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Christine Mawadri’s enduring impact on radio
Christine Mawadri-Olok behind a radio station mics doing what she will always be remembered for; showing the boys how girls can do it just as good. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
Forerunner. In an industry that could have been hijacked by the men, one woman got on air and showed them how women could do it even better, writes Steven Tendo
The opening of airwaves in 1992 was an epoch-marking event in Uganda. Soon afterwards, there was a flood of FM stations all fighting for the attention of the listener. This was in a way a good thing because it meant those who could not cut the grade had to fall off the line. FM radio brought with it a new kind of celebrity whose claim to fame was really the effect their voice had on the listeners.
Christine Mawadri-Olok could be defined in those days as the definitive voice of radio. Though she was not seen, the number of those who thought they knew her, believed in her and could do anything for her was big, at least going by the frequent calls from admirers on her shows.
When Mawadri-Olok’s voice debuted on Radio Sanyu in 1993, the year the station was opened; there was probably no expectation for what was to come. Uganda was used to Radio Uganda and its officious presenters who many times sounded tired. To give even more credence to this, there were breaks in the programming where the presenter would say, in a guttural voice, “We shall take a break to rest.” Apart from the indefatigable Ssalongo John, many listeners will remember the presenters with not a little difficulty.
That was then. In those days the restlessness had already started. The listenership of foreign stations was growing. But, the business community probably sensed that there was need for a more dynamic medium that would assuage the demand already noticed.
When Sanyu hit the airwaves, closely followed by Capital Radio, it was clear that the days of tired- sounding presenters were long gone. There were no breaks; it was music and energetic presenters the whole day long. It was a whole new world of competition for listeners and bosses who made it clear that the presenters had to earn their pay; maintain the high ratings or ship out.
Enter Mawadri-Olok. She had a big role back then, even if it might not have been obvious. She had to make the listenership believe that a woman could be as informed as any man. She had to dispel prejudices against females, especially in a job that involved long working hours and rigorous research.
Mawadri-Olok was the “partner in crime” of another radio veteran, Alex Ndawula, and together, they showed Ugandans that there was more to this country than the official position. This could never have come out without the composition of the team.
The veteran presenter was the voice of reason. Always analysing any problem and making it clear to the listener; she served as the counterfoil of her co-presenter, who has over the years carved out a niche as an abrasive brawler who takes no prisoners. Mawadri-Olok was the one charged with bringing the debate back on course and extinguishing the fires.
“She is probably the most important voice on radio because of her demeanor,” Bettina Tumuhaise, music director at KFM, says. “Unlike some presenters today who show they are unprofessional, this could never be said of Mawadri. To the listener, she was the best of friends with her co-presenter but being in radio, I know that was just the action of a true professional.”
Tumuhaise says after a voice break, many times she knows the two presenters on a station have been having a verbal fight and they are straining to sound civil. With Mawadri, she says, this could never be detected even when she had big fights with Ndawula off air.
Many debates in boys’ schools raged about the obviousness of the fact that a person with an angel’s voice must be an angel. It was a running joke on Sanyu and later Capital FM where she relocated with Alex Ndawula. This was before the days of radio presenters became renowned MCs at events. She was “the voice” and that is all that mattered. Yet clearly, listeners wanted to put a face to the voice.
She is probably held in high regard by many radio women today for many reasons. She is a trail blazer in an industry that could have been “hijacked” by the men, just as they have many other professions throughout the ages. But because she understood her brief – to show how a woman can do it even better – there are many women on radio today who carry the same weight of punch as their male counterparts.
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Career arc
In a world where only the violent take the kingdom, Mawadri’s career has been marked by cool decisions that could inspire many women. She was part of the big walk-out at Sanyu FM when a faction of employees demanded better pay. They included Rasta Rob, Gloria Kamba, Samson Bill, RS Elvis, and Yusuf E. E. She always knew what she was worth and she was not taking any suggestions for her to sit still. She left Capital later on to join Monitor FM (now KFM) then Dembe FM, where she served as Programmes Director. Today, she serves as the Country Manager at Zuku TV.
