Showing the world 'The other Africa'
The African entertainment industry is growing financially, despite the challenging economic climate. According to a report by PwC in 2014, the entertainment industry grew by 19.3% to reach $4bn and is set to double by 2019 to reach $8.1bn.
Mosunmola Abudu
Mosunmola (Mo) Abudu, named by Forbes as ‘Africa’s most successful woman’ and CEO of EbonyLife TV, is one of the few global success stories to come out of the African film and television industry. Currently, her network produces around 1,000 hours of premium content per annum.
The truth is, for too long the world has seen Africa as a dusty place, overpopulated with hungry children and far removed from the West. Mo Abudu’s core intention with her platform was to change the narrative. She successfully showcases modern Africa through her network’s premium content, which can be enjoyed on DStv channel 165.
Her new feature film, The Wedding Party, recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is not the first time an EbonyLife film is selected to screen at an international film festival.
This, of course, is no small feat when Hollywood and Bollywood continue to set the benchmark for quality content. By the same token, it has to be acknowledged that Hollywood is Hollywood because of the billions of dollars poured into advertising Hollywood films around the world and the distribution network that follows that.
In order to appreciate the success of Nollywood, one needs to understand its journey - which was developed based on the sale of putting content onto blank VHS tapes over 20 years ago. A fascinating story in Nigerian entrepreneurship and resourcefulness!
Mo Abudu, as head of EbonyLife TV, continues to make content that is high quality, and yet provides a true reflection of the African experience as we see it today.
Watch premium African content on EbonyLife TV, only on DStv channel 165.
