April, 2015 - Africa Magic, the continent's leading provider of world class African entertainment, recently hosted a star studded event in Enugu to celebrate the new Africa Magic Igbo channel.
Hosted by ace comedian and Nollywood actor, Okey Bakassi, the glamorous event which held at The Dome had in attendance leading players from the Nigerian film and television industry including many who were instrumental to the industry's founding with early Igbo language content. Veteran entertainers like Chief Peter Edochie, Onyeka Owenu, Bob-Manuel Udokwu, Eucharia Anunobi, Kenneth Okonkwo, Clem Ohameze and Francis Duru were present at the event which featured colourful displays of the Igbo culture.
Speaking at the event, the Regional Director, M-Net (West), Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, said: "Africa Magic is renowned for providing entertainment made for Africa by Africans. We are renowned for telling the African story, and giving African entertainers a platform to show the world what they can do. We have demonstrated this with our channels, including the indigenous language channels which continue to promote the richness of Nigeria's different cultures beyond the nation's borders and we are continuing this trend with the Africa Magic Igbo channel."
Chief Pete Edochie, who opened the event with the traditional, symbolic breaking of kolanut, hailed Africa Magic for their tenacity in making sure the Africa Magic Igbo dream came to reality. Mr. Edochie, who spoke entirely in Igbo, was assisted by Kenneth Okonkwo in the opening prayers and urged Igbo filmmakers to take advantage of the new channel to produce rich and enduring Igbo content.
Launched on the second of April, 2015, Africa Magic Igbo is a 24 hour general entertainment channel featuring the best of Igbo language content. The channel features magazine shows, movies, drama series and sitcoms, all showcasing the best of the Igbo culture.
John Ugbe, the Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, said: "At MultiChoice, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the development of the Nigerian film and television industry. For over 20 years, we have consistently invested in Nigeria's creative industry. Furthermore, the Africa Magic channels which sit on our DStv and GOtv platforms provide Nigerian talent with the opportunity to showcase their works to the rest of the continent and indeed the world."
The event was a celebration of the Igbo culture and the role Igbo language movies played in founding the Nigerian film and television industry which has grown to become the second biggest movie industry in the world. Mba-Uzoukwu added:" People in Nigeria and across Africa remember 'Living in Bondage', 'Nneka the Pretty Serpent', 'Rattlesnake' and many other popular Igbo language movies which continue to be relevant today as they were many years ago. These movies not only set the trend for the modern film and TV industry, but their enduring legacy continues, and we can see this in the amazing Igbo language entertainment content being produced today."
The star studded event featured elegant performances by an Igbo traditional troupe and stellar performances from artistes including Chidinma, Phyno, and Flavour, who closed the event with a medley of his hit songs. A highlight of the evening was when the elegant stallion joined Chidinma on stage in a spontaneous, unforgettable performance.
