“When
we come to understand that, survival doesn’t mean having food to eat-it means
consistently being at least 10 years ahead of the competition” Charles Kofi
Fekpe
For me just like many
Ghanaians I have not had the opportunity of meeting Komla Dumor in person
neither did I have the chance of listening to him for long before his departure
to the BBC.
I said so because growing up
in Kadjebi, a small town supposed to be a district capital in the northern part
of the Volta Region at the time, radios were the privilege of elite few.
One voice on morning talk
show radio that couldn’t elude my ears the morning after my Senior High School
days at St Mary’s Seminary Senior High School located in Hohoe in the Volta
Region of Ghana was that of a man for me at the time was not a celebrity in my
eyes.
Don’t get it twisted, where
I went to school, the word celebrity was a rare mentioning and was not to be
abused anyhow.
Naturally, I am a lover of
current affairs programmes and I will put on hold any trivial assignments to
listen to any form of discussions ranging from politics, social, business,
entertainment etc.
After an attempt to apply to
the University of Ghana to do political science programme which was
unsuccessful, I decided to apply to the Ghana Institute of Journalism and got
admission after successfully going through an entrance exams and admission
interview.
My only resolve to succeed
at the Ghana Institute of Journalism was because I believed that after
successfully completing my course and gaining some experience in the media in
Ghana I could end up at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) not because
it was impossible but because Komla Dumor “is there”.
I quickly researched about
Komla Dumor, and the following facts popped up: He is a Ghanaian, educated in
Ghana, started broadcasting in Ghana, was determined, and the trivial one he is
a tribe’s man- ewe
Komla Dumor continued to be
my only point of reference in my determination to get to the apex of my career
until I heard about Akwasi Sarpong and then I again decided to find out more
about any other Ghanaian who is or has been to the BBC then names like Yaw
Sakyi- Addo, Yaw Ampofo etc came up.
But the difference between
Komla and the rest is the fact that he represents a generation I can obviously
identify.
He exudes more beyond just
confidence and passion for his work.
Well just as destiny may have
it I find my path in the field of communications not exactly in the media but
Corporate Communications within the energy sector while Komla soldiers on.
He may no more be someone I
look up to or still hope to be mentored by, but the place he goes never
requires neither looking up to nor being mentored for. It’s a place called home
and we shall all end up there.
In the words of William
Shakespeare, Komla came, he saw and he conquered. You were the Boss Player, KD.
Rest in Peace!
