An interview with Omar Badsha

Omar Badsha at the Bush Radio studio (Pic: Adrian Louw)

Omar Badsha, award winning artist, photographer, cultural and political activist and trade union leader was in studio today talking about his experiences and South Africa History Online.

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Annie Lennox visits the Mother

Well-known international musician and UN Aids goodwill ambassador Annie Lennox visited Bush Radio to speak about the scourge of gender based violence in the country.

Annie Lennox is in South Africa to lend her voice to raise awareness about the rape pandemic.

On Wednesday joined by various organisations she drew up a petition demanding an end to violence against women and girls in South Africa.

Lennox said people need to understand that we are all part of the system of the problem. She added that gender based violence can be curbed.

She called on all South Africans to come together as one and call on the government to do something.

RIP – Neville Alexander (1936 – 2012) – audio

Neville Alexander at the World Conference of African Linguistics in Cologne, Sept 18, 2009

Bush Radio would like to express its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Dr Neville Alexander who passed away on the 27th August 2012.

In memory of the work of Dr Alexander we have made available a recording from a series of programmes produced at Bush Radio called Critical Rendezvous which was broadcast in 2004.

Here Dr Alexander speaks to Dr Tanja Bosch and Joshua Ogada on “Language and National Identity in South Africa” – CLICK TO LISTEN / Right click and save. (MP3 format, 35MB)

Hamba Kahle Vincent Kolbe

One of the original trustees of Bush Radio 89.5 FM, activist, librarian and musician Vincent Kolbe passed away on Friday the 3 September 2010.

Vincent was instrumental in helping to form the Bush Radio community radio station project and guide it through one of the most challenging periods in the birth of community radio in South Africa.

His contribution to give all the people of South Africa a voice through community radio should never be forgotten and we at Bush Radio have always felt his presence; from his calls to the station just to chat or share programme ideas.

Vince, thank you – we will miss you.

Updated: Read story on Bush Radio News site

From the archive: Noam Chomsky

Time for something old on the Bush Radio blog, we’ve decided to dig through the mountain of photographs in the office and start posting them on the blog.

In 1998 we had the privilege of hosting acclaimed American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, political activist and author; Noam Chomsky at the station.

With Noam Chomsky is our former MD, Zane Ibrahim and the late R.O. Dudley. See if you can spot a very young Victor J, Brenda Leonard, Bassie Montewa, Damian Zane and Jan Weintrob

A few weeks after the visit he sent us an e-mail stating: 

“It was one of the high points of a very exciting and instructive visit, and I was really pleased to have the opportunity to be with you for a few hours.

I would also like to tell you how impressed I was with what I saw and heard at Bush Radio. I have had quite a lot of contact with popular media in the United States, and often elsewhere, and have rarely come across achievements comparable to yours. There is no doubt in my mind that community radio is, in general, one of the most important ways to develop a basis for meaningful functioning democracy. In my own (fairly extensive) experience, I have found abundant evidence to support this conclusion.“

*You can catch some of the talks by Noam Chomsky during the Political Hour slots on Bush Radio which airs every Monday and Friday at 21h00*