TIPTOPSTARS

Before leaving for Burkina Faso to attend the 2013 edition of the African Film Festival, FESPACO, Waa Musi, president of the caretaker committee of the Cameroon Film Industry, CFI made public the date for the election of a new leader of the organization. According to his release, March 23 has been slated as the date for the event, whose venue will be the Yaoundé Conference Centre. The announcement has since then generated a lot of reactions from members of the said organization and film enthusiasts in Cameroon and abroad. We published a report, culled from three separate releases signed by the CFI president and dated February 8, 2013. We however opted to follow up with an exclusive interview with Waa to get it from the horse’s own mouth. In a rare frank talk interview, editor Ernest Kanjo engaged the film maker and administrator in some of the hottest and controversial issues commonly discussed within the film industry circles. For one thing and perhaps for the first time Waa publicly declared he was retiring as chair of the CFI caretaker committee created way back in 2008. Among other things, the out-going president threw more light on the issue of a president of a film industry. We strictly carried his views (for neutrality purposes) as they came, without adding or subtracting anything and as should be noted at least for this interview, the interviewer did his role mostly as a journalist/reporter than the film industry promoter he has always been. Waa was speaking from Ouagadougou. Excepts!

Ernest Kanjo (EK): Waa Musi you’re welcome to TIPTOPSTARS and thanks for accepting to talk to us…

Waa Musi (WM): It’s always been my pleasure talking to TIPTOPSTARS.

EK: Yours was an interim body, why did it take up to five years to set up a permanent bureau?

WM: Four years you mean to say. But that isn’t much considering the road map we had. We’ve also been faced with many challenges, one of which was the legalization of CFI. Opinions were needed from the stakeholders to be in harmony with the expectations of the government structures concerned with the legalization process. Nevertheless, we still acknowledged that being a caretaker body, these setbacks were eminent. The extension by the way came from General Assembly resolutions, as against the wish of most members of the national Exco.

EK: Remind us of the goals set at the inception of CFI and how far you achieved them – simply put a balance sheet…

WM: The goals simply sought to look into the situation of cinema in Cameroon. It was really about facing the challenge of getting together to review the film industry, take stock of the current happenings, seek common and better ways of taking it forward. We also had to structuralize the industry and create a legalized platform that can better face these challenges. Generally, we sought to improve on the quantity and quality of films made in Cameroon, while encouraging merit, specialization and professionalization. In terms of achievements, evidently, there has been the legalization of CFI with its constitution which is the only working document of the institution. We have had a geometric increase in terms of quantity and quality of our home-made films. Also, the CFI/Collywood brand has been well marketed, despite a few controversies. Note that controversies are a common phenomenon in the film industry anywhere in the world. In marketing, we have reached out to many channels notably CRTV, Africa Magic and a few other privately run national and international TV outfits. In a bid to ensure professionalization, several trainings have been organized to the benefit of actors, producers, technicians, writers, you name the rest. We have had a work-flow workshop in Bamenda for technicians, facilitated by Pohl Andrews from Canada and a screen writing workshop in Buea organized by African film Development Foundation otherwise known as AFDF. Stakeholders have been encouraged to register with the various specialized guilds under the CFI. The quality of our films is gradually improving and is meeting international standards. More films, averagely eighteen, are being produced annually as against three to four before the creation of the CFI. Our films are reaching out to more festivals such as AMAA, ZAFAA, NAFCA, CEA, ECRANS NOIRS, DAMA. Currently, Ninah’s Dowry by Victor Viyouh and Rioge Milla, Les Avies d’Une Legende by Alain Fongue and five other films are in competition at the biggest African film rendezvous that is FESPACO in Burkina Faso. These films, if not all, are grabbing awards in other major festivals which was never the case before. Government on his part has entrusted so much in the CFI which has paved the way to fruitful returns. In spite of these numerous achievements, much is still expected.

EK: The last CFI convention was held in Kumba in 2009, since then there hasn’t been any major re-union of the organization, why has it taken that long?

WM: I’m glad you talk of major - but in the vision for the industry, we separated from Kumba with the prerogative to formalize the guilds. These guilds were the functional arms of the industry. Some representing artists from the different guilds were given the tasks to reunite some factions that cropped up during the Kumba Convention and previous CFI meetings. Together with my team, we have had more focus on the organization of the various specialized guilds and actions, expected from the root levels. It has been slow, but there has been an achievement at the end with a Cameroon Actors Guild, CAMAG and the mother Producers’ Guild of Cameroon, PGC finally instituted and waxing strong. We have had a little input from the Directors’ Guild Cameroon, DGC which has only existed so far at the regional level. The Technicians Guild of Cameroon, TGC and Writers Guild of Cameroon, WGC to us need more attention based on its relevance.

EK: The watch words at the start of CFI were specialization and professionalism – five years on, would you say your film makers are specialized and now do things professionally?

WM: It is possible to identify professional actors, directors, producers and so on. This was not the case before now. The measuring rod will be the quality of products we now send into the market. Cinema is visible. There are many professionals in CFI, but the dream of striving for higher heights is still rife since the industry is in its growing stage. We are still giving more room to film lovers, as I may put it, who want to seek knowledge and identify where they really belong. The relevant structures and means have to be put in place.

EK: Is there something your team would have loved to do, but you did not – what prevented you from doing it?

WM: Like I mentioned earlier, we were more situated around legalization, structuring, and professionalizing, branding, marketing and identifying stakeholders. It was quite challenging getting to this stage, but it could have been better if a bigger picture was drawn. The picture here will be, to get more visionaries on the CFI train and have positive ideas on the table. Some literary mind ones defined team simply as Together, Everyone Achieves More. Could it be anything else? Yet, but because in most instances most people believe that I is stronger than We, that’s total greed. In CFI, along the line, we had forgotten that our differences could constitute our greatest strength. We still hold strong to this value.

EK: Is there something you were not mandated to do, but out of personal initiative and for the sake of the growth of the industry you did?

WM: As coordinator of a team which is still in its infancy… put it in different words, in its foundation stage, some issues crop up with time. You get on the high way aiming to get to a destination within a given time, and you ignore the forces of nature. Being on the road makes you take note of other road users. I can’t indicate any thing which we did out of our assignment. If some issue where sorted, then in is strictly inconformity to the laws binding the CFI.

                                                                   STATUS OF CFI

EK: There are many people who are confused about the status of CFI – is it an association, an NGO, etc? Just what is it?

WM: CFI is the Cameroon Film Industry branded Collywood. It was collectively founded in Cameroon to create a platform for film stakeholders to come together and look for a common way forward vis-à-vis the growth of the film industry in Cameroon. CFI is registered under the cooperative society law of 1992. It was later given a ministerial recognition of the Ministry of Culture by Her Excellency Ama TUTU Muna, Ref. No. M/1372/MINCULT/SG/DCPA.

EK: How has been the relationship between the CFI and the Ministry/Minister of Culture?

WM: Very cordial and fruitful. We had expected more to be done, but this was earmarked for this elective phase. We stay steadfast to the road map we had at inception and have made strides to keep the relation intact since it is our tutelage ministry.

EK: Some of your members hold that you deal with the Ministry almost on personal basis without putting the interest of the entire industry in front – how would you react to that?

WM: Who are these people? The CFI has identified membership and not people. I will attribute this to gossips. I earlier on mentioned that we have a very cordial relationship with the Ministry of Arts and Culture.

EK: What has been your relationship with the various zonal co-ordinations?

WM: These zonal co-ordinations were indentified in the CFI as representatives of the national bureau at the zonal levels. Because we were at the creation stage, they were assigned specific tasks whose outcomes were reported directly to the national bureau. These zonal co-ordinations included Bamenda, Yaounde, Douala, Kumba, Limbe, Maroua, Bafoussam and Buea. A few of these co-ordinations, because of inexperienced leaders who put their individual concerns before the industry, did not meet up with the challenges they faced and as such, either from prejudice or egoism stepped down. The race continued with those who still held the CFI ego. We have been in close contact with the zones, not only looking at their administrative actions, but communing with them when sad and happy moments such as deaths or marriages arise. Nevertheless, much work has been done at the ground level by these folks which is worth commendable.

NATCO BUREAU

EK: You led an executive body, how would you assess the performance of the rest of the members of your team?

WM: Generally everyone was a role player. But the best is never enough.

STRUCTURES

EK: One would imagine that creating salient structures and making them work is a positive move for an industry – one of such structures many yearned for was an editing/film regulatory board to police what Cameroonians put in the market. Such a structure was never created. How would you account for that?

WM: We had all this ideas. During this structuring stage, it wasn’t a priority considering that the Ministry of Arts and Culture had a similar regulatory board that supported us at required moments. That notwithstanding, the constitution of CFI makes attributes to such a structure. The race is still ahead.

EK: During your tenure, some guilds were created as you just mentioned - however, many still hold that those guilds are not supposed to be dictated at by CFI – rather CFI should be a constitution of those guilds – your reaction…

WM: But that is what the CFI is. If you look at our organizational chat, guilds make up the CFI in simplistic terms. Let me paint it again. The CFI is made up of the guilds and the national board is made up of representatives of these guilds. Why I think many people out there get confused is because looking at the board which l run as the caretaker committee, it didn’t have this equivocal representation, reasons l will poise was as a result of the rampant nomination that was done in Buea at that constituent assembly. This to a greater extent has contributed to some of the challenges we have been having, arriving at some definite conclusion on industry matters. Within the constitution of the CFI, there is a balance, better still average representation of guilds at the national board. This is what is expected of come March 23 in Yaoundé, when we all converge for the first ever elective assembly of the CFI.

BRANDING

EK: What is the brand name of the industry as at now?

WM: CFI – Collywood!             

EK: Collywood has been the most contested brand name with many arguing that it is all, but not creativity. Some hold that it does not make us unique, others confirm that it is already in use by the Caribbean film industry. How do you reconcile these views and what is the way forward as your mandate ends?

EK: Collywood will always remain the brand name for the CFI. This was deliberated upon and adopted by the Yaounde assembly of the CFI. These were the names that were on the voting list and their votes won, RW film had one vote, Collywood had 37, Camfilm, 11, Cam Mungo, 2, Cral, zero, Roolywood, 3 and Cameroeswood, 0. I’m only executing what the artists agreed upon. We must remember that we had more than 20 names at the Bamenda convention which by voting, narrowed down to what we finally adopted by a majority vote to favour Collywood. Until the artists see a need to change the brand name, it can only be by same institution mentioned earlier, that is the general assembly. Like, l have always said, even if there exist a Collywood or Callywood or some wood elsewhere in the world, we are not copycats. Maybe their objectives of the wood are different from those of CFI-Collywood. That is where we share the difference. Your name is Ernest Kanjo right! Go online and google your name, you will definitely find maybe another 3000 Kanjos or call them Ernests. Excuse me. I’m sure what makes you Ernest Kanjo different from the others you may find elsewhere is what you do or how you do it. That is your strength. By the way, you grew up to hear your parents call you that name. You were not the architect of your name. You are only adopting what your forefathers gave you and you can’t change it. Put it within the African context. CFI-Collywood needs to sit up and do great jobs as they’ve been doing so that they can be seen in the name not look at avenues to hammer on the appellation.

EK: Some producers jumped out of the train because they were completely against the branding of Collywood, yet, they are some of the best brains in the industry. How far did you try to get them back on board?

WM: I also would testify that some of them after jumping out, have stepped back onto the train and many others too who were striving to be like them have had the chance to show up. It is not jumping in and out that you make a story right, but rather staying in to build. If all of us jump out, who will be in? These certainly are producers of little vision. They come in with stiff intentions not ready to accept change. So when things don’t turn right for them, they jump out. I know a handful of them who have gone and come back. Collywood is their home and as the prodigal sons, they will always be welcome back. I would only be happy if they come in and come with more better and constructive ideas. If they come back in and remain with their egoistic ideas, sooner or later they will still step out again. The doors of CFI are always open, Matthew 7:7.

RELATIONSHIP WITH FRENCH-SPEAKING CAMEROONIAN FILM MAKERS

EK: CFI we know is for everybody including French-speaking Cameroonians. However, at the beginning, some French-speaking film makers were not in accordance with the idea. What is their position now and how did you reconcile them if you did?

WM: A handful of our French-speaking brothers have shared similar views in the CFI dream. In Yaounde, Douala and Bafoussam we have reputable membership. We have had workshops with our French-speaking brothers who have lauded the CFI initiative in creating a mother industry. Some of them include renowned film dons such as Cyrille Masso who is the president of OCAPAC, Remy Atangana Abega, Ntemgwa, Thierry Ntamag, Marlyse Bete, Evodi, you name them. It has never been all easy to get them to buy the vision, but this was just a matter of time. The number keeps increasing and sure some day the equilibrium will be met. The Ecrans Noirs Film Festival has embraced CFI film for the past four years and invited our stakeholders to commune in the event. They have even had us chair jurors of screenings during the festival. In simple terms, Cameroon is a one and indivisible nation with state laws and principles.

EK: What is your relationship with Bassek Ba-Khobio?

WM:First, Bassek is a big brother and a colleague in the art. We share lots of things and ideas in common. I first met Bassek in 1998 when we were drafting the copyright law for artists for the Republic of Cameroon, that is the law of 2000 which we now use. I was then the youngest administrator in the Oyono Commission and later we were board members in SNAAP, the first ever copyright corporation for film makers and photographers in 2001. l was then his Secretary General. In 2003 the government dissolved SNAAP and we created SOCIDRAP which today has given rise to SCAAP. I and Bassek have come from far, more than our today’s imagination can bid. I respect him. As a living witness to the growth of Cameroon’s cinema, Bassek, is a positive thinker and a patron to the CFI initiative.

EK: Did any French-speaking Cameroonian produce a movie under the banner of CFI?

WM: No, but they have assisted in our come-togethers and workshops. Bassek is in close discussions with us to invest in productions with CFI members and to use this opportunity to break the silence. The shoot in Cameroonian projects under our Arts and Culture Ministry’s road map is another wider film investment which intends to carry the CFI film development strength to another gigantic level.

PRESIDENT’S PORPOTED SILENCE

EK: Many CFI members became really worried by your silence at a given moment…why did you choose to be silent when they badly needed you to make declarations?

WM: I can’t remember when l had decided to remain silent in Film Industry matters. I’m the national coordinator of the CFI and would put all I can to let us move forward. I have my private life too. Silent? maybe a wrong choice of word carrying a good intension, but like l say, sometimes my staying quite may mean irrelevance on some issues which l and my team think necessary measures are already on the ground to handle. All of us can’t be leaders at a go. In administration silence is a good answer for the intelligent apprentice.

EK: You had a national tour of your zonal co-ordinations in 2011 at the end of which nothing filtered. Are they things you found wrong on the ground which kind of made you think you had to correct before organizing elections?

WM: My tour was to assess the work the co-ordinators were doing on the ground and what they were reporting on. I had as objective during this tour to brief members on the proper understanding of the CFI. Before then, some members were still blank as to what was the vision of the CFI. Like a leader, it is important to know and feel your followers in their nest. That, l successfully did. Their worries were looked at and necessary measures taken to resolve them. Some of such worries were the procedure for registration, specialization of members and identifying their respective guilds, the flow of power in the CFI chain and how CFI meetings are conducted. Many little in-house problems which l can’t mention here had cropped up and I had to use the opportunity to resolve them. One measure achievement of my tour was that members were happy to have received their president in their various communities. Such tours is what many leaders today hardly undertake until they hear there are elections at the corner, then they start running close to the people and telling them untruthful things in a bid to canvass for votes. They are even plans to still go down to the field and sensitize them on the elective GA which has just two points on the agenda, revision of constitution and elections.

QUALITY OF MOVIES

EK: Let me ask this again and seriously - five years on and with the presence of CFI, how would you assess the quality of movies your industry has been producing?

WM: Great films, impeccable art! Like l said the best is still to come. Together we can do it.

EK: Can Cameroon boast of faces who can now sell at international level?

WM: Absolutely, come to think of faces like Jeff Epule, Vugar Samson, Yijika Solange, Ojong Solange, Libota Marc Donald, Ngwah Kinsley, Ruth Nweti, Nchifor Valery, the list is long. We are not talking only about faces that can sell but the faces are already making waves the world over. We only need to harness them, like our big brother Colonel Dickson of Hotel Residence Carlos, Buea is doing.

EK: One of the things producers decided some time ago was to create a line of popular faces who will mascot CFI – has this goal been achieved?
WM:Yes! …it’s in the process. This drive is continuous.

EK: People still complain that there are bad movies thrown in the market and this gives Cameroon a poor image. What did you do to check this?

WM: We must also consider that no movie is a bad movie. All are works of art. I will be sober to say we need to set some standards and build or create our own market. This is the view we have shared so far, giving a chance to all to measure their art. Not all of us who called ourselves Film makers are still doing films. As the days go by, many of us have fitted ourselves where we were born to belong. Others in the course of achieving this have gone into eternity to prepare a place for us all. Life is vanity.  

RELATIONSHIP WITH NOLLYWOOD

EK: The featuring of Nollywood artists in Cameroonian movies has been a pretty good way to make those movies popular and sellable, yet it has been a very controversial move. What has been your stand on this?

WM: Controversial, yes! But don’t also forget that this cinema industry is a business for others who do the investment. So, certain business strategies must be applied to sustain the business chain. I have always recommended that the Executive Producers cut down on the cost they invest in bringing in artists from abroad and promote the ones here, including crew members. This probity will keep growing and some day we shall start selling our own stars to other countries.

EK: During your tenure, did you get any genuine support, could be financial, film education, etc, from Nollywood? Just how far did this marriage take Cameroon to?

WM:Talking about Nollywood, this is a re-union we as Cameroonian film stakeholders must always preserve. We share a common border with Nigeria, same as political ambitions. Our long valued relationship has been a fruitful one. As president of the caretaker committee, a fast memory of our journey through uniting and sharing common goal was the initial coming of Jim Iyke and Paul Obazele to Cameroon during the National Festival of Arts and Culture, FENAC that held in Maroua in 2008. We planted a strong friendship with the Nollywood which for some time now has yielded fruits, thanks to the follow-up spearheaded by our PRO department led by Agbor Gilbert Ebot. This success story must always be attributed to him, since he used his friendship ties to cement the union. Today, many film makers have resorted to Nollywood for cast and crew in numerous projects. Financially, we have never received any support in cash from Nollywood. In the domain of film education, we have shared ideas mostly indirectly on one-on-one basis due to the social ties we have with friends in Nollywood. Recently, we had the first workshop that was organized by the African Film Development Foundation AFDF in Buea at Hotel Residence Carlos by a Nigerian film maker Ajeere and Neba Lawrence, a renowned Cameroonian film director. This has empowered our film communities and strengthened the relationship between both countries. These are some of the achievements so far, gathered from our partnering with Nollywood. I would not hesitate to mention the numerous exchanges we have had at film festivals such as AMAA, ZAFAA, ABUJA IFF, etc.    

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CAMEROONIAN MEDIA

EK: What has been the relationship with the media in Cameroon?

WM:The media and Collywood has not been too friendly l must say. This is the only area l think we haven’t exploited so much. We have relied so much on print media outlets and online magazine like TIPTOPSTASRS and others. This has been a challenging area. Not being too successful doesn’t mean we have not achieved much in terms of our rapport. I mean as a celebrity industry where all depends on how much we reach out, we have not been too available on the media especially the udio-visual. With a few national media outfits, we have tried to reach out to our audiences, especially on the mother station CRTV. They have stood by us right from inception till date. Of late, we are integrating plans with other media houses such as STV, Canal 2, etc. I think this is very pertinent to the industry. The new team of CFI has to constitute this as a priority in their road map.

EK: What did you do to solidify the relationship?

WM: It wasn’t about me but us. Solidity is a virtue when both parties show love, concern and be each other’s keeper. It was an equal and opposite reaction. We are awaiting the reaction. Our media priority project was to make available many of our films to the TV stations in order to expose our bold faces and make them stars within their immediate environments. That at least, was achievable. In cinema and media, we always say, it’s an onward drive and we need to always be onboard.

ELECTIONS

EK: How are you preparing for the election you announced a couple of days ago, in terms of organization?

WM: First, we have made public the date, venue and time as well as the day’s agenda. Secondly, we have mentioned the committees that will organize the event and make it a success. What we are looking at now is the participation. As of now, we are expecting artists to circulate the information they get and most importantly, is the formalization of membership in terms of those to attend the assembly. I mean those who have registered either through a CFI zonal co-ordination or through a CFI guild. We’ve also been able to release a decision appointing members of the electoral commission headed by Dr. Fai Donatus Tagem. They are charged, not with organizing the GA, but are receiving and scrutinizing candidatures for the post of the president. Such files must fall in line with the laid down rules which define the qualities of such an individual. This commission upon reporting to the CFI shall man and chair second part of the electoral assembly on March 23. So, any one intending to become the President of CFI should contact Dr Fai Donatus through his email, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it "> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and he will be able to response to all questions. Furthermore, we are in a talk-out procedure with partner structures such as Camtel and Hotel Residence Carlos vis-à-vis sponsoring the GA. As part of the internal planning, we are embarking on a national tour to update members on the GA and evaluate their readiness for the assembly as well as update the database of the membership. We expect all the stakeholders to be available for the meeting whose date we shall be communicated through their different structural heads on or before Monday March 4. Other practical modalities shall be made available as the dates approach. In effect, we are expecting the most symbolic re-union of artists of the seventh art come March 23^d 2013. This date is intended to mark a turning point in the history of our art. A series of media plans shall be drawn by the PROs and effected there on.  

EK: Will Waa Musi be running?

WM: As of now, l’m more concern about the need to organize a successful come together than looking at my candidature. I’m sure l have had a legacy bringing it to where it is.

EK: Some of your members are uncomfortable with the post of President and an EXCO as a whole, arguing that it is presidents of the various guilds that form the helm of the industry – your reaction…

WM: In a better word, representatives of these guilds that form the CFI. Exactly! That is what CFI should be and that is what it is. That is perfectly what the constitution says. I’m sure everyone is confused here saying my team was not a representative of this? We were a care taker committee put in place by a constituent assembly which was not respecter of the constitution. This also justifies the reason why we could not have a solidified team because these individuals where randomly selected from the crowd present in Buea in 2008 and delegated to work with me. Earlier on in this interview, l mentioned the fact that some of the members of the Caretaker committee were not too active, not because they were not task- oriented, but because they did not have the vision of the team and couldn’t buy it either. It should be noted that each person going in for election will have to constitute a list of artist’s representative of the balance nature of the guilds. That is the team we will call the Board of Directors of the CFI. This is well spelt out in the constitution and its attributes therein. We can’t change this because it is the bases of the existence of this structure. CFI is a representation of four members each of the different guilds and headed by a president who can be any artists who meets the criteria proposed by the constitution. In simple terms, such an artist must be a Cameroonian, resident in Cameroon for not less than two years, must be exercising in the profession, have been registered in the CFI and must possesses a high moral background, instilled with a vision to drive a team.

EK: What prompted the choice of the members of the Fai Commission you created?

WM:This was based on their moral integrity, intellectual and professional capabilities. Somehow, they were strongly recommended based on their contribution to the development of the industry. These individuals have stood by CFI and saw it crawl to maturity.

EK: What is expected to happen soon after the election – where will the headquarters of CFI be?

WM: The CFI must keep growing. A team will be elected and a vision plan presented to members by the new team and together we all shall join the ship. Important to note that the winners and losers shall still be members of the CFI and collectively shall drive the dream of the industry forward. It will be a unique occasion for those who’ll be in Yaoundé to proudly say someday that we made it happened.

RECOGNITION

EK: Do you have some people and/or organizations you like to pay tribute to for having accompanied CFI this far?

EK: In no order of priority, let me start with TIPTOPSTARS, the Ministry of Culture under the leadership of Her Excellency Ama Tutu Muna, the General Manager of CRTV Amadou Vamoulke, the entire caretaker committee team and all those artists present in Buea during the constituent assembly in 2008. They are praise-worthy people. We have all fought, argued, quarreled, laughed, rejoiced, mourn for the departed, may their souls rest in peace, and come this far. The road is too long. CFI is our industry. Only us can build it. Let’s not lose this vision. It is 50 years after independence that we are succeeding to create a viable platform for the industry, because of our differences, let’s not destroy it. It might take us another 50 years to rebuild if we destroy. I have stood the test of time at the helm of CFI, to be able to get here. If l’m not there tomorrow let the organization continue. There will be moments of disagreement, but let’s always look for a synergy. Let’s not epect to be the ones to reap, there is a generation behind us fo whom we should be building for. Let’s keep a positive legacy.  

EK:Just where do you wish to see CFI in the next ten years?

WM:Ten years is too long a period of time. In the next three years CFI should be the most constituted and organized film industry in Africa. Let me not say the world, but a CFI that shall create celebrities, be proud of the best quality films, and professionalism should be what to expect. It’s going to be a successful and united family.  

LAST WORD

EK: Any last word to CFI members and the entire film family?

WM:I’m retiring as the chair of the caretaker committee. Thank you Ernest and the TIPTOPSTARS team, this interview only remembers me of my thesis. This is a frank talk not an interview. I’ll never stop thanking you all who stood by us to get to where we all are. Words are never enough for such a forum of expression, but my heart l give you all. The road has been rocky, the planes have been hard, but the farm was fertile even without manure. We needed more farm land to plant on. Our harvest shall be greater. Better is never too much. God bless CFI.  

What would Waa Musi love to be remembered for?

In all aspect of life, I will always love to be remembered as a visionary.