Lifestyle

One-on-one interview with afriradio presenter

A Kenyan-born radio presenter is becoming Italy’s voice for Africa. Young and talented, she is promoting Africa in Italy. Afryka connect had a chance to have a one on one interview with her. Afryka Connect: Could you tell us about yourself?

My names are Malice Atieno Omondi, Kenyan, married to Michele Marino and mother of 4 yr old Vanessa. I work as a presenter at www.afriradio.it an online radio station founded by the Comboni Missionaries in Italy. A radio, whose aim is to change Africa's negative image in Europe and around the world, a radio that wants to promote the African music, cuisine, curiosity and most of all make known the African tradition and culture.

How did you get into online radio?

I got into the online radio by chance through CESTIM - a cultural centre in Verona. About three and a half years ago, the radio program was still just a project and I had been living in Verona for just a few months. Stopping by at the cultural centre, I met Simonetta Barbi, an Italian woman who suddenly, even without knowing me, asked if I was looking for a job.

That was luck indeed...

My daughter was only eight months old at the time and to be sincere I wasn't that ready to leave her home and start working.... but Simonetta's question "Who said that a woman with a baby couldn't work?" changed my mind. I went for a selection interview and after the voice test, had a formation/training course and began my radio program soon after that. Apparently, for Simonetta, I gave an impression of being the right person for the job. I must admit though that FORTUNE also played a very big role here.

Who inspired you? if any.

MYSELF!I had to inspire myself coz it was all new to me. Having never dreamt of working in radio and there I was, with the mic right in front of me, I had to get some motivation from myself first. Then of course, the director Fabrizio Colombo who believed in me and kept on encouraging me.

Why you have taken that path?

There's nothing as good as talking about your home, roots & culture, tradition, music and cuisine especially when it comes to making others understand it better. Afriradio wants to let people know the other side of Africa, the positive side of Africa. It’s so sad that when you talk to most people of Africa the only things they know are the negative ones, the classic stereotype of Africa as a land of hunger, war, diseases etc. And this isn't their fault, if that's what they see on TV and hear about Africa, you can't blame them. It should also be clear that Afriradio doesn't try to deny these facts. We only try to make people understand that besides all what happens in Africa, life there is so precious and has a lot to teach the outside world. This is a role that makes me an ambassador of my own people and land. To me, it's a huge privilege.

What programs do you broadcast?

I broadcast "pili pili" which airs from Monday through Friday. An entertainment program that tackles African music & musicians, gossip, curiosity, cuisine and anything to keep my listeners entertained. I also broadcast "Tam-Tam" which is dedicated to announcements from the African Embassies to their citizens in Italy, announcements from the various African Associations and private announcements, tam-tam airs once a week, Friday.

How is the response so far?

POSITIVE!

Being a web radio, we have listeners from all over. And that's why - i didn’t mention it before - in both pili pili and tam tam, we speak in Italian, English, French and Swahili. Our other objective is to make whoever is listening to us feel at home as soon as they tune in. Then, with the loads of appealing, joyful, tradition and modern African music we play, it makes it a unique radio. Needless to say, music has no Language!

How is Africa  portrayed in Italian media?

The media responds to the population it serves. For example, Italians know Kenya mainly for tourism, so that is the image of the country. The media in Italy suffers from provincialism. It pays more attention to local news and this is demonstrated by the little space newspapers devote to foreign affairs. The fact that the media pays attention to local news doesn’t exactly mean that people don’t want to know what is happening outside (in Africa) and Afriradio believes in that. Fortunately, there are magazines trying to give the real image of Africa, i.e. Nigrizia, Consolata Missionaries etc.

What I think is that there are two main things that fascinate the media not only in Italy but Europe as a whole: POVERTY and NATURE! Poverty attracts in the negative or let's say emotional way (the poor African children, lack of development, women who have to walk miles to fetch water and firewood etc) which of course reveals a lack of knowledge of the true reality of Africa. Nature fascinates for its alleged aura of virginity, the authentic reality not yet touched by development, "safaris" and much more, but I believe that these two elements constitute a lot of the African news in Italy.

What do you enjoy most at your job?

I enjoy everything at my job... starting from the atmosphere to the very little thing. The most exciting thing though is my listeners. Just the fact that they are interested in knowing the real Africa, listen to the African beats and contribute their experiences in Africa makes everything just wow! Then playing Miriam Makeba's pata pata, Yvonne' s chakachaka, safari sound band's Jambo, songs that take you back in the days, modern Bongo flavor, Genge, Zouk, Coupè decale, Soukous, Ndombolo ya solo, Nigerian music from Old Highlife to the present day mix and the list goes on and on and one... tell me, if you are a music lover, would you ever get bored?

Other programs transmitted on afriradio are programs dedicated to Immigration, where immigrants are given a chance to talk of their experiences  and to express their viewpoints of their lives as immigrants, we have a program that deals with the African Economics, one that deals with tourism, culture, literature and one that focuses on the daily news and analysis about Africa, looking at the most significant events that affect the continent and beyond.

Thank you indeed and we wish you good luck with your future endeavors.

You welcome