Gone Are NBC’s Story-telling Days?
TO most of us who grew up listening to NBC Oshiwambo radio, there has always been one programme that was a ‘no miss’ and that was the storytelling programme by Tate Mwatala that usually aired on Saturdays.
I followed the programme ever since I was old enough to attentively listen to radio in the very early 1990s.
Contrary to the current version of the programme, now presented by Mapeni Protocol also known as Simon Kondjashili, presenting it since about two years ago, the version of Tate Mwatala was resourceful and a well-researched programme that was not only entertaining to children and young adults alike but it was as well so culturally educative and really worth listening to by people of all ages.
When you tell stories that not even junior primary children will believe, or show interest in, then you must know that all is not that well at all.
Though Mapeni Protocol makes a good radio drama actor, a role he had proven himself in for years with NBC Oshiwambo radio, his way of presenting and gathering stories leaves much to be desired, so much so that a few callers to one programme review suggestion session of NBC Oshiwambo radio asked why Tate Mwatala cannot come back or at least the programme be presented in its original story-telling format where the story telling went in the lines of or simulated a granny telling grandchildren some educative ‘once upon a time’ stories.
In the days of Tate Mwatala, not only did Tate Mwatala perfectly fit the role by virtue of his age, but public members or listeners were encouraged to write stories to Tate Mwatala and mail them and then he chose from the many which story to present on a given Saturday, which made the programme very interesting, and at the same time developing children and young adults’ essay-writing skills.
The NBC management should please help the nation in this regard.
The current version contains too much far-fetched fiction. The current presenter employs no research or story gathering structure.
It really disappoint to note that Namibian children no longer hear the usually guiding and nurturing ‘one upon a time stories’.
If credit should be given there are a few times when the programme comes on air with interesting stories but yet it still worries one so much that censoring lacks in Mapeni’s versions, where the programme is always full of mockery and explicit language.
So NBC Oshiwambo radio please bring back the original Tate Mwatala, our children had learned a lot from that, and it was as well helping parents with child upbringing roles.
NBC as a public broadcaster and NBC Oshiwambo radio in particular can surely do better than this current version.
Deeply Concerned Listener
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