Behind Closed Doors: MONITORING THE VISION

ONCE upon a time Radio Sanyu was the number one listened to FM Radio Station in Uganda. The Radio Station was the very first to soar high into the skies of Uganda’s air waves broadcasting on 88.2 Frequency Modulation in December 1993. It swept through all the radios from the city center of Kampala to the countryside of Buganda and beyond. Top media names like Rasta Rob MC, Ssozi Kaddu Mukasa, and the like hit Uganda’s celebrity platform through Radio Sanyu.

However, competition emerged from 91.3 Capital Radio by 1994 with hot DJs like Peter Ssematimba and Alex Ndawula, but the station had to wait for the emergency of Buganda’s Central Broadcasting Service (CBS 88.8 FM) to topple Radio Sanyu. A good number of celebrity DJs deserted Sanyu by 1996 and joined the newly established CBS Fm at Kabaka’s palace and rocked the country. Sanyu’s days of dominating the airwaves were over, and the station had to go back to the drawing boards and plan a new strategy.

In 1998 Radio Sanyu resurfaced under the name of Sanyu FM (Today’s Best Music) with the most eloquent presenters like John Miles, Mutetsi, Jean and Shadow among others behind microphones.  This time Sanyu FM became a station of DJs with the sweetest voices in the airwaves of Uganda. Of Sanyu’s Presenters, it’s Mutetsi who caught my fancy better than the rest. She had the most melodious voice I had never heard of before. On top of that, Mutetsi went against Sanyu’s mainstream kind of music that was mostly characterized by American Rhythm and Blues, and instead played contemporary slow jams that soothed my emotions to the heavens.

So in 1998 I trekked from my remote home village deep down in Salye-Buikwe, and paid an abrupt visit to Sanyu FM’s station studios on Naguru Hill. The purpose of this visit was partly because I wanted to set my eyes on this Mutetsi whose voice had caught my ears. And indeed it happened. I met a very beautiful young lady, a black beauty with an accent even better than that of the BBC English. In those days to have an interface with such a Radio Presenter was like meeting a Godsend angel face to face. So I enjoyed my moment in the studios of Sanyu FM with Mutetsi, which memories have never been erased to-date.

When the Gospel of Jesus Christ also hit the radio waves and spread like bushfire across villages of Central Uganda through the first Christian Radio Station in the land-Top Radio, I too gave my life to the Lord. The immediate change that I experienced was the loss of a passion for the music I used to listen to. My heart went to Gospel music and began walking to the beats of Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams and Limit-X among others in my head. The days of being Mutetsi’s devotee were over. I had discovered a new lifestyle. I had to move on. I had to rock my world under a higher calling. So I went off with a bang.

After years of serious struggles to climb up the academic ladder, I later discovered my gifting. A still small voice kept whispering deep down in my heart saying, ‘Bringing out your gift is about bringing out your greatness.’ My gifting was none other than inspiring people through writing. The years had gone by when I used that gift to con university girls and unstable Born-again girls by going through the motions. When God gave me my well deserved negative reward, I came back to my sane senses and dedicated all my life to inspire those who do not even need to be inspired.

I had heard that when the Berlin wall was crumbled to ashes in 1989, the Web went up and a global village emerged out of the former Eastern and Western blocs. So, my world of invading the hearts of humanity with no greater love than that of Jesus Christ began. Whatever e-mail address that crossed my sight I regarded it a heart won for Christ. Some knew Christ in isolation, but had not genuinely experienced what he meant by ‘love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ I took a vow of poverty and dedicated my entire life to love, love, and love at whatever the cost.

So one evening, I sat behind my computer and sent a mail to a lady whose name Mutetsi reminded me of Sanyu FM. I composed the mail addressing her with her second name Phoebe saying:

“Dear Phoebe, this is Michael (KPC Cell E1E3A) Bweyogerere-Ntebetebe. I am so blessed that I got your e-mail address from Andrew. He is a very good person. And now I am confident that we’ll always keep in touch. My heart’s desire is to share lifetime experiences with someone. Sometimes we go through deep waters, sail on top of the highest peaks and pass through fire; but we still remain lonely. I know God loves us. But we haven’t genuinely received the love of people. On the contrary ourselves, we should also learn to love others. But it is hard for us because many of them find it difficult to understand us. And they are right, because like for me personally I rarely disclose my heartaches or joys to anyone. I really need someone (probably you) to share testimonies, experiences, ins and outs etc via e-mailing, for God’s glory. Thank you and kind regards. Michael.”

I had got some background information about Mutetsi that she was working with one of the leading Newspaper firms in Uganda called Monitor Publications. But I had not yet established whether she’s a journalist or did other kinds of responsibilities at this publishing house. However my impression with journalists was still bleak. This had come from the fact that I had one friend; a journalist for Uganda’s leading daily who had given me a hard time via replying my mails. I could send her multitudes of mails but she replied only by calling me on my mobile phone and talking for hours. I almost thought of selling off my mobile since I valued a written word more than a spoken word. And my wonder was that how could a journalist, a writer of a printing firm be lousy and lazy at writing mails? Probably they had similar characteristics.

However, Phoebe replied my mail in one of the shortest sentences. I suppose she would also have called me but she hadn’t got access to my mobile phone number. Yet I was also ready to conceal it until I had got enough of written information from her. But I read her message which said:

“Thank you Michael, and may you have a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year

I do hope to keep in touch. Phoebe.”

At least she has written back. I thought in my mind. But how will I deal with a journalist? I asked myself. Writers are always very tricky people to deal with. From my experience as one of the Literature students at high school and university, I had it rough with my classmates. They were often complex characters to understand. They had a sot of rudeness and self importance attitude that used to drive me mad. Especially when it came in dealing with young ladies studying Literature, things became worse. Even if a girl loved you deeply, she would rarely show it. And I had bad luck that the young lady who caught my fancy at the University was a Literature student. The only luck I had on her is that at least she was a Born-again Christian, just as I was. But I could still see Literature flowing in her blood and looking at me through her beautiful eyes. She became too frigid to me to love. And whenever I recollected myself to walk out of her life, she could eventually tease me back. I almost thought she wasn’t a Born-again Christian. But I had to endure her frigidness.

So I chose to write to Phoebe, a lady I had anticipated to be my second Literature student. I continued to write the similar length of a mail, including some flavors of news reporters to try and see where her writing interests lie. So I wrote saying:

“Dear Phoebe, It is great that you got back to me just in time. I really like wonderful people like you who respond to mails. How was your merry Christmas? For me I spent mine locked up in a room till I woke up on Boxing Day! I think I was too tired or just out of my senses. But I am now alive and kicking and keeping my eye open for the next celebrations. Only that here on our Bweyogerere-Ntebetebe village, one couple were burnt live in a house that was set ablaze on Christmas eve. Rumor has it that the deceased couple was cheating on their real spouses. So the husband of the cheating wife decided to make them learn in a tragic way and roasted their brains in a blazing furnace! It was really sad! I am a bit in a hurry, so let me now pay this café guy through the nose and fly out of his internet café. I hope we’ll keep in touch as time allows. Thanks Phoebe, may God bless the works of your hands with abundances through 2008.With Love, Michael.”

Phoebe’s second reply almost made me jump out of my skin. Though it was just in time, but I wondered why she was too brief. She had started confirming my fears about the frigidness of writers. She did not even hint on anything in the mail I had sent her. But she just wrote back saying:

“Hi Michael, Happy New Year. I hope 2008 brings you all the joy in the world, good health and great friends. Enjoy the year.”

However, I chose to take is easy understanding that people are always greater than their actions. I had to humble myself and write shorter messages to her but straight to the point until she would probably start writing long sensible messages. So I wrote back to her saying:

“Hello Phoebe, how were your New Year celebrations? For me 2008 has begun on a little sad note. See what is happening to our brothers and sisters in Kenya who are throwing their political dust into our eyes! And to make matters worse, we can’t now run our businesses well due to this fuel crisis. But let’s pray to God that he calms down the storm before escalating into a civil war. I too wish you good health, wealth and great friends in 2008. By the way, where are you now? Nice time. Michael.