Pure passion in pursuing her dreams
KICK nerves off the air and embrace the passion.
That’s what uMlazi-born Lindo Cele aimed to do as she readied herself for her first stint on radio.
Cele, 22, had been studying environmental management at varsity but, 18 months in, she decided to chase her dreams.
“It was my brothers who pushed me,” said Cele.
“They said: ‘Look, we know you love radio and right now we are paying for something you don’t really want to do; why don’t you go into radio or study something that could land you in that industry?’”
Cele, who grew up in uMlazi’s AA section, said she knew as far back as high school that she wanted to work in radio, and had given a class presentation on a career in radio.
She said two months before she dropped out of university, she came across her school presentation notes.
“I thought to myself: ‘What am I doing right now because back then I already knew what I wanted.’ So I started trying to get into radio in 2014. And, eventually, after trying to get into DYR for two years, I made it in 2016.”
Cele presents Durban Youth Radio’s VIP Lifestyle show from 9am to noon.
She said her family were very supportive of her decision, especially after hearing her on air. “I became a minicelebrity in my area and I got to do cool stuff like the Durban Fashion Fair – I was an MC for that at some point. And I have been trying my best to elevate myself from there.
“I have many hopes for the future. I want to do TV and also want to give back, and help those who are looking for that big break, like I was.”
She said when she arrived at DYR she was sure that, as a junior, she would be doing one of the evening shows and was taken aback to find out she would be co-hosting the breakfast show with Kevin Minter-Brown, head of programming and talent at the NPO.
“I was really nervous about my first show but told myself: ‘Look, if you’re nervous about something, there are thousands of other people out there who aren’t about doing the exact thing’, so I kicked the nerves to the side and I haven’t regretted a day ever since.”
Cele advised aspiring radio jocks to pursue the career only if they were driven by passion.
“Don’t come into the industry purely for money; it must also be about passion. It is your passion that will lead you to bigger breaks and money. You have to love what you do and that has to be rewarding to you.”
Last month the station began broadcasting from its new studios on Florida Road after moving from the Bat Centre.
“We loved the Bat Centre; it’s gritty, it’s real and it’s in the city. There’s lots of activity there and we have loved being there,” Minter-Brown said.
“But the facilities weren’t big enough.
“We’re on air 24 hours and sometimes the toilets would be locked and there are no kitchen facilities. It was time for us to move.”
The opportunity to move into the Florida Road studio was realised with the help of urban regeneration specialists Urban Line, the Durban public and sponsors.
Minter-Brown said the station’s vision included training the youth and giving them a step up into radio.
“All our social media inboxes fill up daily from people who want to be on radio. Our vision is that we grow our talent even more.
“I would love to give all those people who inboxed us a chance.
“Everybody here is a volunteer – if you want to work here, you have to be dedicated, but we are steering the station in such a way that we want to see ourselves remunerating our staff.”