TV and radio making it work in 2020

spoke to some radio and TV presenters about how their year was amid the pandemic challenges and cancelled shows.

Aina Raiza Kweyo, known as Raiza Rizzle, is the new face of the ‘Weekly Wrap’, an online celebrity news programme.

Kweyo says her main aim this year was to create opportunities for herself after many disappointments.

“In March all I had was a vision and TV presenting talent, so I looked for like-minded creatives who were as hungry as I am to pour their art into something worthwhile. I was blessed to cross paths with Silas, who became the programme’s videographer and Nahenda the creative director. The show became an instant hit the moment it launched,” she says.

Kweyo ticked off more accomplishments on her vision board, such as scooping up a best TV presenter of the year award at the 2020 Simply You Magazine Lifestyle and Fashion Awards (SYMLAFA).

Kweyo says the local industry is small and there are not many opportunities.

“You have to create them yourself. I have been in the industry for eight years now and my journey has been filled with so many ups and downs. It’s really hard trying to break into any industry with no money or support. Sometimes you don’t get paid for your work. As an entertainer you get to heal so many people with your art. Knowing that many people, especially young girls, are relying on me to lead the way is what inspires me,” Kweyo says.

TV and radio presenter, master of ceremonies and R&B singer, Paul Munanjala, professionally known as Paul Da Prince, is conquering the radio, TV and music industry. He is well known as the face of NBC’s ‘Whatagwan’ show.

Some of his accomplishments this year includes hosting the 10th and final edition of the Namibian Annual Music Awards, and landing a cameo appearance on Mzansi Magic’s popular soapie ‘The Queen’, where he got to meet and work with the best of the best in the South African TV industry.

“My work this year had challenges like most people because of the Covid-19 pandemic – especially in terms of gigs. During lockdown I focused mostly on TV and radio production. The pandemic also made it difficult to have performances and up-close interviews. We had to adjust by using Zoom calls,” he says.

Activist, radio/television personality, actor, MC and drag queen, Rodelio Lewis has been in the limelight since 2013. He has been in the radio industry for the past four years.

“I have had the phenomenal opportunity to expand my scope of expertise and activism work in and through the entertainment industry by collaborating with other artists, political stakeholders, the corporate sector and many others,” he says.

Lewis is pleased to have had the opportunity this year to do things he has never done before, such as recording children’s books for the Goethe-Institut of Namibia, launching his drag career as Miss Mavis alongside Gigi Has Arrived and ‘Mo’ Nick Critique, and becoming the voice of one of the new main characters in ‘Waka Waka Moo’.

“This year I had considerably less projects that had longer residency periods in my professional life, which was a blessing in disguise, because I was able to develop the work more and explore new parts of my artistic expression. I was able to focus on work that aligned with representation and collective progression in both my activism and entertainment work,” he says.

Lewis says what he likes the most about his radio work is having the platform to interview people.

“I find it so interesting being able to connect and to talk to so many different people while learning about their personal experiences and lessons in life,” he says.

TV personality, economics honours degree graduate, content creator and avid dancer David Mbeha has been making the country proud.

Mbeha’s story of coming from a village in Ngoma in the Zambezi region and progressing to an international stage is proof that you can accomplish almost anything you want.

Mbeha says he focused mainly on expressing himself through content creating and collaborating with different artists this year.

“I also served as a panel member for the Creative Entrepreneurship Programme, which is an initiative to grow and mould upcoming entrepreneurs. Although we were not being booked quite a lot as entertainers, I feel honoured to have MCed a couple of events for the Office of the Judiciary. I fell in love with creating content and just discovering parts of me and trying out new things,” he says.

Mbeha says this year has been challenging for the industry as a lot of shows took a break or were cancelled as a result of the virus pandemic.

”I believe my purpose is to bring joy to the people through the gifts and talents I have been blessed with. What this year has taught us is to really explore our creative side. YouTube and TikTok became a hit as we were consuming more content than ever due to the ample time everyone had. It taught us to save for the rainy days, to be able to adapt easily and be more innovative about how we share our art,” Mbeha says.

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