Ghanaian film maker and CEO of Farmhouse Productions, Ivan Quashigah has shared why he cried when he was posted to the National Service Secretariat (NSS) headquarters to serve the country.
After completing the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), Ivan expected to only work in places like the Ghana Film Industry Corporation, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and a few independent video marts, as he believed the NSS would not give him the opportunity to utilize his skill set.
In an interview with Rev Erskine on Y 107.9 FM’s YLearderboard Series, he said, “So I even thought I could work at NAFTI itself as a teaching assistant but a British volunteer from the NSS came to work at their video unit and went to NAFTI to ask about the best students to support his work. My name was mentioned so my forms were taken and I was sent back to the National Service Headquarters.”
“I cried because I felt there was nothing for me to do at the National Service headquarters and I could not impact all the knowledge I had acquired all the years I was in school. But all the same, I could not change it so I just maintained it,” he said.
He emphasized that being at NSS for a while, he was told they were going to be producing the 20th anniversary documentary of the National Service scheme which meant, “We were supposed to go to every region and district in Ghana to produce the whole of that year.”
His previous experience in school and out of school made the production quite easy for him to achieve and he ended up enjoying the journey.
Ivan Quashigah stated that at the end of the day, he believes the whole experience gave him the opportunity to see every region and district of the country and also get him prepared for his future.
“One of the things I have learnt is that the change came and although I was disappointed, I realized God had a bigger plan for me and I had no idea of it, and that is why I kept complaining. But after everything unfolded, I realized it was worth it,” he mentioned.
By: Gyamfuah Owusu-Ackom
