Soyinka criticises BBA

By Emmanuel Ukudolo

Daily Independent, Lagos

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka last weekend criticised Big Brother Africa, describing it as banal, lacking anything to offer to the continent. The laureate spoke at the opening ceremony of the third Lagos International Film Forum organised by the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria, ITPAN, in conjunction with the French Embassy, in Lagos. Soyinka said he was surprised that the programme beamed by Mnet to the whole of Africa has all of a sudden become a celebrated one in the living rooms of individuals. " You walk into the homes of people and you find them glued to the programme." He noted that curiosity had propelled him to catch a glimpse of the programme for just a few moments, and wondered what the programme actually intended to achieve.

He noted that if that is what filmmaking is about, there would be no need for the forum, since all that needs to be done is just pick up a camera and take shots of naked lunatics and prostates that walk the streets of Lagos for everybody to watch'. He said that he would rather watch some of the most atrocious home videos than watch a minute of Big Brother Africa. The professor found it very demeaning for the producers to make an offer of thousands of dollars for any participant who dares to make love on camera.

Equally surprising for the professor of literature is the dozens of emails pouring in urging the participants to dare the unimaginable. He described the participants as doing nothing but making a fool of themselves. Incidentally, Mr. Kole Omotosho, the professor's junior in the literary circle is the cultural adviser to the programme. He is based in South Africa.

Soyinka's condemnation is coming at a time when Minaj Broadcasting Station and Broadcasting Corporation Oyo State (BCOS), have continued to satisfy the lust of Nigerians through continued broadcast of Big Brother Africa even after the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC had ordered all the stations operating in the country to desist from further telecast of the programme. Up to the time of going to press, the stations were still beaming the programme to Nigerians. Director General of the NBC, Dr. Silas Yisa, had announced the ban a fortnight ago in a letter entitled: "The Big Brother Phenomenon."

In that letter, Yisa made it known that it is now an offence for any open television station in the country to re-broadcast the programme. Big Brother Africa is beamed into the country via Direct Satellite Television, DStv. The NBC letter likened some of the contents of the programme to partial or total nudity, with strong and sometimes downright obscene language, and sexual innuendos, adding " its very voyeuristic nature makes it even questionable for coded transmission, and totally unacceptable for open transmission."

The statement added that the programme should be palpable to any discerning broadcaster with good taste and professionalism that talents on this programme, the so-called housemates, have nothing good to offer our young impressionable minds, nor can they be held as role models or moral agents." The statement urged all stations involved in the transmission to discontinue with the programme with immediate effect, adding that the commission would view seriously any open station that will continue to run the programme from now on.

Big Brother Africa has attempted to gauge the possible reaction of young men and women when kept together over a period of time. It started with a number of young men pulled together from selected African countries, which were actually packed together in an enclosure that is replete with cameras. They are free to do whatever they like in as much as they have the guts. The most boring character gets eliminated on a weekly basis. The finalist is expected to cart home the sum $100,000. Since the programme started, it has appealed to those with little inhibitions judging from what has so far been exhibited. No quality discussion, except baseless pronouncement. They are either caressing one another one moment, enclosing themselves under the tarpaulin in a pool doing only what God knows, or bathing naked on camera.