Iroko tv Coming Soon
By Dr. Ola Balogun
Sometimes, children are born as a result of fortuitous or accidental encounters.
Children may also come into the world as a result of the ardent desire of two consenting adults to engage in the sweet labour of bringing new life into the world, following which these two persons along with their families, friends, relatives, entire communities and fellow-tribe members join hands for many years to oversee the growth and development of the beloved child that has been brought into the world…
In the present instance, a beautiful child named IROKO tv has been conceived and will come to life as a result of the ardent desire of the peoples of Afrika to give birth to a collectively owned internet-based afrocentric television station.
IROKO tv is set to come to life physically in Lagos (Nigeria) in the course of a colourful public ceremony scheduled to take place on the afternoon of October 1st 2024.
WHY IROKO tv?
In present day Nigeria, it is an inescapable fact that virtually all the existing television stations are owned by governments, by religious entities or by private individuals seeking for financial gain, political influence or both…
Unfortunately, this has seldom turned out to be a positive development.
IROKO tv is therefore set to come to life in order to offer an alternative to a situation where the original vocation of tv broadcasting as an instrument of audio-visual creativity has been abandoned in favour of unending talk shows, government-sponsored presentations, political jobbery, unimaginative discussion panels and shameless dependence on foreign news sources for coverage of political and cultural events in Africa and the rest of the world…
In order to offer a worthwhile alternative, IROKO tv is therefore set to come to life in the wake of a public launching ceremony in Lagos on October 1st 2024 that will be presided over by an EGUNGUN (ancestral visitor from the spirit world) representing the spirit of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the black star hero of Afrika (Abami Eda, Ọmọ Iya Ajẹ, Oriṣa banta banta).
Following the forthcoming October 1st 2024 launch, IROKO tv will spring to life and continue to operate as the publicly owned voice of the peoples of Afrika, broadcasting to the entire world in order to present a rich tapestry of creative coverage of Afrikan history and culture aimed at adequately reflecting Afrikan creativity in music, literature, folk tales, original mythology and philosophical insights embedded in a wholistic world view independent of neo-colonial and imperialistic manipulation…
To guarantee the viability of its noble objectives, IROKO tv will avoid seeking profits from a capitalist perspective, so as to concentrate on serving the long term interests of the peoples of Afrika.
With this objective in mind, IROKO tv will only rely initially on modest financial contributions from ordinary citizens from all over Nigeria, Africa and the African diaspora, and will post publicly available administrative, creative and financial reports at regular intervals for all to view and comment on.
All patriotic and forward-looking Afrikans are therefore hereby invited to contribute whatever sums of money they can afford to the coffers of IROKO tv, be it as little as N500 (five hundred naira; N5,000 (five thousand naira) or as much as N20,000 (twenty thousand naira); N50,000 (fifty thousand naira); and N500,000 (five hundred thousand naira), up to an allowable maximum of N5,000,000 (five million naira).
All such voluntary contributions will need to be conceived as anonymous donations for non profit-making purposes, solely made as altruistic contributions designed to ensure the present and future welfare, prosperity and harmonious evolution of the peoples of Afrika at home and abroad…
AFRIKA GO WIN!
All contributions should be made to :
The IROKO music company limited
Acc no. 1013487071
UBA plc.
Contributions will only be received up to December 30th 2024, following which date IROKO tv will thenceforth depend entirely on its own capacity to generate income.
*Dr. Ola Balogun is a veteran Nigerian author, filmmaker, musician and dancer who believes fervently in the past, present and future greatness of the peoples of Afrika at home and abroad.
