Vibrant and talented broadcaster, Michella Abraham-Ali, is a ‘Special Person’

Aug 17, 2014 News

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 “I don’t think I am a natural leader; I don’t think I am a born leader, but I like working with a team— so that’s one area I want to improve personally—being a good manager and a good leader—to motivate, mentor and inspire people, as I was mentored wonderfully.”

By Leon Suseran

A young lady of immense talent is featured this week. Her voice is easily recognized whenever and wherever

it is heard – whether it is on the air, during an interview, or at a public event or forum, she’s practically everywhere, in terms of her efforts, work and talents. And the good thing about it is that this vibrant role model for young people is only halfway through her career, as a broadcaster and now a manager.
This communications standout says that from a very tender age, she had a knack for telling stories, “and thrilling people by placing them in a situation of what it was like back in the Rupununi and so on”.
Michella Abraham-Ali, the young girl from Nappi Village in the Rupununi, started out life with her siblings after venturing to the capital city on a government scholarship. Little did she know that in the years to come, her talents would be nurtured and that she would have much, much more to contribute to life “on this side of Guyana”.

MOST BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE
Born to educators Eleanor and Michael Anthony Abraham at the Georgetown Hospital, and having returned to live out her childhood with her seven siblings in Nappi, Michella spoke excitedly about her childhood.
“It was the most beautiful experience a child can ever have!”
Those were her words when asked to describe what it was like growing up in the Rupununi.
“It was a freedom that you do not get in other places…It’s undisturbed, it’s natural; you swam, you climbed trees, you walked up and down into the community centres with friends; there was no real threat of accidents—speeding.
“All of us would have spent our childhood days in Nappi. I wrote my Common Entrance Exams at Nappi Primary and was awarded a government scholarship.”
Michella placed third in Region Nine after which she attended St. Stanislaus College.

She recalled, too, visiting the farms in Nappi for leisure, “where we grew cassava, plantains—the regular stuff that the Rupununi would offer, and occasionally, we would visit there.”
They also camped and fished. Michella was even tasked to milk the cows, “we had lots of livestock, sheep, cows, chickens…we got lots of eggs from them!”
“It was nearly a perfect childhood; it is something every child should have—it was filled with lots of family time—with the community members, because you were a closely-knit community—everybody knows you, you walked down the road and everybody takes responsibility for you; that kind of thing.”
Her strict religious upbringing added more joys to her childhood.
She noted that urban life never produced a culture shock since “we used to visit the city from time to time with our parents”. She stayed with her siblings as she attended high school.
“We didn’t have the whole culture shock of food and having nobody that you knew…I was fortunate in that regard…so that helped a lot.” Life in school was not very easy, she reflected, as she did not do very well. “I was generally a low performer— I was passing my subjects but not with flying colours.”
After high school, having secured CXC’s, among which she obtained a Grade One in English and a Distinction in English Literature— what she termed as her strong points—Michella took a break since she was not sure where she wanted to go next, career-wise.

CALL FOR AUDITIONS

Then one day, she responded to the call for auditions for radio announcers at the then Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC)’s Broadcasting House at High Street. She gave it a try. Yes, the young girl who “was never even interested the least in radio or even listened to radio”. That day, she passed through to all the rounds and rigours of the auditions under the watchful eyes and ears, of course, of the veterans then in the business including Phyllis Jackson, Fazil Azeez, and Margaret Lawrence.
“I was in awe of them and over the years, I have had the good fortune of being told that I sound like some of the legends of broadcasting—I don’t assume I am the best, but it is good to be compared with some voices and some very quality broadcasters of long ago.”
Out of over 300 people who gathered in the lobby of GBC, Michella Abraham-Ali made it through and was selected along with five other persons, to start out their careers in radio broadcasting.
During the three-month training period, Michella did a lot of things, including outdoor features and interviews, after which those would be packaged, inserts added, and then aired. She used to also go on the air at Radio Roraima (RR) and the Voice of Guyana (VOG).
But she was not ready for VOG as yet, “since you had to be really good to go on that station— our training ground was primarily RR.”
She kept the nation company on the night shift on RR on programmes such as ‘Melodies, Memories and Magic’ (Triple M) and ‘Straight from the Heart’.
“You couldn’t do one thing only; you had do become all-rounded…They had you reading news; accompanying people on outside broadcasts; shopping time; very important broadcasts— until two years later in the profession, I would have been doing things on my own.”
She particularly enjoyed doing the ‘Christmas Bundle of Joys Broadcast’, on Mother’s Day, New Year’s Day and Christmas Day too, where she interviewed mothers who had just delivered babies or even being there during the deliveries. It was quite exciting!

BIGGER AND MORE IMPORTANT THINGS

It was a good training ground for her as she embarked on bigger and more important things over the next few years. She became Announcer-Producer, a post she held for four years, after which she was promoted to Senior Announcer-Producer, where she oversaw the work of other announcers for an additional five years.
“I had to be the person if someone did not come, I had to fill in on the air for them.” It should be noted that Michella, during that period, also read for a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications at the University of Guyana .
In 2005, after the merger of NCN and GBC, Michella’s office moved across to Homestretch Avenue, D’Urban Park, where she continued in her post as Senior Announcer-Producer for another two years.
During that time the entity encountered managerial changes after which she was further promoted to Assistant Production Manager, a post which she currently holds.
“That [post] takes me more into administration and less on the air.”
She does miss being on the air, even though she does pre-recorded programmes such as, ‘Banks [DIH] Sunday Moods.’
She reflected that being away from the air has in some way had an effect on her.
“I’m not as quick-thinking as I was back then…because [now] I am merely dealing with schedules and training of staff…but for other people to develop, you have to move yourself and allow others to do what you were doing, so in that sense, I have now learnt to learn what a manager has to be.”
“I have recognized that there are things I have to do in order to be an effective manager; I can’t want to be somebody’s friend all the time— those moments have been weak moments for me, when I had to upbraid my colleagues; write to people; send memos to my own colleagues with whom I have been on the same level; supervise staff who are older than I am.”
“I don’t think I am a natural leader; I don’t think I am a born leader, but I like working with a team— so that’s one area I want to improve personally—being a good manager and a good leader—to motivate, mentor and inspire people, as I was mentored wonderfully.”

A TRUE ALL-ROUNDER
A true all-rounder, Michella also holds other posts, including senior posts in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Georgetown, Guyana, such as Vice-President of SIGNAS Caribbean, a Catholic Communications body; member of the  President’s College Board of Governors – to assist the significant indigenous student-population at that school in whatever way she can; member of the UG Centre for Communications Studies Advisory Board; and Catholic Media Initiatives, which produces Catholic programmes for radio, television and internet media.

She represented Guyana in a student-exchange programme in China for three weeks in 2010, experiencing first-hand the inner workings of the Chinese media. She was selected for a U.S. Embassy Exchange Programme in the U.S.A covering media in five states, and also participated in Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) training in Grenada; Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) training in Barbados, and GBC training at University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Jamaica where she completed a course in Introduction to Radio.
“I have been very fortunate and I am very thankful for all the opportunities that I have been given.”

POPULAR EMCEE
Our ‘Special Person’ is also a popular emcee at very important events, such as flag-raising ceremonies and State functions.
“I have never volunteered myself; I have always been asked— I would know something is happening…I would know that the Independence Flag-raising ceremony is coming up, but I would never say, ‘Are you asking me again?’..I have never approached anyone—I have always been approached; I am humble in that regard and if I have not done good work, persons have said it to me…but I always seem to get work when the President or any high-ranking official in that regard— comes. It is an honour.”
“I do pageant work—I will volunteer when asked to do smaller things, like tea parties or church concerts, and so forth, but generally on a national stage, I will do work for the State and pageants.”
“I give God thanks everyday for two parents whose shoes are extremely tough to fill, even as a parent now.”

A SHINING EXAMPLE
Michella is happily married to Shameer Ali and they share two loving girls, Tatiana and Sarah, “both two beautiful and unique individuals…and an extremely supportive husband who keeps me grounded, and friends.”  Her hobbies include reading and checking out social media. She is particularly interested in the works of female writers here and overseas.
While acknowledging the stigma attached to those who work in the State media, Michella said that she has lots of friends in all media in Guyana and believes that she has maintained a “very neutral perspective through the years.”
She acknowledges she is a role model for Amerindian women everywhere in Guyana, and credits her positive experiences and training in life to an extremely good family environment.
Indeed, this young and talented media practitioner and certainly outstanding Amerindian Guyanese, is a shining example to young women everywhere with much, much more in her cup to give Guyana and contribute to development here. Just imagine how proud her native community must be of her today.

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