BIG BROTHER: RE CONSTRUCTING AFRICAN CULTURE

The television reality show, “Big Brother”, is no doubt a widely watched programme across homes in Africa. With a price of N25 million, an SUV and fame for all participants, it sure is a dream for youths and a curious way of relaxation for adults at home.

People may choose to see it as a game but I feel it’s a cultural denudating programme targeted at immorality, reconstructing the real African norm and promoting less than beastly mating arrangement of consenting adults worse than prostitution or pornographic actors.

The deceptive word is “game”. In African, there is nothing like game when you publicly kiss a stranger, an accidental lover or indulge in sex “under the sheet”. Sadly, teenagers are beginning to think it is all right, more so that their parents watch it religiously and deliberate on the characters.

At one time a character exposed her breasts to show her fans that she has piercing on her nipples, besides the ones on her tongue, ears and probably other parts of the body barely covered by clothes. One of the female housemates breast-fed a male competitor just for the fun of it. When she was asked why she allowed that, she simply said it meant nothing to her, adding that it was just a “game”.

The analysis goes on as almost all the housemates want to “mate”. A mother of one and a married father of two have succumbed to under the sheet sexual acts. The focus is immorality, the purpose is to change the perception of the way Africans viewed sex as sanctimonious for the married and sacrilege for the unmarried.

Another character in the ongoing reality show notorious for fake use of phonetics and poor grammar thinks of herself as one who can use sexuality to knock a man off his senses. In her legendary foolery, she throws herself at any male creature in the house. She displayed supper strength is seduction but very little idea of current affairs in the entertainment industry where she is expected to thrive the best.