1) Is Abongta Mirabel Sirri Ngwa a Reverend Pastor, Journalist/TV Presenter or all of the mentioned titles?
I am a Cameroonian from the North West region precisely from Bafut. I am second in a family of eight. Our parents Ngwa Rudolf Amemba (a builder) and Damaris Asoh Awambong (hawker) are both resting in the Lord’s bosom.
I am married to Abongta Shu Moncha and we are blessed with three children Numfor Brain (16) Bihnwi Favour (10) and Lumnwi Faith (8).
I am an ordained Reverend Pastor, Journalist and TV Presenter. I am proudly 38 and counting.
I am defined by my passion to think differently because I choose to be different. I motivate and inspire from within
2) Where did you develop the passion for media production?
My passion for media production? Hahahahahhhah
This is a long story and one that defines me. Sometimes I can’t even remember because it feels like I was born into it considering how long I have been around media corridors. I must have been 12 or 13 years in form three at the Progressive Comprehensive High School (PCHS Mankon) Bamenda when I was elected school elder during our chaplaincy classes. This gave me some exposure as I did bible meditations every week and my eloquence made it so easy for me to be made information and education prefect in the year that followed. I held this position for four years until I left high school. During this time too, I became a member of the very famous Gold Touch International that was run by veteran Journalist Ngobesing Suh Romanus. This was a non-government organization that helped young people to develop their skills. For the next five or more years I became one of the lead members starring on CRTV Bamenda’s holiday Programme ‘Holiday Forum’ and ended up co-hosting a progamme on CRTV Bamenda whose name I seem to have forgotten…hahahahhahahhahah.
After my advance level in 1999, I enrolled into the University of Dschang (department of Law and Political Sciences). I later read sociology and communication for development but my studies were cut short just before I entered level three partly because my parents were not able to pay my fees and also because I preferred a job as News Anchor and Commercial assistant at Bamenda’s first radio station Afrique Nouvelle. This option was better for me since it helped me care for my parents and pay school fees for some of my siblings.
In 2001, I became the first employee to present TV news in Bamenda with the coming of the Republican Television Network (RTN).
In 2003 I got married and moved to Yaounde where I picked up another job as news anchor at Radio Television Siantou (RTS) now Radio Tiemeni Siantou.
In 2005, I resigned from RTS when I passed the entrance examination into the Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Theology in 2008 and was authorized Pastor and Ordained Rev. Pastor in 2011.
In 2012, while still serving with the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC), I enrolled into the Siantou University Complex where I read and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism.
By 2014, because of a misunderstanding with the PCC, I left and this gave me the time to concentrate on the other me. I had time to develop my passion for talk shows which I had started in Bamenda (the Better Life radio and TV talk show) on Afrique Nouvelle and RTN.
I started my own show Time with Mirabel which later became Shine Africa. Today I am counting four seasons for both shows with close to a hundred episodes. God is my strength and my shield!
3) What fuels Mirabel NGWA?
My love for mankind and passion to make life better for the world’s people.
4) How were your humble beginnings producing media initiatives?
Here, I choose to talk about Shine Africa TV Show (Time with Mirabel at that time). When I was Parish Pastor and University chaplain in Soa, I had a few Parishioners (among them Aziz Debel) who kept reminding me that I had the voice and face for a TV talk show. These rekindle in me the zeal for TV and I quickly got my concept for the show ready. I printed it out without a name for the show because my family and I had differences on what name a TV Show presented by a Rev. Pastor should carry. I wanted to take after my idol Oprah so I needed the name of the show to reflect me and my struggles. I wanted young girls to identify with that peasant girl who was now on TV.
So I thought Mirabel or Sirri should be part of whatever name was given to the show. However, my family frowned at that and asked me to let the name have Reverend or quit having a TV show. So they wanted a name like Time with Rev Mirabel or Time with Rev. Abongta for fear I was going to be disrespected or look less a Pastor since I had just quit the PCC.
This slowed me down for about two months and with the help of another Parishioner Neba Musang, We came up with Time with Mirabel also because of my love for the presenter of ‘Moments with Mo’ (Nigerian TV talk show).
After serious prayers I explained again to my husband, siblings and in-laws that my show was not gospel or Christianity focused only and that I was going to go against the professional norm of not adding titles to names and call myself Rev, Abongta on the show. They gave me another month after which I was asked to go ahead under those terms. Well, as they said, it’s not every day that a Rev. Pastor becomes a TV Presenter of a not purely Christian Show.
Wow! At last! With this sigh of relieve, I contacted the renowned film director, Neba Lawrence with whom we worked on the technical part of the show and also fixed some of the slots though he said I had my mind made up on a lot of things.
We then decided to work with Drimp Multimedia and I remember that the day I almost fainted was when the Director Roland Nkemasong told me the show was too huge and technically demanding and I needed millions to begin.
With the help of my husband and two ladies (one gave me an interest free loan and the other helped me get a loan from my bank) I was able to raise some money one year later to begin production.
This was 2016, and to make things worse I decided to pick on veteran Journalist Jessie Ekukole as my first guest (alongside Venatius TSI Fon). She basically helped me through a lot of things including grammar because I had been gripped by panic as soon as the lights were turned on. Though it got better towards the end, I will never forget this beginning.
Like any other TV production, money is always the issue. God has been my strength through the very difficult financial times.
5) What according to you is your greatest achievements after all these years working, creating unique Ingenious and innovative pieces like Shine Africa to inspire your audience to unleash their creative genius and thrive to greater heights?
My greatest achievement so far is Shine Africa. It makes me love me! I feel like myself; the me that God wanted me to be. I feel balanced and exceptionally happy. Shine Africa makes me feel different. You know that moment when you look back and tell yourself YES I am who God says I will become. The future of Shine Africa inspires me.
* Why are you so keen on entertainment in most of your work?
Many people have asked me this question because they think I should be doing a solemn religious show. Oh no! Besides the fact that I am a very happy person, everything I do today comes from my background, it tells my story and I don’t find any faults with that. I am described by my loud laughter that says it’s time for Shine Africa or by the dance slot.
On my show, I tell pieces of my story every day. I have made mentioned of the cultural mix that defines my essence. My parents were not very churched or perhaps I should say they were not churched at all since they stopped going to Church when I was about ten or so. Nonetheless, they believed God and helped to shape me. I was a diehard church goer and Christian I should say. I got all the support I needed from my parents to stay churched and they supported me in paying my church contributions.
If you have been a member of a church group you probably should know that if you are not able to pay your group contributions you will be disgraced by way of reading your name in the general assembly or sometimes even suspension.
This is what my parents did to save my face from such degradation; She gave me sales (made from hawking mostly Koki) for one or two days for my church contributions. On his part my father as leader of a traditional Bafut dance ‘Mansoh’ which should still be very active at Foncha’s Street Bamenda, would let me join the women dancing behind the masquerades so as to get money for my church contributions.
Well, as a Senior Pastor today, I find that a paradox and hope to correct that in my life and ministry. Paradox that the church has no space for tradition while tradition as seen in my case funds the church. So my life has been a mix with entertainment taking a central place,
If I were not in church, I would be on the radio as aforementioned with the Gold Touch International team. I recited poems, amongst which was the ‘Girls you are great’ that made me so famous in Bamenda after I presented it during the visit of the then Minister of Social and Women’s Affairs Madam YAOU AISSATOU in the late 90s.
Many years later, I was invited to high level events to recite the poem as an ice breaker and the proceeds I used for my church contributions. At other times, I danced on mobile dance podiums of brewing companies not leaving out bottle dance competitions which I won just so I could meet up with my church contributions and other school needs.
I am partly defined by music. I did not become less a Christian because I did those things. Instead they helped me stay a front line Christian. I remained the good girl I was and stood out when it came to moral rectitude.
This helps me in my Pastoral ministry even today. Imagine a Church without music, it is boring.
So I should say that I’m keen on entertainment in most of my work because I believe that life in full as mentioned in John 10:10 should be balanced. God has gracefully given us two types of life; life in full and life eternal. If you miss life in full, you will not live it in life eternal. Remember also that life eternal is well defined in Revelation 21:4 ‘...and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
Yes, so while in this world as described in John 16:33 (‘…In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’), we should laugh loud and keep our smiles.
* Who is your role model?
Oprah Winfrey at world level, Mosunmola Abudu of Moments with MO for Africa and Elmer Nene Shadzeka Jimla for Cameroon.
6) Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
In five years I will be running my own Church. I will be running a daily show with the hope of becoming the Oprah of Africa and my TV Channel will be running too.
7) What are the challenges of a vibrant, smart, result oriented and creative media producer like yourself?
Hahahahahhahaha thank you for all the fine qualities. I am very humbled.
Being an independent producer is not funny at all. At the moment I am the CEO of my company Shine Africa Multimedia and Executive Producer/host of our first product Show Shine Africa TV show (formerly Time with Mirabel).
This means I basically work more than eight hours a day. If I go to sleep my company dies together with my dreams. I need to work and be an example to my staff who mostly work part time at the moment. As an entrepreneur, being vibrant, smart, result oriented and creative is not a choice but a must. Time is always not enough for me as I always have deadlines to catch.
Money is a big issue. Most often, you have to produce and deliver shows to media houses and they pay you at snail speed. This slows down work and adds to mental stress which is not good for creative minds. Because of these financial constraints, sometimes I have to present 9 shows in 12 hours and I don’t need to tell you Amy how tiring and sometimes less interesting it gets.
Other challenges include choosing the right guests and artists while keeping in mind the goal of shining everything Africa. Here, you want to balance up gender, fame, age and others.
For the most part, I am my own producer. So having to produce the shows, coordinate with the public relations officer, read about my guests and artists and still find time to glance at the song the guest has decided to dance to leaves me so tired.
* How is being a ground breaking female media producer, host and pastor easy to manage in Cameroon?
Ground breaking! I am so encouraged. Being a female producer is complicated and being a Revered female producer is inexplicable. Many deals in the industry are made by men and you know what to do if you must get one. I Stopped going out for sponsors because I felt like no one listened to my concept or vision. Most men spent the time just looking at me in the eye and ended up saying ‘you’re very beautiful’. I felt like a kiss would have done the job.
By the special Grace of God, Shine Africa is going places, so I can hardly move on the streets without ten persons approaching me to say they know me and love my Programme. In most cases, it ends up in a dinner invitation.
Without making this a one-sided story, I think that my work has also exposed me to more men than did the congregational setting. Without being a saint, I must say being a Pastor and my firm Christian foundation also helps me a lot; Look at the handsome guys that I talk to, some very rich ones too, others just so talented; you need to be principled as not to admire or fall in love even if it ends up just on your mind. It’s a beautiful world!
This however, has become normal to me because I am a pretty and smart face on TV. Part of the job is to be self-controlled.
Another existing and expected side of me being a female media producer, host and pastor is when I am sometimes described in words like these ones contained in this message from one of my social media pages; “Good afternoon madam. I usually watch your TV show on CRTV. My "Sister", for the sake of the souls millions of televiewers who watch you, I must say that your look sharply betrays your “calling" as “Rev Pastor. You are not doing any good service to Jesus for whose sheep you're a shepherd with such a wild worldly make up - hair style and eye lashes for a Rev Pastor you profess to be. Many young Christian girls in the Church are watching you and are certainly so disappointed with you like me”.
Ouff! To be able to deal with such judgmental descriptions you need to know who you are and what God wants you to be. Usually, this makes me see how limited some Christians still are. What happened to their interpretation of 1 Samuel 16:7 (But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I the LORD looks at the heart.")?
They decide that black is the colour of the hair when you put it on your fingers they call you prostitute. They decide that red is the best colour for the lips and you put it on your hair they complain, they send men with dreadlocks away from church and their wives buy dreadlocks in form of merge and wear to church. You walk with them into a shop to buy hair colour, they choose colour black and you choose colour gold and they think their choice the heavenly colour. For God’s sakes, we have both bought colour. When they get gray they cover the God-given colour with black. If you dye your hair grey they will complain.
Jesus identified himself with lepers and healed them, they said he had demonic powers, he identified with tax collectors and ate with them, they said he chose the rich. He chose 12 male apostles they said he was gay, he carried Mary on his lab, they said he was sleeping with her. What do they want?
Eye lashes are not put on the cheeks, just like merge that women use to enhance their hair, lashes are merge used to enhance the eye. We started talking about colour of hair, fingers, skin etc. Today we’re at lashes, increased breasts and buttocks, how do we hope to get these souls to Christ? Send them out of Church, or battle to win their souls?
You cannot give what you don’t have! You can’t preach God’s prosperity when you are the opposite of God’s manifestation. Our God is a God of beauty. In Genesis chapter 1, after God created everything, he looked at it and said ‘…it is good....’ Now, look at my images below, if you are truly created in God’s image you should be choosing the last two right now. That is the real me, the upgraded me and that is what the God I serve wants for us all. Our Lord Jesus upgraded biblical stories in his time. If he came today, it is my belief there will be a newer testament.
* How do you package feeds for shine Africa or prepare your Programme in a context where 80% (if not more) of the content is French oriented?
This is a limiting factor for me but Shine Africa is purely English. As you rightly say, about 80% of the audience is French oriented meaning that guests and artists are too. This also means that there are less TV shows in English. It is for this reason that we are purely English and we hope to stay that way added to the fact that we are looking at the African market in the nearest future.
* How do you make a perfect balance between Work, School, family and the media?
It is difficult to make a perfect balance but somehow I end up meeting all tasks. I am a privileged beneficiary of the Cameroon Women’s Scholarship offered by the British High Commission in Cameroon. For this Masters Programme, I chose to study development planning online at the ICT University. This way I don’t go to school often. I live a smart life so I can access all my documents online from any gadget and place. It helps me work even from home and gives me time to prepare for media productions.
Plus, my husband is very tolerant of me. For which I will be forever grateful.
8) We just celebrated the DAC and World Father's Day, may we know how supportive you are to your husband to make a better father in this generation? What are the rights of the African Child you do not falter with in the upbringing of your children?
My husband is a responsible father though I think he is loud on the kids. So I find time to tell him how the children feel and talk him into being gentler with them. I remind him that as head of the family, the children look up to him for morals.
About the rights of the African Child, Article 16 should not be toyed with. It says ‘Children should be protected from all forms of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment and especially physical or mental injury or abuse, neglect or maltreatment including sexual abuse'.
* How creative do you want dads to be?
Fathers should find new ways of supporting children and also make their presence always felt.
9) Days after the global commemoration of the 2019 Music Day, what is your assessment of the music industry in Cameroon?
I am proud of the music industry in Cameroon. I work closely with artists and their inspiration inspires me. I think Cameroon is the new music hub in Africa.
* Talk about the quality of Music, are you one of the music critics who keeps gnashing her teeth over the damage ICTs have done to the music industry or you are doing all to adapt to the changes?
We must adapt to the changing times while keeping the old for those who still cherish it. My only worry is about the lyrics. We should produce music that we can safely watch with our children or have them rated so they are not aired at particular hours of the day.
* What is your take on nudity in videos?
This is crazy especially because our TV stations are not rated. Nudes should be reserved for cinema so that persons can opt for them. Cameroonians are beginning to embarrass us even on social media with nude pictures. I think this is not for public space.
10) How do you handle and manage your delivery on the mainstream media and your online presence?
Delivery on mainstream media has a timeline and with proper planning I always meet the deadline.
Online or digital media happens every day and every passing second. I have a passion for digital media which I have studied professionally for some time. The excitement and feedback plus the flexibility makes it easy to manage.
* How weird or interesting was your first online experience with your Facebook, Twitter, Linked in, Pinterest, Whatsapp, Tumbr, Instagram followers and fans and how did you use their feedback to your advantage, by growing your audience?
Feedback is very important in media production. In this case, social media feedback happens almost immediately and most people are blunt. We interact on a daily basis with our audience and try as much as possible to incorporate their comments or explain to them how certain things happen the way they do.
At the beginning the comments were weird just like those I explained above. Today the comments are very positive and I am loving God for it.
* How is your media experience with sister colleagues?
I believe we grow together so I support when I can and when it’s possible for me to do so. I must say I get a lot of encouragement and respect from media practitioners.
* While giving your best at work, who are some of the female colleagues you admired and why?
Cameroon has a lot of fine TV presenters. It will be difficult to call names at this point but I appreciate everyone for their worth.
11) How do you relax yourself?
I dance a lot at home, watch some action movies, sing Christian literature songs (gospel music), listen to music at very high volume alone while driving and hang out with a few friends and family.
12) What is your vision for young girls, women of your age and mothers who have gone on a slumber trip?
Women especially married women need to focus on themselves as the core of the family. Most women focus on understanding and running their husband’s lives rather than living their own lives. They spend time checking where he is, who he’s meeting, who he’s talking with etc. Trust me, these are stress points in a marriage. Men love women who have value. Focus on yourself, how you look, your work, chat and laugh with friends who inspire you, keep the house neat, make the kids cute and you will glue. Everyday my husband wakes up to one new award I have achieved and mind-blowing ideas and projects; sometimes he does not appreciate them to me but I hear how proud he is of me from his friends. So, women, cheer up and have some fun!
13) Any plans for the UN or AU? If yes, what significant changes will you make if you were given a chance to be a peace and gender ambassador?
Peace and gender ambassador? YES! These are the two things that rock my world. I believe that peace is priceless and should be attained at any cost. I will join forces with those who matter in the peace fight and sometimes even with those who suffer the most to make sure peace returns to this trouble-stricken world.
As a gender ambassador, I will get huge policy makers especially in Cameroon to step up the number of women in decision making circles. I will also step up concern for the boy child for fear that after empowering the woman today, we may be trapped with empowering the man tomorrow.
14) What are some of the things young girls and women do that put you off?
Besides gossiping I really don’t find faults with women. I respect people’s choices as much as I can.
* What about the female journalists?
Female journalists are doing just great and I am so proud of who and what we have become. If you asked me I will say women are leading when it comes to the media landscape.
* How will you want the African (Cameroonian in particular) woman to carry herself?
While there is no particular manner in which the African woman should carry herself, I expect that women should respect themselves, respect others so as to be respected. We live in times when people want the African woman to behave according to their dictates. I say no to this. The African woman should live according to her interpretation of the world, according to the unique mechanism that God has put in her. She should be herself.
15) What are your first steps to right wrongs, should you be named the Minister of Communication or the Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family in Cameroon today?
Hahahahhahahah I hate to work with government to begin with. I believe that all communication should be geared towards development and not politics. How do we communicate about Vision 2035? What is our commitment towards the Sustainable Development Goals?
If I were made any of the ministers you have mentioned above, I will bring development experts to the table. That’s all we need now.
16) What is your greatest influence before your shift for Human Rights' Issues?
Presenting I am working on a Health Care project ‘Care on Wheels’. This is a mobile bathing and toilet service to promote clean cities (https://entrepreneurclub.orange.com/…/care-on-wheels-mobile…). I am very concerned about street children, homeless people and the suffering masses. These are human rights concerns.
17) What is your take on the present crisis in Cameroon? How professional and ethical are your colleagues with the coverage of these crises that have lasted 32 months?
I think the crisis was under looked from the beginning and that a solution can still be reached. As to its coverage, I think justice is not done to Cameroon if we can’t know the exact situation on the ground. Politics in my opinion dictates what you call in this question professional ethics.
Is Peace Journalism an option? How much of good is Peace Journalism doing to citizens in Cameroon?
Peace Journalism is definitely an option but I think we should learn more of it and separate it from politics.
How active or passive would you want the journalists in Cameroon to be?
Journalists in Cameroon seem to be caught between the truth and politics so I leave this to the individual.
18) As an enlightened Media Personality who is neither blind nor deaf to the happenings in the nation, what is your immediate reaction to the present wailing of women over the crisis in Cameroon?
It works! But what happens after the wailing matters more. Do they meet decision makers or they just sit and cry hoping someone will take a decision based on their tears?
* How is this helping matters? Or are a few making profit of others' painful and mischievous occurrences?
Like in every war situation some people make fortunes for themselves. To help matters, these women should match along to the corridors of power. They should match up to the presidency, why not? Nothing is too much for a mother who has lost all her children and husband too.
* What suggestions would you make to the powers that be if you were a UN Peace Ambassador to help curb, if not put an end to these crises preventing business moguls from adding economic value to the nation's coffers, teachers from running normal daily routines without the fear of the unknown or stray bullets and children from building a promising future by going to school?
Open minded DIALOGUE.
* Any advice to the Cameroonian and African Woman within and without the continent on why and how to become a peace builder?
Peace starts and comes from within. Women should cultivate the culture of peace beginning with their homes and neighborhoods this way it will be easier to make peace at the level of the society.
Thanks for choosing to connect and collect on IMA .
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