I am perhaps getting a bit too old to remain
plugged into pop culture. Except in a few
instances, today’s music does not interest me.
I am, however, not that set in my ways to say
today’s music is all garbage. Even while
growing up and in the era ceaselessly
advertised as representing chaste tastes, I
heard music (lyrics, more like), that went
against the grain, heavily so.
Big Brother Naija housemates
Tastes do not stay the same eternally. We
have no option, but to accept that. It is
exactly why I am moved to challenge the view
that Big Brother Naija (BBN for short) is show
without benefits. Looked at carefully enough, it
offers benefits, which we fail to see, most
likely, because we already harbor
prefabricated notions that blind us to modern
realities.
It verges on the spectacularly hyperbolic to
claim that a show so feverishly followed by
millions has no single benefit. If we could
calm down a bit, we would see that there are
economic, psychological and social benefits.
The economic benefits, it has to be stated, are
not enjoyed exclusively by the creators of the
show or sponsors, but also by the housemates
and others involved in the production.
Not many Nigerian would sniff at an
opportunity to walk away with N25million and
a brand new SUV, which BBN is offering to the
eventual winner. Not many.
Similarly, not many are going to pass up a
chance to have whatever skills they have
advertised to a continent-wide audience and
establish business contacts they otherwise
would not have had without the exposure that
the show provides. BBN housemates have
been known to become very popular within a
very short period of time and kick on from
there, notably in showbiz.
Nobody familiar with the showbiz scene in the
country could claim not to know who Uti
Nwachukwu is. Post-BBN, he has built a
successful career as an actor and television
personality. Could this have happened without
BBN? Of course, it could have. Did BBN
provide a launch pad? You bet.
Bisola Aiyeola, first runner-up on BBN 2, has
also enjoyed boost in her acting career since
participating in the second edition of the
show, starring in movies and television shows
such as Glimpse, Ovy’s Voice, Picture Perfect,
Skinny Girl In Transit Season 4 and Life of A
Nigerian Couple Season 2. Soma, the first
evictee from BBN 2, made his acting debut on
the hit television show, Jenifa’s Diary.
What BBN has done, essentially, is to show us
that ordinary people can become celebrities
and big stars in their own right, status they
probably would have had difficulty attaining
without the exposure the show offers by
bringing their talents and personality to a wider
audience, which appreciates them.
Another factor ignored in our blind rage is the
show’s capacity to address social issues.
Bisola Aiyeola (sorry to mention her again)
attended the 72nd United Nations General
Assembly in New York as an Ambassador of
One Campaign Initiative, which advocates
improvement of access to and quality of
education for girls in Nigeria, especially in the
Northern states.
She was chosen on account of her
presentation on BBN, which highlighted
impediments to girl-child education in the
country. Since her participation in BBN, she
has appeared in a number of television
commercials and by any definition, she is a
celebrity.
We remain obdurate in our view that BBN has
no value without asking why it is feverishly
followed and provokes discussions on end. We
ignore the fact that people have varied tastes
and some may prefer reality shows to other TV
programmes. Many of us have the habit of
listening to news. Similarly, there are people
who love to kill their time by watching other
things. Can we let them enjoy such full
freedom? Young people seem to derive great
enjoyment from watching BBN because they
find it easier to relate to than the “turgid”
stuff others want. I follow football
passionately, but I have friends who do not.
They probably think that my passion for the
game is a wasteful expense of time. However,
they have been civil enough to keep their
opinions to themselves. I have also not
bothered to ask why they do not like the
game-each person to his own. Many people
find BBN and other reality shows a relief from
the protracted serials, which depict struggles
of people.
We must understand that many viewers prefer
to have fun, not crying or being upset by
watching serials. For such category, BBN is a
blessing.
I doubt if there is still a huge audience for
protest music like we used to have. Protest
music and other art forms have their place.
But many of today’s people would rather not
invest their time in such.
They want lyrics talking about partying,
generally having a good time and taking their
minds off the sufficiently punishing demands
of daily existence. They are entitled to such,
just as those who cannot have enough of Bob
Marley and Peter Tosh are.
I understand the complaint that there are
things some people find distasteful. Even then,
are we forced to watch? No. Do kids have to
watch? No. We can block the channel showing
BBN if we do not want to watch or we do not
want our children to watch. Yes. Can we say
the internet has no benefit because it provides
access to the good, the bad and downright
grotesque? We all know the answer to that.