This is another insightful analysis of the popular reality show, Big Brother Naija which has been accused of promoting p0rno graphy and sex ual immorality since its return.
A collage of questionable scenes from the ongoing BB Naija
“I logged unto Instagram on a Sabbath Day to connect with an old friend only to see Nigerians on the social network in raptures over a video clip of a shambolic ‘Truth or Dare’ game that prompted one (now evicted) Big Brother Naija housemate, Coco Ice to offer her nipple live on television for sucking by her male counterpart while the other housemates applauded as she exhibited a dance of shame in excitement.
The ferocious sucking by the male housemate showed the possibility of him being weaned ahead of time by his mother during his suckling days as a toddler.
Then I asked myself some rhetorical questions; how did we get here as Nigerians? Is this lascivious act part of our culture, values, heritage or historical background? Keeping quiet out of diplomacy is a disservice to the society.
For posterity sake, let it be on record that I, Osayimwen Osahon George used my medium as a writer to re-orientate and re-direct Nigerians whose identities and sanity of minds have been threatened covertly by the capitalist innovations of the men that be”.
When the Big Brother Africa reality game show debuted on the television screens under the platform of M-Net and Africa Magic Entertainment on the 25th of May, 2003; the imported Eurocentric initiative was re-branded to suit local realities by ambitious capitalists who were only interested in their private interests and not societal development.
The idea of bringing 12 African contestants of different nationalities under one roof was premised on the need to promote the African culture and heritage as well as encourage peaceful coexistence amongst the participants of different backgrounds and orientations who were watched by millions of people from 42 countries all over Africa. It was staged as an avenue for different individuals to showcase their unique skills and talents to the outside world.
The prize of some thousands of dollars was attractive enough to secure several applicants for the T.V show which was given rapt attention by the general public. But the paramount question is this; how well has this intercontinental programme promoted ‘Africanism’?
The Big Brother Africa reality show has posed to be one of the ills of globalization with ideals that don’t conform with the African life introduced to the people. This is similar to the apparent celebration of nudity by women folks under the guise of modern day fashion trends leaving their boobs, bum, hips, tummies and other sensitive body parts bared publicly just to make bold statements at social gatherings and work places.
For holistic effect, it should be noted that it was imperative to analyse the BBA first before touching the Big Brother Nigeria which is an offshoot of the former. One of the initial failings of the BBA was the outrageous amount of money charged on text messages from the audience that horizontally strolled at the base of the TV screen and also for voting. This happened in tandem with the p0rno graphic Shower Hour.
There was a viral tentative 2013 report that the BBA raked up to N7 billion approximately from ‘The Chase’ edition after investing N375 million. Massive turnover was made from SMS charges courtesy of emotional fans.
Initially, a single SMS to the show cost an inexplicable sum of N100 as against the normal cheaper rates as at then. The programme enjoyed tons of text messages from millions of viewers who wanted to support their country representatives.
The anticipated Shower Hour captured the private moments of contestants in the bathroom. BBA through a VIP section created an online platform that was highly monetized to showcase the bathroom moments of housemates for public pleasure.
There were disturbing reports of under-aged children sneaking out of bed to enjoy the sight of the nakedness of the adult participants. In fact, some of the participants bared it all to win the hearts of viewers and bathing was seductively done like a strip show. The cumulative effect of this was an increase in sex ual relationships among kids, addiction to p0rn, mastur bation, sexual abuses, incessant erections and wet dreams as well as high patronage of brothels among minors.
Since the nature of in-house discussions for the period of three months was unregulated, participants refrained from all educative and constructive issues to focus on common societal vices like sex, smoking, drinking, betrayal and semi-nudity etc. BBA purposely made the romantic scenes the highlights of the day to boost the curiosity of viewers and sustain their viewership.
After 10 years of dormancy, the Big Brother Nigeria which organised its maiden indigenous TV show in 2006 returned in 2017 leveraging on the progress of the BBA according to the Managing Director of MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe and the show was tagged ‘Big Brother Naija’.
It adopted the modalities of the BBA excluding the Shower Hour. The winner of the 11-week contest of 78 days will be given N25 million cash prize and a brand new Kia Sorento SUV car. The show sponsored by e-commerce company – Payporte started off on the wrong foot by de-marketing Nigeria on the continental business scene.
The organizers flagrantly moved their base to South Africa as they produced majorly for a Nigerian audience on the heels of a recessive local economy where the Federal Government is working laboriously to restore the confidence of investors in the corruption-ridden and infrastructural facilities-starved country.
High production, meeting timelines and usage of a fully equipped house were asserted as reasons for such an image-tarnishing move according to one Caroline Oghuma who issued a public statement for MultiChoice after the Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture – Lai Mohammed ordered a probe of the action
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