I had my first live TV appearance, in Kiswahili!

The call came in at around 9pm on Wednesday. The caller? Fredrick Muitiriri, my famous TV colleague. He was inviting me to be a panelist on a TV show the following evening. The subject of discussion was the rising cases of road traffic accidents. As Research Editor, I’d be useful in providing a data context for the show.

I accepted to be a panelist on Mduara (that is the name of the show) but gave a caveat – my Kiswahili is not the kind that is spoken on TV. Fred reassured me – I didn’t have to worry about Lofty Matambo’s intimidating brand of Kiswahili because I didn’t have to sound like that. I still felt apprehensive about being on live TV for the first time, and speaking in a language I wasn’t very comfortable in.

However, I was determined “to do it afraid”. All those motivational speakers who say things like “showing up is half the battle” or “do not wait to be perfect to show up” were playing and replaying in my mind, and jazzing me up. Plus, surely, our fore-fathers took the risk and fought for the independence of this country, why would I be so scared to speak in Kiswahili on TV?

The reality that I would be on TV started dawning properly the following day. The bravado I had the previous night of ‘millennial and Gen Z women cannot be afraid of the same things Gen X or Boomers are afraid of because we came almost fully made’ was slowly getting replaced by reality.

Professional genocide

“How do I even say ‘the cost of road accidents on the economy is extremely high? Data shows that globally, RTAs eat up at least five per cent of GDPs’, in Kiswahili?” I asked myself and had no answer. But between my choleric personality and the dare-devil resolve in my heart, I was determined to do it – to challenge myself and discover this other side of the media. In any case, the newsroom is fully integrated so trying to confine myself to just one thing is committing professional genocide. I was also aware that even if I had said no to Fred out of fear, I still was going to have to deal with ‘a first time on live TV situation’ sooner or later.

At about 4pm on Thursday, the poster for the show started circulating within the organisation. Most people texted me to express their worry about my ability to speak Kiswahili on TV. I was worried too. I kept saying to myself: “Maybe I should just call Fred and cancel”. However, the poster was that proverbial point of no return. The Managing Editor, Content Hubs (Bernard Mwinzi), after seeing the poster, sat me through a quick prep session. And I used the opportunity to pick his brain about what he thought about the subject of road accidents. He also reminded me not to speak too fast.

Abort mission

I will say this. When you are about to do that audacious thing, you will need a Roselyne Obala by your side. Roselyne (Editor, Politics Hub) was my co-panelist. She has a lot more experience being on live TV, and generally how the broadcast media space works. As we got closer to make-up time, and with me feeling a little overwhelmed with thoughts of abort mission, I headed to fourth floor where Roselyne sits to see how she was prepping herself. She turned out to be the angel God assigned to reassure me that I could get this done. She countered every word of doubt I had to say. I told her that people were worried, and rightfully so, about how I’d perform. And she gently dismissed those concerns. But she was practical.

“You will probably be tensed up the first few minutes. But after that you will ease in. Think of it as speaking to the person next to you, do not worry about the audience,” she said. In the make-up room, she took videos and photos of me, and that got me out of panic mode. I could let myself down, but I could certainly not let Roselyne down.

The feedback I got after the show was that I need to do serious work on my Kiswahili if I am to use it publicly. However, for a first timer, my effort was good, and I have some TV potential that can be built on.  At a personal level, I was proud of myself for doing something new, and unveiling a new set of skills which will continue to serve me professionally.

PS: This article is the sign you were looking for, to go out and conquer your fears.

The writer is the Research & Impact Editor, NMG

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