The Life and Legacy of Komla Dumor
Komla Dumor, The Boss Player
Born: 3rd October 1972, Accra – Ghana
Died: 18th January 2014 (aged 41), London, United Kingdom
Cause of Death: Cardiac arrest
Nationality: Ghanaian
Education: University of Ghana and Harvard University
Occupation: Journalist
Spouse: Kwansema Dumor
Number of Children: 3
Komla Afeke Dumor (3 October 1972 – 18 January 2014) was a Ghanaian journalist who worked for BBC World News and was the main presenter of its programme ‘Focus on Africa’. Komla Dumor, who died of a heart attack at 41, was hugely popular with radio and television audiences across Africa, especially in his homeland of Ghana, where he was nicknamed “The Boss Player”.
According to a BBC report, “Komla Dumor was the face and the voice of Africa – a new young, enterprising, internationally connected, ambitious Africa, with a can-do attitude.”
When pioneering the launch of Africa Business Report on BBC World News, he set out to challenge the stereotypical view of Africa.
He was passionate about telling the story of how the continent was changing, of rapid economic growth and technological advances. The report added that Komla was not a praise-singer. He was determined to present a balanced story, warts and all, and to show the human face behind the headlines.
Even as several African countries were being heralded for being among the world’s fastest-growing economies, he wanted to dig deeper. For he knew that while in those countries a selected few were wining and dining in five-star hotels and driving the latest luxury cars, in the same neighbourhood there were families struggling to live on $1 (£0.60) a day.”
According to BBC, Komla would always say “There must be balance or please, don’t patronise me.”In December 2013, he was named as one of the 100 most influential Africans of 2013 by New African magazine, with the citation: “It has been a coming of age for Komla Dumor this year. The presenter of ‘Focus on Africa’, the BBC’s flagship and first-ever dedicated daily TV news programme in English forbAfrican audiences, broadcast on BBC World News, has established himself as one of the emerging African faces of global broadcasting.
As a lead presenter for BBC World, Dumor had a considerable influence on how the continent was covered. citing one of his favourite observations: “There’s so much more to tell about Africa than the usual stories about war, famine and disease.”
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