AfricaMagic turns 10, still proudly African

Jonathan Mbiriyamveka Television
Weekends are always my best days and going out is my thing. So the past weekend, I had a blast. I won’t go into details but I believe the festive season has started on a good note.There were two major events, the Channel O Music Awards and the AfricaMagic 10th anniversary celebrations.

Apparently, December is a month of excitement for AfricaMagic, the first dedicated TV channel made in Africa by Africans for Africans, marks its 10th year anniversary.

What began in 2003 as a single channel has transformed into a catalogue of eight, each with its own distinct identity.

The popular TV entertainment brand, available on DStv, boasts a line-up of channels including, AfricaMagic, Africa- Magic Entertainment, Africa- Magic Movies, AfricaMagic Movies 1, AfricaMagic World and dedicated language channels AfricaMagic Hausa, Africa-Magic Swahili and Africa- Magic Yoruba.

Notable highlights over its history includes the recent production of a massive 250 episodes of the sensational boxing drama Kona in Kenya, the screening of the 1 000th episode of the highly rated soap opera Tinsel, the launch of the first Nollywood themed weekly magazine show Jara, the creation of the Great Africans documentary series and 2010’s Face of Africa finale which was screened live from Lagos.

AfricaMagic has also invested extensively in fulfilling its commitment to creating must-watch African content and recent original programming of this nature includes Big Brother The Chase, 53 Extra, Mashariki Mix, The Johnsons , Big Brother Hot Room, Jacob’s Cross and the celebrity focused Star Gist .

Other hit shows that debuted first on the flagship Africa- Magic Entertainment channel include Omotola The Real Me, The Jim Iyke Show, The Tenant, @Home With Michelle Attoh/Joselyn Dumas and Making of a Mogul . Additionally, two stellar achievements that Africa-

Magic has reached in the past year alone include the inaugural AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards launched in March, which were screened live across sub-Saharan Africa, drawing the top talent from across the continent.

Then in September, Africa- Magic revealed its exciting Original Film initiative to create a whopping 80 movies in West Africa and 56 in East Africa in a single year, all of which will be available first to AfricaMagic audiences.

There’s also a surprise in store in December for AfricaMagic fans. From Sunday December 1 until Year’s Eve on December 31, DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact and Family subscribers will have access to a special edition AfricaMagic Celebration Channel, on DStv channel 198!

What better way to mark the occasion than by revisiting some of AfricaMagic’s hottest shows of the past and present.

Speaking on the 10th birthday, M-Net Africa managing director Biola Alabi said the brand’s proudly African focus and passionately African attitude were central to its success.

“AfricaMagic is African in every way. From its programming to its people to its pioneering spirit, the undisputed power of this brand is its unapologetic belief that this continent and its audiences deserve home-grown entertainment that speaks directly to their own lives, their own experiences; their own aspirations.”

“We’ve had challenges but our audiences recognise and appreciate our tenacity. We’ve explored new show ideas and our production partners have supported and implemented our vision.

“We could not have made a 10-year contribution to the African film and TV landscape without them all.

“So birthday greetings go out from our team to the entire AfricaMagic family.”

Elsewhere, the Channel O Music Video Awards have come and gone and, guess what, there were no surprises.

There were stand-out performances by Burna Boy (Nigeria), The Soil (South Africa), Khuli Chana (South Africa), Victoria Kimani Kenya), Buffalo Souljah (Zimbabwe), Wizkid (Nigeria), Lizha James, AKA feat. Da L.E.S (South Africa), KCee and Mafikizolo (South Africa).

Nigerian star Naeto C joined with South African AKA to host the show and they kept the crowd entertained all night.

Nigerian pop duo P-Square got the Special Recognition Award.