By Destine Nde
For a small town like Willowmore, a visit from a famous radio station is no ordinary event. Last week, RSG (Radio Sonder Grense) — one of South Africa’s most popular radio stations, and the only one dedicated specifically to Afrikaans listeners — brought a wave of excitement to this Klein Karoo town. Residents, learners, business owners and community leaders came out to welcome the team and experience live broadcasting at first hand.
People were elated to meet some of the faces behind the voices that had kept them company for many years. The visit presented not only a precious opportunity for locals to meet and chat with their favourite radio personalities, but to actually participate in a live broadcast. A good number of them were interviewed, and asked to share their views about Willowmore and their feelings about their interaction with a much broader audience. To say the least, residents were extremely grateful for this, which ignited a buzz of excitement and created a lively atmosphere throughout Willowmore.
According to Amore Swanepoel, RSG’s marketing manager, the visit was part of their ongoing ‘Cultural Caravan Campaign’. She explained that towns had to nominate themselves for selection: ‘We had a lot of entries. We went through them all, and a few were selected. Our first stop was Merweville, and Willowmore is the second.’
The purpose of the project, she said, was to get to know their listeners and towns – ‘all the stories, projects and businesses; the different cultures, cuisines, histories and tourism sites’.
In line with this, the RSG team arrived in Willowmore on Wednesday evening 9 September, and started interacting with community members the next morning. They visited businesses and offices, historic sites and public squares, meeting and interviewing people, taking pictures with happy fans, and playing with excited children. From 7-9 am on Friday, they broadcast live from Willowmore. Their mobile studio was set up at the corner of Knysna and Mark Streets, in the heart of the town.
A live interview with former Willowmore mayor Ewald Loock and a local resident, Gerrie.
Revive Willowmore, Willowmore Tourism, the traffic department, Social Development, and various other stakeholders collaborated with the RSG team to make the visit succeed. According to Amore, ‘we were welcomed with open arms’.
I asked: ‘What impression would you take back with you to Johannesburg as something special and unique to Willowmore?’
She replied: ‘The slow living, and their belief that if all members of the community work together, they can do great things. There are people here who care a lot about the town and are proactive. They don’t sit and wait for the government. They do what needs to be done whenever they can.’
At a time when social media are threatening to obliterate traditional media, as well as traditional means of mass communication such as radio and television, the visit could not h ave been more timely. Other well-known TV shows like KykNet’s Kwela and SABC’s Voetspore have visited Willowmore in the past. But that was before social media had become as ubiquitous as they are today.
In the event, the RSG visit was widely publicised on social media. Days before the visit, posters went viral on Whatsapp groups and Facebook.
Revive Willowmore — the NGO committed to beautifying and uplifting the town — urged residents to embrace the opportunity, and appealed to proprietors to keep their business premises clean ahead of the visit.
Veronica, the organisation’s CEO, wrote: ‘Hallo almal. Ons is baie baie opgewonde om RSG in Willowmore te hé van more af tot Vrydag. Kan ons groot groot asseblief vra dat almal voor hulle besighede mooi skoonmaak sodat ons dorp pragtig en netjies lyk as hulle opdaag. Duisend dankies.’
This and similar efforts undoubtedly contributed to making the visit a success. It served as a reminder of the unique role radio continues to play in connecting people and communities across the world. For Willowmore, it was far more than just a visit: it was an opportunity to showcase its people, its culture, its history and its character—the warm community spirit that makes the town so special. In short, it provided its people with an opportunity to tell the world in their own words what what makes Willowmore a special place.
At around 10 on Friday morning, we said goodbye to Amore, Eugene the cameraman, Peter the director and the entire RSG team at the Royal Hotel. They left behind more than just photographs and fond memories. They left Willowmore feeling recognised, connected, celebrated, and proud to have been selected for a truly special initiative — the Cultural Caravan Campaign.
Featured image: The RSG team in front of their mobile broadcasting unit. All pictures: the author.