Kudos As AfricaMagic Igbo Channel Debuts

Jubilation greeted the long-awaited launch of an Igbo channel on
Africa Magic during the week which is designed to showcase the rich
cultural heritage of the Igbo nation. The 24-hour general
entertainment channel follows the success of the Africa Magic Hausa
and Yoruba channels and will go on air from April 2.

The launch of AfricaMagic Igbo which will be available on DStv channel
159 could not have come at a better time. M-Net, owners of the
AfricaMagic channels that avail Africans with platforms to tell their
stories from their perspective, is following a tradition of excellence
that has long trailed its operations.

The launch of AfricaMagic Yoruba was hailed as a highly strategic move
which helped to display the rich Yoruba culture in all its glory to a
global audience. Thereafter followed the launch of AfricaMagic Hausa,
a development which surprised quite a few people who were hitherto
unaware that a vibrant movie industry existed in the northern part of
the country.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Nollywood coordinated by Chief Harris Chuma has
congratulated Africa Magic for the establishment of Igbo Channel on
its platform.

Chief Chuma said, the launch of the Igbo Channel will help to boost
the Igbo language film industry as well as encourage many into
producing Igbo contents which have been on the decline. "We solicit
film makers of Igbo extraction to see this medium as a veritable
platform to showcase our rich cultural heritage, promote and project
our cultural values. We have over the years clamoured for the
establishment of an Igbo channel on Africa Magic, now that is a
reality, we are hopeful that it will serve as a catalyst towards
revitalising the dwindling fortunes of Igbo language films," he said.

With the launch of Africa Magic Igbo, which brings to eight the total
number of Africa Magic channels, follows the redefinition of the
Africa Magic channels in 2014 and the recent refreshing of the Africa
Magic Urban channel. Speaking on the launch, the Managing Director,
M-Net (West Africa), Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, said: "We are thrilled to
announce the launch of Africa Magic Igbo.

Igbo language entertainment content has always played a prominent role
in the Nigerian film and television industry and we are glad to offer
a platform where this rich content can be showcased to the rest of
Africa and the world. Popular Igbo language content like Living in
Bondage, Nneka the Pretty Serpent and many others set the trend for
the modern Nigerian film and television industry, or Nollywood as it's
called; it is thus only fitting that such content should be given a
platform where it is easily accessible by audiences around the
continent. With the launch of Africa Magic Igbo, we have once again
proven our commitment to providing content made for Africa by
Africans."
--Vanguard