If you take a look at African media, specifically TV, you'd definitely see that the level and quality of TV for some countries is actually just weak. This goes without for the national channel in my home country. Anyway, so hey, one of my friends hosted the first tonight show in Zimbabwe a year or so back, and it was so sensational, I had to know who the Founder of NafunaTV was, and enter their mind for a bit. That's a thing I've been doing lately, you know, getting experience from unicorn creatives.
Anyway, Nqobizitha Mlilo originally hails from Bulawayo. He is the founder of NafunaTV, and for the sake of not getting tongue-tied while reading the rest of the article, I'll go with his industry name, which is Enqore. A little bit of his backstory is that he started off as an illustrator and an animator in 2003 and now he describes himself an entrepreneur, TV producer, and animation supervisor. There's always a reason why someone starts a business or chases their dreams, and Enqore's reason of having started NafunaTV was to represent all things truly African.
"I started Nafuna from an apartment in 2012 with nothing more than one camera and a laptop. I just knew what I wanted to create and set on my journey from there. My first tip from that is to always stay true and focused on what you want to do. No matter what people say (and they never run out of stuff to say anyway) and no matter what challenges may come, keeping your eye on the prize and staying motivated is really key." Enqore said.
He continued: "When I started NafunaTV, there were very few online video startups creating consistent content online. In fact, when we started off, we were one of the first startups to do that. I saw a gap in the digital media scene for original African content and I knew that it would be the best thing to do." I was seriously in agreement with everything Enqore had to say, and it's evident that Nafuna has made significant inroads in Africa.
NafunaTV's second largest audience is based in Kenya and South Africa, who watch a lot of their online content. And, of course, having scooped an award from the internet giant Google, this has also helped them grown their brand regionally. Nonetheless, as a brand, Nafuna has scooped six awards both locally and regionally. They have produced over 200 original videos on our social media pages making us one of the leading online video producers in the country. Their brand has over 1.6 million views with Angry Mwana accounting for over 800,000 of those views too.
I'm going to end this off by saying, I'm digging the innovation aspect that NafunaTV brings to online and live media to Zimbabwe, as Nafuna is always evolving and venturing into new spaces. Having just completed their flagship animated series, Angry Mwana, they are also venturing into game design,and partnering with Twunhu apps to make that happen.
Like a wise man once told me, "Do a lot with the little you have. As Africans, we have a lot against us, so we have to stop the winding and move forward with what we have! Develop good networks and professional circles that will uplift you as well."
For now, Bless Up!