Radio gets up video, audio and pictures.
A big thank you to all the participants and facilitators of the Media Kidocracy Konference 2010 (17 – 18 December 2010) who helped make the conference a huge success.
A special word of thanks to the following individuals who gave their time and resources to participate and facilitate the discussions with the participants:
On the final day the young delegates (12 – 18 years old) presented their productions in a four hour closing ceremony which included video, online, graffiti and radio presentations.
The closing ceremony also included performances by young Capetonian talent such as Shaz & B, Apple and Cinnamon and Grand Alliance.
The photographers have captured the contrast between the beauty of our natural landscape and the filth that soils it.
The television group challenged us to re-examine our so-called natural ways of being as men and women with respect to violence within the home.
The graffiti group showed through their piece that although we may differ linguistically and/or culturally, we can live in harmony.
The online and radio groups have spread the word that violence is not and never will be an option, be it violence inflicted by others through forced child labour or self-inflicted violence in the form of substance abuse.
Together these products send a resounding message that states that their vision for tomorrow is one in which they wish not to live in fear and is filled with hope.
We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their assistance through advice and contributions in making this conference a success:
St Agnes Primary School and in particular the principal Mr. Alfonso Louw and caretaker Mr. Marsh.
Brenda Leonard and Belinda Sepkit from Bush Radio’s admin department who made the lunches
All the production facilitators and content facilitators.
The guest speakers who joined us on the first day of the conference, especially Ms Jennifer Hartnick from the Provincial Parliament whose kind and gentle words set a good tone for the conference.
We would also like to thank our delegates who joined us from as far a-field as Northern Ireland (Public Achievement) and Canada (Canada World Youth).
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