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
Bush Radio is opening applications for internship positions for those interested in getting into media. No prior formal qualification is required.
The internship will provide basic experience in
journalism, radio content production and multimedia.
Please read the requirements below CAREFULLY – should the information be incomplete or incorrect, your application will not be considered.
Are you…
Curious, adventurous, always looking for a story, willing
to hunt down a source, hungry to learn, energetic, able to speak, write and
read in English & Afrikaans/Xhosa, willing to explore new frontiers in
media?
Would you like to…
Record sound, conduct interviews, compile bulletins, read
bulletins, take pictures, record video, cover events, test your skills LIVE to
a listening and online audience of over 375 000 people, generate interview
ideas, liaise with guests, assist presenter, research, package and present,
liaise with listeners regarding programmes, updating blogs/websites, present as
needed / capable, participate in outside broadcasts or events, build your
career and profile?
Requirements:
No formal qualifications are required but the candidates must be computer literate and understand, write and read English and one other language (Afrikaans or Xhosa)
You will be required full-time (ie Monday – Friday) or shifts (06h00 – 14h00 and 10h00 –18h00 –including weekend and public holiday shifts depending on the area you are placed.
You must be available to start immediately.
Cape Town based
Not currently a full-time student or learner
You will not receive payment! This is a volunteer internship at Africa’s leading community radio station.
Transport allowance of R500 per month for 3 months (probation), increased to R 1000 thereafter, non-negotiable for 9 months.
Shortlisted candidates will be put through a combination written test (for computer skills, language, general knowledge) and a voice test. – If selected for the test it will happen the week of 23 September 2019
Help Bush Radio keep making internship and training available to the communities of Cape Town – Support our crowdfunding campaign – CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE
Always cutting edge, Bush Radio explores issues in an insightful and meaningful way, giving the people of Cape Town access to media that highlights their voices – through music, entertainment, social upliftment and getting hands-on with media training.
The wide range of programming includes human rights, LGBTIQ+, gender, labour, job opportunities, basic health care, entrepreneurship, and offering information deemed necessary by our communities.
Africa’s oldest community radio station project, it was started in the 1980s by community activists and alternative media producers to explore ways in which grassroots media could be used for social upliftment and as an alternative voice during the apartheid era.
Today Bush Radio ensures it remains relevant, necessary and effects change through carefully curated media projects by working with partners to build dynamic programming. These projects include the Children’s Radio Education Workshop, where children aged between 6 and 18 years going live on-air, and the Media Kidocracy Konference where children aged 12 and up are trained to produce media content.
As an incubator for new media talent, Bush Radio has trained many young people from the Cape Flats and beyond who have now moved on into the media industry and beyond, also helping to build young start-ups and artists.
The community media sector is struggling in South Africa and even though Bush Radio is engaging on various levels, including with the government, to find a solution, we need daily costs such as rent, transmission, communication and stipends for the young people to get on-the-job training covered.
Your contribution will go towards ensuring that young people have a place where they can get access to quality media training and experience and that Cape Town’s communities continue to actively contribute to discussions around the issues affecting them.
Besides being part of the organizing committee, we also had several interviews leading up to the day and spent the day at Community House broadcasting and engaging in the discussions and activities
Since before 1993, Bush Radio has been producing quality media practioners. It is often said, that it is hard to go to any broadcasting facility in South Africa without running into someone who has come via Bush Radio.
Bush Radio 89.5fm is opening applications for internship positions for those interested in getting into media. No prior formal qualification is required.
Please read the requirements below carefully – should the information be incomplete or incorrect, your application will not be considered.
Are you…
Curious, adventurous, always looking for a story, willing to hunt down a source, hungry to learn, energetic, able to speak, write and read in English & Afrikaans/Xhosa, willing to explore new frontiers in media?
Would you like to…
Record sound, conduct interviews, compile bulletins, read bulletins, take pictures, record video, cover events, test your skills LIVE to a listening and online audience of over 375 000 people, generate interview ideas, liaise with guests, assist presenter, research, package and present, liaise with listeners regarding programme, updating blogs/websites, present as needed / capable, participate in outside broadcasts or events, build your career and profile?
Requirements:
No formal qualifications are required but the candidates must be computer literate and understand, write and read English and one other language (Afrikaans or Xhosa)
You will be required full-time (ie Monday – Friday) or shifts (06h00 – 14h00 and 10h00 –18h00 –including weekend and public holiday shifts depending on the area you are placed.
You must be available to start immediately.
You will not receive payment! This is a volunteer internship at Africa’s leading community radio station. Transport allowance of R500 per month for 3 months (probation), increased to R 1000 thereafter, non-negotiable for 9 months.
Shortlisted candidates will be put through a combination written test (for computer skills, language, general knowledge) and a voice test.
In the subject line clearly state: Intern October 2017
Application deadline: 29 October 2017 @ 18h00
Bush Radio reserves the right not to make an appointment – Only shortlisted candidates ill be contacted – No correspondence will be entered into. If you have been contacted within two weeks of the closing date you should consider your application unsuccessful.
Bush Radio has places available in its newsroom for volunteer recruits. Read the post below carefully!– Deadline: Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Are you:
Curious, adventurous, always looking for a story, willing to hunt down a source, energetic?
Able to speak, write and read in English & Afrikaans/Xhosa, willing to explore new frontiers in media? From the Cape Flats? Willing to learn and work hard?
Would you like to:
Record sound, conduct interviews, compile bulletins, read bulletins, take pictures, record video, cover events, test your skills LIVE to a listening and online audience of over 375 000 people, build your career and profile?
If your answer to the above is yes, then a volunteer news trainee position in the Bush Radio newsroom is for you. (Download application form)
You will be required full-time and to work shifts (06h00 – 14h00 and 10h00-18h00 -including weekend and public holiday shifts.)
You will not receive payment! This is a volunteer internship at Africa’s leading community radio station. Transport allowance of R 1000 only – non negotiable
This is a full-time contract position (1 year contract after 6 months’ probation) – NB: Students SHOULD NOT apply.
As part of his visit we asked him to speak with the interns as part of our staff development sessions.
He shared his thoughts on a range of issues ranging from what makes a good story to fake news.
Anyone interested in journalism and the media should take a listen.
This is an audio recording of that discussion.
*Anton Harber is Adjunct Professor of Journalism. His research interests include journalism; media; and history of South African media. Harber is the Founding Editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper (previously known as the Weekly Mail). Previously, he also worked as Sub-Editor for the Sunday Post and Sowetan newspapers and as Political Reporter for the Rand Daily Mail. Between 1997 and 2001, Harber was the CEO of Kagiso Broadcasting and between 1998 and 2001, he was the Executive Director of Kagiso Media Ltd. Harber has held a number of other positions such as Chair of the South African Conference of Editors (in 1991), Chair of the National Association of Broadcasters (in 1998) and Chair of the Freedom of Expression Institute (in 2010). – source: University of the Witwatersrand
Interns Siviwe Makeleni and Natasha Siqaza were selected by Bush Radio to participate in the Photo and Arts Journalism workshops run by the training and development initiative of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.
Natasha Siqaza (left) and Siviwe Makeleni
We asked Natasha and Siviwe about their experience.
Natasha said; “The course was a great learning opportunity that sparked great conversations and debates around the arts. We learned a lot about writing and how to approach topics not only in the arts but journalism as a whole.”
“The CTIJF photojournalism workshop was interesting and informative, it taught me how to take pictures which one can write a story about. I learnt the pre & post production of pictures and how to set your camera for low light and taking pictures for events.” added Siviwe