Baskadia

Dear members of GOFAP,

it’s indeed with a most heavy heart that I wish to comment on the incidence of Wednesday April 10, 2024. A day in which a boat accident took lives of our colleagues in the industry. True, that as a newly formed guild we did not have any of our members involved, but nonetheless a grave day for all and sundry.

Let me start by expressing my deep condolences to the families and friends of the dearly departed souls, I pray that the Good Lord grant them eternal peace. Having said this I want to next on behalf of GOFAP and in the strongest terms condemn the avoidable circumstances that led to this tragedy. Without going into details, it is clear that the age old levity with which industry employers have treated its workers has continued to persist. One of the reasons for establishing GOFAP is to find more lasting solutions to these acts of carelessness especially as it concerns our members.

Suffice to say that we at GOFAP hereby call for a proper investigation from all relevant authorities into this incident with a view to achieving a solid deterrent to any future reoccurrence.

We also wish to assure our members as we solidify our guild’s operational procedures and processes, of our commitment to putting their welfare and progress at the helm of our priorities. We would together as a guild push for necessary regulations and collaborative understandings that will positively affect our professional activities as well as progressively educate our members in line with changing environmental and economic conditions on ways to navigate the challenges of the industry.

I would close at this point however with an appeal to us all to have sober reflections on the occurrence of the past few days. Let us continue to query our thought processes and decision making relating to how we do our jobs. While we continue to place our hopes in the Almighty, we should also endeavor to be aware of our circumstances and strive to improve ourselves individually and collectively.

Warm regards,

AMB. MILLICENT.T.JACK

PRESIDENT

Guild of Film Art Designs Practitioners (GOFAP)