HE’S NUTTY BUT NOT “NUTTY!”

Source : KUTLWANO

Author : Terry Makgoeng

Location : GABORONE

Event : Profile

 

He sits in a more relaxed and serene manner. He comes across as articulate and eloquent and that makes you understand why a young man like him would opt for a talk show over a music programme.

He describes himself as an ordinary young man who grew up in Botswana and spending most of his formaive years in Maun. He went to Letsholathebe Primary School and attended Maun Senior School. He is quick to add that he had a stint in Gaborone as he did part of his schooling here as well. Born almost 31 years ago, Chilume who hails from Mathangwane in the Central District has already achieved what many of his peers can only wish for.

Coming from a humble background, Chilume did not enjoy the privilege of going for tertiary education immediately after form 5. Being the first born of five children and raised by a single mother, his initial step was to find a job to help feed the family. In 2001 he headed for Jwaneng with the hope of getting a job in the mines but fate would have it otherwise. However, instead of staying idle, he volunteered his services at Thutano Centre, an initiative that dealt mostly with HIV-related issues. Once there, Chilume would take part in many HIV/AIDS sensitisation endeavours such as educational campaigns in and around the Ngwaketse West region, sensitising people in work places, out of school youth, students and the public at large. He was trained as a research assistant and part of his work was to help carry out socio-behavioural surveys that were to inform the mine`s HIV/AIDS strategy. 

It was only two years later that he would get a job at the Jwaneng mine as a metallurgical helper, a term, he quips, is a fancy way of describing the job. “Ke ne ke le malaisa,” he says. The job entailed assisting to carry of materials for executing some tasks at the plants. He did this for the whole of 2003, which he says helped put bread on the table. It was after his stint at the mine that Chilume went for tertiary education at the University of Botswana (UB), acquiring a Degree in Humanities with majors in English and History. He then went further to obtain a Post Graduate Diploma in Education.

After graduation, Chilume got a job as a teacher at Tapologo Junior Secondary School in Werda in 2008. He would later join the U.S Embassy in Gaborone, working for BOTUSA`s TDF 2 study. When the TDF 2 Study ended, Chilume remained with the US Embassy where he is currently employed. He mentions that he works as an assistant training coordinator, a job he says entails organising law enforcement training for sub-Saharan training. When asked about details of his job, Chilume declines to take the discussion further prefering talk about his career in the arts. “I really don`t want to get into the details of my job at the embassy but stick to the arts,” he charges.

He acknowledges that volunteering at Thutano Centre helped him get a job at BOTUSA. “While I did the volunteering out of passion for HIV-related issues, it really paid off in the end,” he says his face beaming with delight. Chilume is not shy to boast that he has the gift of the garb, noting that while at UB, he was part of the debating society representing the university at national, regional and international debating competitions. Still at university Chilume would befriend Botswana`s 2007 Big Brother Africa representative, Justice Motlhabani and Duma FM`s Kealeboga Dihutso who were both members of the debating team.

Writing is one of the talents that Chilume has been blessed with. At UB, he became a member and chairperson of the university`s writer`s workshop - a literature club that provides a platform for aspiring writers. Renowned writers among them Bessie Head, Barolong Seboni and Pinkie Mekgwe were once drivers of the workshop. Chilume is an aspiring writer and has compiled a huge volume of unpublished material during varsity years. He also has love for poetry even though his works are unpublished. “I`m more prolific as a poet,” he says.

Chilume`s passion for the arts saw him become a radio personality. He started working for Duma fm in 2010. Initially, he used to be just a contributor on Kealeboga Dihutso`s show for almost a year and it was during that stint that Sydney “Dj Syd” Baitsile of My Star fame, who was the station`s programme manager discovered him. That basically opened doors for him. Chilume started off as a trainee but would later evolve into co-hosting a weekend current affairs review show with Mmegi journalist, Tomeletso Sereetsi. After Sereetsi left the show, Chilume developed the programme into a talk show and called it Chilume Live as he was its sole host. Asked why he named the show after him, he replied “I wanted to own the show and no other names came to mind at that point”.

Chilume asserts that the show gives him a platform to do what he loves most as it about current affairs and politics. The show became popular in March 2011 and Chilume says “it quickly became the country`s current affairs weekend show of choice”.

The show reviews local, regional and international current affairs, with a particular focus on politics, developmental issues and sport.

Chilume has interviewed guests ranging from cabinet ministers, community leaders, party leaders, union officials and other news makers. He counts among his interviewees Botswana National Front leader, Duma Boko, Minister of Agriculture, Christian Degraaf, Barolong`s Kgosi Lotlaamoreng, Bakgatla`s Kgosi Kgafela, just to name a few.

The mainstay of the show are call-ins and multi-media feedback by listeners and “this has made it entertaining, passionate, controversial and a source of great humour at times,” he says. The show also plays music from the 1980`s and 90`s, a predilection on most of his listeners. Chilume mentions legendary broadcasters Mogatusi Kwapa and Lesego Kgajwane, among others, as people he grew up looking up to.

Chilume has a huge desire to grow the show into one of the country`s most informative and educational shows. As a result, he continues to learn and seek ways of improving content and features for the show to match his aspiration.

As a media person and a radio fanatic, Chilume does not want to remain a broadcaster for that long.

He aspires to move into radio management, with a view to contributing to presenter training, content production and programming. Outside radio, Chilume also considers being on television and writing a newspaper column or blogging. With the energy and ambition he portrays, there is no doubt he will pursue and reach his goals. ENDS

Teaser:

Chilume is not shy to boast that he has the gift of the garb, noting that while at UB, he was part of the debating society representing the university at national, regional and international debating competitions. Still at university Chilume would befriend Botswana`s 2007 Big Brother Africa representative, Justice Motlhabani and Duma FM`s Kealeboga Dihutso who were both members of the debating team...