LET IT OUT, CHACHA with COMFORT MUSSA

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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!

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