For a google doodle to be dedicated to you, you would have to be that individual set apart making giant strides. You can say that for pacesetter filmmaker Amaka Igwe who was celebrated by google on her 57th posthumous birthday.
Born Uzoamaka Audrey “Amaka” Igwe to Isaac and Patience Ene on 2nd January 1963 in Port-Harcourt. Igwe was the fifth of seven children, and the fourth of six sisters.
Fondly called “GCO” (General Commanding Officer) by her father and “Storm” by her mother, she was a child full of life and bursting with activities. She boxed, played basketball, and was captain of the girls’ soccer team.
She is dead but her memory still lives on. Here are five facts about this national treasure
Education
Amaka Igwe had her secondary education at All Saints School and Awkunanaw Girls High School in Enugu. During her A-Levels at Idia College, Benin, Igwe began to explore her creative side. She taught people the Atilogwu dance and competed nationally.
As a young girl, she wanted to study law, but with the JAMB regulations then, she was offered admission to study “Education and Religious Studies (Theology)”. Hence, she studied Education/Religion at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).
She had begun writing plays and songs before the university.
Family
Amaka met her husband, Charles Igwe, in September 1992, and they got married in April 1993. She was a proud mother of three kids – Ruby, David, and Daniel.
Film Production
The late filmmaker wrote and produced “Checkmate,” and its spin-off “Fuji House of Commotion.” Both are considered among the all-time greatest Nigerian TV shows.
Her Nollywood projects include Rattle snake and Violated, these movies set her apart in the era of Nigerian cinemas. She also directed A Barber’s Wisdom (2001 for Mnet), which set a precedence for higher production standards in “Nollywood” at the time.
Her other TV series include “Solitaire,” “Now We Are Married,” “Infinity Hospital” and “Bless This House.”
Media Empire
At the top of the second-generation filmmakers who started the era of video film at Nigerian cinemas is Amaka Igwe. she was one of the people who started modern Nigerian TV drama and film.
She went on to create her own media empire by co-founding Top Radio 90.9FM station, Amaka Igwe Studios, and Q Entertainment Networks.
She also co-founded the African Film and Media Content Expo, entitled BOBTV, with Big Picture Limited, with the aim of providing a global platform for Nigeria’s creative industries. For 11 years, they presented BOBTV to the world, engaging more than 400 departments from 104 Nigerian universities, as well as the Motion Picture Industry Practitioners and the Nigeria Government through its agencies.
Late Nigerian Filmmaker, Amaka Igwe Honoured By Google With Doodle (Photo)
Awards
In 2011, she was announced as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR), an award that honors Nigerians who made significant contributions to the nation.
On 2 January 2020 Igwe was honored on her 57th posthumous birthday with a Google Doodle.
She was also famous for her quotes, some of them go thus:
“I am an unapologetic commercial filmmaker. I make films to make money.”
“I will give you all I have, so you can add it to what you have and be better than me.”
“By the Special Grace of God.”
“Mr. President, what is Arik Air without an airport?”
Death
On April 28, 2014, the filmmaker passed away after an asthmatic attack in Enugu, where she had gone for a pre-production preparation for a new Igbo soap she was working on.
Amaka Igwe, passed on in her hometown, just weeks before launching a new TV channel. The Nigerian film-maker and Nollywood icon passed on at 51. According to a media aide for Amaka Igwe studios, the sad incident occurred in Enugu where she had gone, in the company of her husband, for pre-production preparations for a new Igbo soap. ‘She suffered an asthma attack and was immediately rushed to the hospital after initial interventions had failed. She passed on before getting to the hospital’,
other sources alleged that her death was largely caused by the doctor’s strike at that time, as she was unable to be attended to due to lack of medical personnel on ground.
She will be remembered for her incredible contributions to Nollywood, the Nigerian TV industry, and the entertainment industry as a whole. Rest on, legend!
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