In a little coffee shop in Stellenbosch, Lise Swart (41) sits with a latte, a cigarette, and bright red, knitted gloves. Swart became well-known among South Africans for her role as an Afrikaans presenter of the cooking show Roer! as well as Kook and Geniet and Kwêla.
These days, Swart is focused on radio, and manages, produces and hosts the Afrikaans show Wie is ek? – met Louis en Lise (who am I?-with Louis and Lise) which airs on RSG. The show focuses on providing people with information about mental illness and has been running on the station since 2011.
“I always wanted to do radio, but I also wanted to help people,” Swart explains while carefully pouring sweetener into her latte. Her aim was to help people as a career, however, she knew that psychology or social work was not what she wanted to do.
Swart has no formal training in radio and had no desire to learn the traditional way of producing a radio show. “If you tell me I have to do something in a certain way then no, it’s just a nightmare, there is no way I am going to do it,” she confesses.
She shrugs and continues, “So, I did many tutorials, a lot of research about equipment and everything. Basically, I built my own studio. It was crappy in the beginning.”
She worked with her boyfriend at the time, clinical psychologist Louis Awerbuck, and she would ask him questions in the studio about mental illnesses. This was the start of Wie is ek? and during the process, Swart learnt two surprising things about herself.
“I really enjoy editing, I didn’t think I would. Because I’m not very good with just sitting and working…but I like audio,” Swart states and further adds that she isn’t interested in editing for television, pulling a face at the mere thought of it.
The second surprising thing was a bit more serious. In 2011 Swart was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). She found the diagnosis hard to believe but reluctantly agreed to try the medication her psychiatrist recommended.
The change was drastic.
“Seven days and I was as friendly as you can be. I didn’t get angry anymore, suddenly I concentrated better, I slept better, I was really just calm,” Swart says gesturing to show her disbelief.
Before the medication, Swart admits to getting unusually angry quite quickly.
“I’d go from zero to a hundred in two seconds,” she recalls, “So, then I realised what I thought it (GAD) was and what I knew about it was completely wrong.”
Swart then started doing research trying to understand the condition. This led her to the realisation that there wasn’t necessarily a way that other people could easily learn about things like anxiety disorders or depression.
“So, I made it my personal mission to give information for free about psychological issues, human behaviour, and research…to help someone understand their illness,” she says.
Swart’s diagnosis with GAD, was and still is met with some confusion.
“Most people react to me and say, ‘but you are so happy’, ‘you are so friendly’, ‘how can you be diagnosed with anxiety?’” she laughs before adding, “Yes, I am (happy and friendly) because I’m still a person, I still have my personality, with General Anxiety Disorder.”
When asked about her time as a BA drama student at Stellenbosch University in 1999-2000, Swart laughs once more.
Lise Swart, the creative force behind the radio program Wie is ek? at a coffee shop in Stellenbosch during an interview with MatieMedia. PHOTO: Elri Voigt
“I was the worst student,” she shakes her head, chuckling.
Swart had to attend her drama classes or risk expulsion, but the same was not true for her theory classes.
“I missed so much, it was ridiculous!” Swart snorts at the thought.
The skills she learnt from her studies that she still uses were limited to, “breathing and warming up exercises, that was what I was taught then and I still use them now,” Swart throws her hands up and chuckles.
Everything else that she’s achieved was the result of being self-taught.
“I’ve never been trained for anything, I just keep on learning. I like learning a lot. I like challenges and problem solving,” Swart says.
She became a TV presenter without intending to. A friend asked her to go to an audition for Roer! but Swart had no clue about cooking.
“I had to ask questions while someone was baking a bread. I have never in my life seen anyone bake bread before…So at that moment I just asked absolutely anything,” Swart recalls. After the audition, she dismissed the thought of ever getting the job. She was very surprised when the producers phoned to tell her that because of her stupid questions she had gotten the job.
Swart admits that she still has no clue about cooking and does not enjoy it in the slightest.
“I was a very strange person,” she shakes her head, “I know that.”
Swart’s unusual character has caused a stir in the business community whenever she has to deal with lawyers or accountants for Wie is ek? She recalls one instance where she had to meet one of her lawyers for the first time.
“I was wearing all black with this insane scarf that looked like I was in Siberia and I remember it pushed my hair up.”
She tries to describe with her hands how big the scarf is when she is wearing it, and it seems to be the equivalent of having a large blanket wrapped around her neck.
“I looked insane, and that man’s face when he saw me. He couldn’t hide it, he was completely horrified,” Swart smirks.
When asked about her choice of all-black outfits, Swart chuckles and states matter-of-factly, “I honestly do not know how to dress…I do not know how to buy a colour…it’s just easier to wear black.”
Swart lights another cigarette before adding, “I’m not really worried about what people think about me.”