Composer who fought CRTV against unpaid rights is dead

Isidore Modjo, boss of Karel studio and co-founder of the SKY RADIO has died at the Yaounde Central Hospital today Sunday June 7, 2020.

The cause of his dead has not yet been made public but sources close to the family say it may relate to the famous corona virus pandemic.

Isidore was known above all for his longstanding tussle with the national station, CRTV, over unpaid rights. He was a composer who worked with the national station and was responsible for most of the signature tunes heard over the radio.

He usually complained of unpaid rights to his jingles by CRTV but it was in 2015 after several years of complaints that he decided to fight. He laid claim to a sum of 1.8billion francs of rights owed to him. To make himself heard by the authorities in charge, he used sit ins and hunger strikes in front of the station and at the ministry of communication.

He later accepted to collect the sum of 50 million FCFA instead. He afterwards accused Charles Ndongo and the Chairman of the CRTV Board of Directors who at the time was Issa Tchirouma Bakary for having flouted the instructions the then Prime Minister Philemon Yang whom he claimed had ordered for the full payment of the rights to him.

He even protested by sitting in front of the ministry of communication in Yaounde with a coffin. He was as a result of that arrested and accused of witchcraft and public disorder.

It was not until October of 2018 that Isidore confirmed the payment of the 50 Million francs as was ordered by the Prime Minister. “Finally CRTV has carried out the Prime Minister’s Instructions of March 29, 2017” he revealed.

Cameroonians were later taken by surprise in 2018 when he featured in a government-sponsored video ahead of the presidential which saw President Paul Biya’s reelection.

Aside being the boss of Karel studio and co-founder of sky one radio, he equally worked on movies and he directed numerous films.

(C) Mimi Mefo Info