In a move to address the concerns of many who believe the DSTV service has been more focused on West Africa than the East, Multi choice has dedicated a new channel called “Maisha Magic” to exclusively serve the East African region with locally produced content.

Africa Magic Plus was launched in 2008 to bridge this gap and air more content from the East and Southern Africa especially  from Malawi, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Uganda; however the perception among East Africans had not shifted substantially hence the move to create Maisha Magic. The name “Maisha” depicts life, grace and pride, and is a common name for East African females.

At the unveiling ceremony in Sheraton Kampala Hotel, Channel Head of Maisha Magic, Stella Ndirangu explained that the channel has been set‐up to satisfy East Africa with local content they can enjoy freely without cultural inhibitions. “We have beautiful cultures and it’s time we share them,” she said.

The game plan is to rebrand Africa Magic Swahili to Maisha Magic Swahili as from Wednesday, September 24 thus providing a ready platform for film makers and producers to exploit.

Godfrey Mutabazi, Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), who was the guest of honor at the ceremony, commended DSTV for the move while endorsing the relevance of creative industries. “As we draw closer towards digital migration, the importance and relevance of investing in the creative and production industries can’t be overstated,” he said.

By Emmanuel Iruobe