Julia Cagé in her book, “Saving the Media”, added: “… that media must turn towards ,a non-profit structure for news to survive…
There’s the saying: For every Oprah, they had been a Maya Angelou.
Today, i will say for every Passion Fruit, there must be a
SisterSpeak237 Organization mentoring … and again we would say for every
Patience Kisob, there are & will always be strong and powerful
mentoring leaders who paved the way.
Today we welcome Comfort Mussa, an outstanding figure in our Media Community & regions in a whole. Her demeanor, personality, aura and her fierceness have been greatly savored by our people all over the nation. Her bold endeavors have not only been applauded but been commemorated with awards and opportunities which are greatly expanding her scope of influence within & beyond borders. Her most recent involvement in the Organization of the Access 2019 Runway Show, an initiative of Sisterspeak237 , to show respect and honor to the disabled community, answered the BIG QUESTION on diversity, inclusion and Talent Enhancement which have served as prevailing challenges in our world of today. We were especially taken by all her accomplishments and couldn’t wait to have her share her experiences with us on the platform. Do welcome Comfort Mussa on Passion Fruit tonight!
Passion Fruit: OH WELL…See who we got hold of… the multi
award winning, Auntie Commy Mussa. Thank you for gracing our invitation!
Comfort: Thanks for inviting me.
Passion Fruit: We haven’t had a journalist on our
platform since we started. i would say today could also be distinctively
that day the mentee meets with the veteran.
You’ve
gone from leading in media at Radio Hot Cocoa, Global PRess Insitute,
SisterSpeak237 to say the least… could you run us through your journey?
How did you discover skills at and passion for journalism?
Comfort: My love for stories and passion for telling them is probably
as old as I am. When I was a kid, I spent much time with dad. He loves
reading and watching news and I used to do so with him. In primary
school, we had this exercise where the teachers asked pupils to
volunteer and share news. I always used to go on stage and repeat what I
heard in the news the night before or early morning. When I went to
secondary school, I wrote stories and articles for our campus paper and
as young as 15, I was on the editorial board. I wrote my first stage
play in secondary school which was acted by the school drama club.
Storytelling chose me… hahaha. After high school I proceeded to study
journalism and the rest is history.
Passion Fruit: Journalism per se, has been limited in
definition especially in the third world regions and communities. How
would you describe it’s evolution from when you started off till
present?
Comfort: Growing up, many people limited journalism to just reading
news and announcement on tv or radio. Today with modern technology, the
opportunities are unlimited and there are many specialized techniques
for gathering and disseminating information on a regular basis that has
caused the steady increase of the scope of news available to us and the
speed with which it is transmitted.
Passion Fruit: Today, we live in a world forcing us to
open conversations which had been neglected in the past or simply
undercooked. When we were young, there was time allocated for news and
TV programs & well, that was that. Today, we are deep. There’s so
much of everything that the only thing that makes a difference is
DEPTH. And all of these is weighing on journalism. Passive Journalism
is being questioned. Did this inspire your very personal ventures or is
there an encounter that SHAPED YOUR visions?
Comfort: True, passive journalism is being questioned. When I set out
on this career path, even before I read my first news bulletin on
radio, I told myself that I was not going to be just another pleasant
voice on radio or pretty face on tv. I wanted my stories to make a
difference and have impact long after the newscast was over. I want to
serve my audience with well researched, balance information that helps
them make informed choices. I believe that communication and the stories
we tell can drive positive social change and this is my vision.
Passion Fruit: Talking about Access 2019… You brought a
new twist and turn not limited to media but also shed light on a skill –
modelling as well as values of humanity, community service, empathy and
the non-profit arena. Is this movement a kind of advocacy of the effect
of the media in non-profit agendas or in other words, is it an advocacy
for the non-profit media organizations?
Comfort Mussa: Access 2019 was organised by SisterSpeak237 and it was part of our activities for women’s month. The advocacy was to amplify of voices of women with disabilities on the issues that matter most to them and use the runway for greater visibility and advocacy for inclusion.
Passion Fruit: We are been told today; a journey takes a
lot of people to thrive. We noticed how many people were brought
together to make the Access event a success; ranging from media
personalities to make-up artists, to culinary chefs… Who are these
special people who have been a part of your journey, and how supportive
have they been?
Comfort: One thing that has always worked for us at Sisterspeak237 is
collaborating with like-minded partners and individuals. I am grateful
for the support we received from networks and I honestly cannot list all
here.
As an individual my family is a huge support system. My mom and dad
are incredible and they support me every step of the way. My first
professional mentor Mr Gideon Taka and coach Omer Songwe offer me advice
whenever I call to ask questions. I am grateful for this. My faith
sustains me and I am grateful for Reverend Song Yusimbom and my ACF
family. it was in their meetings that I first started the revolutionary
concept of living a purpose driven life. And I have an amazing tribe of
friends.
Passion Fruit: (follow up) as well as you doing a lot and
of course, to be more and do more, we need an engaging public. What
will you advice to be the public’s contribution to development in a
whole in our region, if possible, specifically?
Comfort: My advice is this – lets take personal responsibility; let’s
take our destiny in our hands. When we talk about development there is a
tendency for many people to look for help outside, from others
forgetting that real, sustainable change and development starts when we
take responsibility and look to ourselves for change. Only then can
external contribution make sense.
Passion Fruit: Thank you so much for having us. We pray you stay in touch. More grease!
