BUA Vol 8 Issue 2_April_Monday

BLIND MAN
Behind the Mic
By Nosipho Mnyandu
Calvin Kamogelo Mogajane proves that his blindness
impairment is not a barrier to the things he can achieve.
The ‘Blind Man Behind the Mic’ commenced his radio
journey at one of the Tshwane University of Technology’s
campus radio station, TUT FM when he was doing his second
year of Language Practice in year 2021 and has since been
reaching new heights.
He started as a contributor where he was hosting a segment
show every Wednesday called The Social Content that was
under the show Mid-Morning Connection. “My contribution
was motivated by my book called Strong Woman,” he said.
Not only was he focusing on radio, but Calvin has a YouTube
channel where he did a show named ‘It Takes a Strong
Woman to Forgive’, and further proposed the idea to TUT
FM. His show included interviewing different women who
are victims of abuse, then later ventured into an awareness
named ‘Endometriosis’ where they tackled the social diseases
happening all around the world.
Growing up, Calvin had a passion for studying Law but as time
went by, he believed that radio played an important role in
his writing journey and his love for radio generally. The lad
expressed that he has learned a lot from TUT FM in terms of
Calvin Magajane's book - Strong Woman
Calvin Mogajane
hosting a show alone, the preparation that comes with the
script, and playing the relevant music.
He suggested ways that could work for him as an eye-impaired
person and was fortunate for TUT FM to fully understand his
terms and conditions. “I want to take this opportunity to thank
one of the best presenters and producers on TUT FM, Mathekga
Senyolo,” he explained and further added that Mathekga was
the first person to welcome him to be a part of the radio
world.
However, where there are pros, there are also cons. Some
of the challenges that Calvin faced include the shortage of
resources when it comes to people living with disabilities. He
claimed that it becomes difficult to operate the desk alone and
always needs his trained friend Prince K to assist him with that,
and that has made his life simpler.
In addition, he feels that blind people are limited in the
media world, but he hopes to grow and be a brand of himself
(The Blind Man Behind the Mic). Calvin emphasized that he
is grateful for the support that he gets from the students,
security guards, and restaurants, as he has a familiar face and
they love to listen to his show.
The advice that he would like to share is that people do not
become the victim of their circumstances but be the product of
their decisions because the true disability of the world is a bad
attitude. Calvin has recently been nominated for the Gauteng
Disability Excellence Award which is under the segment of
Media and Communication.
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