The WBS talk-show host has a knack for finding bizarre human interest stories By Elvis Basudde The atmosphere is quiet and tense. Guests settle down. They are here to tell their stories. Sad, moving and intriguing stories. Mrs. Lukwiya, widow of the late Dr. Matthew Lukwiya, who died of the Ebola disease at St. Mary's Hospital Lacor in Gulu, is narrating how her husband died.
She is crying. The host is crying too. They both cry before, during and after the show. They cannot hold their tears.
That is always the scene at The Untold Story, a weekly talk show that runs every Wednesday at 10:40pm.
Betty Tibaleka hosts the show. Her fans call her Oprah Winfrey, likening her to America's talk-show ?goddess.' Regular WBS Television viewers cannot fail to recognise the enchanting hostess.
She has a knack for finding moving and yes, bizarre human-interest stories, which make The Untold Story a popular talk-show on television. The compassion and intimacy she puts into the show has made her a star in her own right. The public loves her and guest celebrities trust her.
"That story can change your life forever," she says as she starts her talk show. With her motto "Talking your way to freedom," Tibaleka has been making that difference for many Ugandan viewers for the last three years.
In a recent survey in Kampala and Entebbe, I asked viewers to list a few of the things they believe that have made The Untold Story talk-show a household name.
Her fans in Kampala and Entebbe, had this to say about The Untold Story: "It is that host, Tibaleka and her dynamic personality. She is real, enigmatic, most intriguing and natural."
"It is a show I never miss." "It is touching and inspiring." "It tells you that you are not alone in your predicament." For someone to show his face on television, mask nothing, and give his or her story, it is truly unprecedented," says Sandra Lucky, one of her fans. I visited Tibaleka at her office above City Bar on Jinja Road. She appeared calm and dignified as she told me what inspired her to create The Untold Story.
"I was going through a very traumatic time. I had lost my husband to AIDS. I saw him go through hell until he died. I had to do something," she says.
She says she went through some rocky times in her marriage and wanted to share the pressing issues she had experienced with others. "Marriage is not a bed of roses. I was forced to tackle some things, examine myself and the influences on my life, and to confront my fears and insecurities," she confesses.
The unfortunate incidents apart, Tibaleka was inspired by popular talk shows in the US, where she stayed for some time, like Queen Latifa, Kilroy, Trisha, Mental, Dr. Feel and the Oprah Winfrey show.
"I was very passionate about these talk-shows. I was touched by people's feelings. The rape cases, incest, sexual harassment, drug abuse. the incidents were terrible," she reminisces.
Hearing her talk with such passion would make you think you are talking to Oprah. But Tibaleka quickly dispels the comparison. "I am certainly not as quick-witted as Oprah. She is four times ahead of me."
The neat, warmly welcoming and sharp host has developed a unique show format: a public confession which often deals with painful, very private subjects that her critics suggest are better left private. The stories are sentimental. You can see guests crying, and the host crying with them. "I am an emotional person. I cry a lot, but most times I hold my tears with the gusts. My guests and I always promise not to cry during the show but sometimes you cannot help it. You find yourself crying without realising, or even without remembering that you are being watched," Tibaleka says.
The most intriguing show Tibaleka remembers was when she hosted Mrs. Lukwiya. "Her story was very intriguing and emotional. She narrated the story from the bottom of her heart," she says.
She also hosted a young lady who cried most of the time, which forced her to halt the show. After knowing that she was HIV- positive, the lady did her best to save the baby in her womb. She went on Nevirapine treatment, but she had an HIV-positive child. She cried because she was disappointed. Other mothers of the same status had HIV negative children.
Tibaleka has former alcoholics and drug addicts, former sex workers, people living with AIDS, abductees, orphans, vulnerable children, divorcees, widows, witchdoctors and professionals.
She says people give away what they don't want but what others need - so sometimes some people feel better to give their experiences than clothes.
She says she gets letters and phone calls from people asking her if the stories screened are true. "Those who do not believe them have never thought of giving what they do not want," she says. She says she does not ask questions, which don't have a bearing. "If a question will not benefit the guest or the viewers, I will not pose it."
One question she usually asks people living with HIV is whether they are in new relationships. "These are normal people who can socialise, love and be loved. I want to demystify the notion that if you are living with HIV, you are an outcast," she says.
Tibaleka believes that HIV-positive people should not associate with people of the same status. She wants people to know that even if they are positive, they can propose to HIV-negative people for a relationship.
Tibaleka is a teacher and a counsellor. She is the last born of six children. She went to Bukunyi Secondary School before proceeding to Bishop Wills Teachers' College in Jinja to train as a teacher. She also pursued a course in Music Dance and Drama at Makerere University and also has a diploma in counselling from Kyambogo University.
She says it is rude to ask a woman how old she is. "I am an adult Ugandan born in Toro. I am a single parent with four children. I had never thought of remarrying after losing my husband but now that I have settled down and life seems lonely, I hope to get a partner soon, though I have not identified one yet," she says smiling.
That is Tibaleka for you. However, she is worried that The Untold Story talk show may soon wind up, due to lack of sponsorship.
We pray that a sponsor comes up to save it. Published in the New Vision August 12,2005
