HAS BIG BROTHER NAIJA PROMOTES AFRICAN CULTURE?
The Big Brother NAIJA (BBN) is a reality television show in which a group of people are brought together in a large house, isolated from the outside world. They are made to live together while being continuously watched by television cameras.
In the Big Brother Naija television show, the confined contestants compete to avoid eviction so as to win the prize money. The reality concept was introduced from the western world into the African culture to see how it could help in promoting and preserving it, but has proven otherwise.
As a matter of fact, the idea of the show is probably put together by some group of persons whose intention is to make money through entertainment. Their intention, I guess is not to promote African culture because it is possible that the organisers or initiator have little or no idea about African culture.
Arguably, Big Brother Naija is a medium to promote African unity but it does not preserve our cultural heritage in any way because the way the ladies dress to expose their bodies is not African in nature. Most of what we see is female housemate, drink, smoke and get drunk and strip in front of live cameras. And the male appear with all sorts of hair styles and tattoos all over their body. They do all sorts of things like immorality, nudity and unimaginable attitude that are not tolerated in Africa. Although it unites the people of Africa by making contestant from different countries to stay together in an isolated house without any racial discrimination. Africans are known to be responsible in all their doings but this show has proven otherwise. Even children are not allowed to watch the show because of the high rate of nudity.
As in any reality show, the contestants engage in heated arguments and fights, whether for personal reasons or game-play. In one season, a contestant was removed from the show for head-butting another. Of course, there are a number of controversial contestants who enter the house each season. For instance, during Big Brother's 15th season, at least four contestants consistently made crude and derogatory racial, homophobic, and misogynistic remarks towards other house guests or otherwise, but these people in question were fired from their jobs upon being evicted, due to their inappropriate behaviour.
The organisers make money devaluing other human beings. The sponsors, turned alcohol and pornography into legitimate sport.
I tell you, do not expect to find any good role models or positive messages in this show. Some house guests are willing to manipulate others and play with their emotions, form fake relationships, and go against their own friends and allies...
What values are we transmitting to youths today, in a society where immorality and stupidity are rewarded with big prizes?
The promoters of this immoral show should ask themselves what they intend to make out of it. They should ask themselves what values and morals they are projecting to the larger Nigerian society.
They must honestly answer if they would be proud to gather their children in their living rooms at home and make them watch such a distasteful show.
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