Good news for African
content!
Two weeks ago I was
channel hopping, seeing as I’m always in search of stations dedicated to
African content. I came across a brand new channel 165, Ebony Life TV, a
channel I fell in love with at first sight, from a mere show I found
captivating so; there was no turning back.
About
EbonyLife TV
Ebony Life TV is the
new kid on the block and a brand new channel on DStv, channel 165. The station
is owned by Nigerian Media Personality, Mo
Abudu. Many of you may remember her from her talk show ‘Moments with Mo’ on Africa Magic.
The station is also
referred to as Africa’s first global black media and entertainment network with
24 hours of premium home-grown programming.
 |
| Mo Abudu |
Back to revolutionizing
African content and black owned media. ELTV is without a doubt a breath of
fresh air, joining the likes of Africa Magic
to drive African content and tell our stories from an African perspective.
By the structure of
their programmes, you can tell there is a well guided and informed strategy
properly implemented and executed.
Programming varies from storytelling, comedy, fashion, politics, life
and coaching and so much more. Not only
are the programmes spot on, the selection of presenters is very interesting and
diverse; with a mixture of some Nigeria’s finest talent catering to young, old,
elite and people at the grassroots level audiences- which means the channel
caters to well-rounded demographics.
Why the fuss about
ELTV? Well, for years we have watched television featuring other people’s
stories; other people’s narratives or when it is African stories, our stories
are told from an ‘interpreted narrative’ which hardly ever matches our reality.
So, the coming of ELTV plays a huge role in dispelling stereotypes about
Africa, giving African people a fresh perspective to identify with - one which
represents us as Africans. From their
promo you can see their mission is thoroughly researched, with the sole aim to
change the world’s views about Africa and they are doing this through driving
African content.
There’s a new voice on
Africa’s media platform to entertain, engage and inform its people.
The more African owned
media houses we have, the better for our stories and the continent, people can
draw inspiration from creative African minds from all sectors, and maybe this
will help us prevent the issue of conformity and brainwash that have affected
our people for years. As Africans, we
are always more willing to adopt westernized ideas sold to us by western media
even if we cannot relate, we are more than ready to jump on a bandwagon all in
the name of fitting in and being ‘cool’.
When we speak of Africa
Rising, such channels are part of the equation. I cannot wait to live in every
moment of what ELTV has to offer. It is going to be a captivating journey, one
that will introduce me to some of Africa’s change makers, personalities whose
stories instil hope and push me to aspire to so much more and not be placed in
a box. The best is definitely yet to come.
Now I can add another
African channel to my list, after Africa Magic.
#AfricaRising.
The revolution is being
televised as we speak, who knew?!