Saturday, 09 December 2006
The BBC has selected a 24-year-old computer science and chemistry student of the University of Ghana, Selase Kwawu, to help judge the regional stages of its first ever BBC Africa Radio Awards in February. He was one of three people in Africa selected from over 1,200 people who entered a competition dubbed: “How Radio Changed My world”. Times Weekend spoke to him about his interest in radio. Excerpts: QUESTION: Since when have you been a BBC listener?
ANSWER: Well, I loved radio. I picked up an interest in listening to the radio quite young. But I think somewhere along the line, when I was taken to school, infact my attention got attracted to something else so I lost that desire to listen to the radio.
But after school, when I got the chance to read, I got back to the habit of wanting to listen to many news items before the day ended. I mean I have been very ardent with BBC for four years.
Q: There are a number of international radio services like Deutche Welle Radio and Voice of America. Why the passion for BBC?
A: Well, as I mentioned earlier on, I have a very keen interest in the quality of things I hear and see around, especially English language. I see English as the only tool I have to communicate. I can’t speak my local language very well, and that is shameful, so I see English as the only means of expressing myself very well.
I always look out for the best when it comes to listening. I don’t know much about DW and other stations though but I think that my eagerness to get to the best led me to the BBC and I must say that I was extremely overwhelmed by the quality of the content that the BBC delivers and so it immediately caught my heart.
Since then, I find it difficult switching to some other network, even though occasionally I listen to some of the documentaries on other radio stations. I must say that BBC programmes are very educative.
Q: So how do you marry your studies with radio listening?
A: You see, if you have passion for something you’d make time for it .We don’t create time ourselves. All we are expected to do is to manage time. Now it’s been found out that the average person can memorize a whole encyclopedia if he decides to do it.
I believe that you can make time to be ‘a jack of all trades’ and master of all. David Livingston (medical doctor, a visionary, a writer and all that) demonstrated that and he succeeded in all of them. So even though my course is very, very demanding, I find time for the radio at least, every morning and every evening before I go to bed. The radio wakes me up from bed and sends me to bed.
Q: What is your favourite programme on BBC and why the preference for that programme?
A: Generally, I am overwhelmed by anything I hear on BBC, even though I don’t have the time to tune in to the BBC in the day. I realise that anytime it’s BBC and I hear the voices of the presenters, something runs through my body.
I think these three programmes distinguish themselves: One is Digital Planet, a programme which focuses on current trend on ICT in the world and there’s Focus on Africa which helps you have a broaden view, perspective on the African continent and Have Your Say which obviously brings together views from all parts of Africa and its more interactive and a discussion.
Q: How have the programmes impacted on your life?
A: The BBC as a whole has had a really tremendous impact on me and it will be very difficult for me to say that just three have done something exceptional in any life because, one it is the culture of broadcasting of the BBC that I appreciate the most, the level of intellectualism and the high standard of professionalism.
Those were the qualities that drove me to the BBC in the first place and those are the qualities that have kept me with the BBC as at now. I think my world view, my philosophy about life and how I think the African continent can be improved.
Q: What informed your decision to enter the competition. “How Radio Has Changed My World”?
A: Well, I heard a couple of the entries. You know people contributed and I heard some of them being read on air. I thought like well, I could do something. I entered the competition because I see radio as a vital tool in shaping what I call the philosophical consensus and general world view of on continent.
If in one small way I can help fine-tune or re-configure the very foundation of this great institution which in my opinion is moving from its implementation to its establishment stages in, that was what I thought, that if I have a personal view that this tool can transform the African continent and there is an opportunity, why not.
Q: How do you feel about being selected as one of the three listeners to join the three regional panel judges?
A: You can just imagine. I was really, really excited but then when I thought about the whole thing later on, it humbled me completely.
Q: Why?
A: I had read other people’s work on the internet which were equally good. So I saw this as God’s intervention
Q: What was the expression on your face when you heard that you have been selected?
A: I find it difficult to express how I felt. And fortunately for me too, that day there was no one in the office. I was alone and so when the news came, I had a brief bout of shouting, and waved my arms in the air, that kind of thing. So at least, I managed to show joy. I was very, very excited.
I did not even tell anybody that day because I didn’t know how to say it. It was the next morning that I informed colleagues.
Q: What are your thought about the BBC Africa Radio Award?
A: This award plays essential role in giving the media in this continent an identity, confidence and recognising their achievements over a period of time. I must say I’m very excited to be among the judges in deciding which of these works comes out as the best.
I must be quick to add that even this award is going to celebrate an achievement, I see the media in Africa in its very, very germinal stage, and I think that this is the time we all need to come together and build it stronger.
Because if we do not lay a very solid foundation for it, and we want to lay a foundation that is weak, a foundation that is based on people’s personal sentiments, it won’t be the best. I also see it as an opportunity to point out the loopholes and help stakeholders to correct it. Then we can boast of proud broadcasting institutions in the future.
Q: So what do you think is the best way to be able to achieve this?
A: Well, one is to tell stories in a clear, concise and balanced, manner.
Q: Do you see the media in Ghana not playing this role effectively?
A: It’s very difficult to slam a verdict on the media in Ghana, to say that the media in Ghana has done well or the media has not done well. I see the media in Ghana as having more than room for improvement. I think the media in Ghana is probably a model for some African countries but then as we believe that there is so much that we need to do in terms of quality of work we present on radio. In terms of the vision of a particular radio station and that is what I find very difficult to crystallize when I listen to radio in Ghana.
I find it very difficult to get what the vision of the radio station is. Is it to educate the youth or the general public of the country or to advertise? If radio has a powerful force in shaping people’s way of thinking, then we need to do more in Ghana.
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