Kieno Kaamies is one of the hot new voices on Cape Talk 567, the sister station of 702. Kieno recently replaced Shado Twala in the station’s prime-time 1pm to 4pm slot.
Where did you go to school?
I attended St Columba’s High School on the Cape Flats.
Were you a model pupil?
I worked hard at school but I had a slight problem with my attention span. I tended to be very short of focus, and I did a lot of talking, not all of it relevant to the subject. I wanted to do something more interactive and creative, and really saw no future in the more technical side of schooling. They don’t teach you how to think further than your nose in most schools. I used to bunk school every now and then. Once or twice I got caught. The reason I bunked was not to smoke or anything as stupid as that, but rather to sit home and read magazines and watch TV and listen to the radio. In a way my obsession with the media got me to where I am today.
Who was your favourite teacher and why?
Miss Pim, my geography teacher. She was arty and always made lessons exciting through the stories she would tell, relating them to the subject.
What did you hate about school?
The fact that it was an environment set in its ways, overly strict, very conservative, not giving pupils the space to realise their passions – something which is still very indicative of schooling today.
What did you love about school?
My friends and all the people I met on my way home in the afternoon while travelling on the train. And then of course my geography lessons, where we dealt with a very effective communicator.
Do you ever have the urge to go back?
Nope, not at all.
What advice would you give to pupils who are still at school?
Just because you are not doing well in maths or science does not mean that you are destined to be a failure in life. We are all not meant to be scientists or mathematicians. I am not, but I love my job.
Find your passions, set yourself a real goal in life and tell your teachers and your parents about it, so that they can support you, and if they don’t, e-mail me: [email protected]
— The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, June 2001.