SHOWBIZ KONKONSAH
From the dining hall to the booth: How Bola Ray’s dream of working with the BBC manifested
During Bola Ray’s days as an entertainment prefect of the Accra Academy Senior High School, he went around the dining hall with a makeshift ‘spoon microphone’, speaking to students as though he was hosting the BBC’s ‘Focus on Africa’ show and ‘fighting’ doubting Thomases who couldn’t see that vision.
“I remember in school as the entertainment prefect, I’d go round during dining with a spoon in hand and say ‘You’re welcome to Focus on Africa on the BBC, my name is Bola Ray’, Some people were just laughing and all that, because I kept saying one day I’ll work with the BBC. They thought I was joking,” he stated on the Leadership Podcast.
However, 2004 was the year things began to manifest and the dream of working with the BBC shockingly unfolded.
Sharing his story, he said it all began when someone took notice of his voice when he was having a discussion at the reception during his visit to the ‘Bush House’, the iconic home of BBC World Service.
He said he was approached by an individual who was struck by the tone of his voice, to record a line-up.
“In 2004, I had the opportunity to visit the Bush House and then at the reception, I mentioned my name with my usual voice tone. Someone heard me and fell in love with my voice. There and then, that person asked me to do a lineup for him to promote a show. I went in there, recorded it for him, and did my tour,” he stated.
Bola Ray added that after recording the line-up, he received another call to record a jingle for ‘Focus on Africa’, his dream show.
“The next day he asked if I could come over to the BBC, and that someone heard me and wanted me to do a jingle for Focus on Africa. I said why not? I quickly took it up,” he added.
While recording the jingle, Bola Ray said he was approached by the producers of the show and they had a series of conversations about the African entertainment industry.
Right after, he was asked to be a guest on the show.
“When I was recording, the producers came in and we interacted. We started talking about entertainment in the continent and suddenly they asked if I could be their guest on Focus on Africa,” he stated.
Touching on the fulfilling experience of living his dream, Bola Ray said all it took was to speak it in existence.
“I believe in speaking into motion. It happens,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
