WHAT BIG BROTHER AFRICA IS, WHAT BIG BROTHER AFRICA IS NOT!

I believe, that I will come under heavy criticism for the stand I am about to take on the very popular continental reality TV show – Big Brother Africa (BBA). I am going to state in clear terms, the real nature of the reality show from the point of view of a young person who is afraid of what the future holds for his generation in the continent of Africa and the global stage. I chose to voice my opinion of the BBA because I am not only responsible for saying the naked truth as it is but I am also directly affected by the ill-effects of not saying the truth in time.

From inception, I always had the opinion that the Big Brother Africa show is one of the various talent hunt shows on TV that seeks to bring out certain innate abilities in participants (forgive my ignorance as I am not a TV-show kind of person, I am strictly news and drama). Unfortunately, I realized very late that my opinion of the show was not only flawed but fatally incorrect.

Unlike the MTN Project Fame which brings participants together with the sole aim of developing their musical abilities, The Big Brother Africa brings participants together only to live in the same house, interact with one another and then allow viewers vote out participants whose attitudes they do not like. Specifically speaking, Big Brother Africa does not in any way seek to promote any specific talent in participants neither does it encourage the possession of one.

An ardent viewer of the show who is a dear friend argued in favour of the show. She stated that the BBA is aimed at developing ‘right’ attitudes in participants and help them function better within a group of people. My problem with this view is that, if BBA seeks to promote ‘right’ attitudes, participants are supposed to face eviction if found in the act of sexual immorality. Youtube footages of ‘shower’ hours display the nudity of participants, participants of the opposite sex are caught on camera having carnal knowledge of themselves, yet BBA organizers claim they are helping to develop right attitudes in participants – or is it my friend?

Some other ardent viewers of the show believe that it helps promote African unity as it brings participants together from various countries to co-habit in the same house in an atmosphere of peace and unity. While this argument may yet be correct, the same show that claims to promote African unity does not automatically send packing participants who do not live by the African code of morals and ethics. What African unity are we promoting if the entire African essence of decency and morality is lost in the process?

On a regular basis, supporters of the continued existence of the show get access to video footages of sexual intimacies within housemates, shower hours where participants are stark naked and their nakedness caught on camera and what have you. How can we claim to be a sane society if we glorify nudity, celebrate illicit sexual relationships and we even find fun in broadcasting such folly across the worldwide web? If the BBA were a moral setup, organizers will immediately evict any housemate found in any act of sexual immorality and nudity. This is the only way to preserve the African moral values and ethics. It is on this premise that I will draw my conclusions however harsh and unsocial they may sound.

On one hand, the BBA is neither moral nor godly. Any programme that promotes nudity, sexual immorality, unholy associations and other anti-social attitudes has run contrary to the teachings of all religions – down to the traditional religions. BBA captures nudity and sexual acts without reprimand, going ahead to broadcast such despicable acts to the world via the internet as highlights of a particular edition. What vain glory do we derive from glorifying that which does not give glory to the Almighty God? If BBA glorifies what is ungodly, then it cannot be of God and as such is hazardous to the spiritual development of viewers.

On another hand, BBA is neither educative nor informative. Participants are not taught any special life skills, they are not made to develop any talents or innate abilities and they are not encouraged to engage in activities that are beneficial to the development of the society. In that same pattern, BBA does not provide its audience with any body of information which may be beneficial to the society unlike ‘Project Fame’, ‘The Next Titan’ and a host of others. Where education and information is absent, BBA becomes another show that contributes to the brainwashing and intellectual depreciation of our society.

Again, BBA does not lay any emphasis on the physical abilities of participants. Where ‘Gulder Ultimate Search’ focuses more on strength, endurance, peaceful co-existence, morality and other positive areas of human survival, BBA places no such emphasis on any particular aspect of the individual. GUS participants are not allowed to engage in acts of corruption or immorality and at the same time must not be found wanting in physical activities – ensuring the total development of the individual. BBA is not anything of that kind.

On a final note, BBA is not productive in any form and it seeks to celebrate laziness and cheap gains. Participants are clustered in the same house for weeks, without specific tasks that will distinguish the hardworking from the lazy, yet it awards the winner with $300,000 which occurs to me like money paid to the most idle soul. This is the same Africa that rewards winners of Debate competitions with ‘just laptop computers’ at most.

BBA is anti-social, it is anti-hardwork, anti-diligence, ungodly and unethical. It is not contributing anything to the development of this generation, my generation. We cannot as a society continue to watch such gross violation of our moral values and refuse to speak up. The triumph of evil is allowed when good men do nothing. I hope when the roll is called up yonder, when we give accounts on our attitudes towards shows like BBA, I may be found on the side of God!

Namaste!

ODERINU ADEDAYO

ibuckresources@gmail.com