adminBruce Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
OCTOBER 5 was yesterday announced as the new date for the Big Brother Africa (BBA) launch with a new House being secured in South Africa after the initial one was demolished by a fire.
The mystery inferno put brakes on the show whose run was supposed to kick off last Sunday and end in December.
Show organisers yesterday confirmed that an alternate House had been found for the widely popular show.
Although the unforeseen incident left viewers disappointed at the prospect of having to wait a month longer before they lay their eyes on the latest batch of contestants from around the continent, it has done little to dampen enthusiasm. Instead, one could say that the opposite is true, with many taking to social media to declare their love and anticipation for this year’s edition of the show.
Viewers from around the continent are waiting for the show which has already grabbed the headlines even before its premiere. Before last week’s fire, rumours had been going around that organisers of the show had sent contestants from Ghana packing because of the fear of the Ebola virus which has spread panic across the continent.
Big Brother Africa has managed to capture the imagination of the continent because of its ability to bring together a diverse cast of Africans under one roof. As this year’s season draws even nearer, viewers wonder who among the contestants will be the backstabbers, lovers, friends or enemies. Who among the housemates will crack under the pressure of having a camera detailing all their activities from the most mundane of tasks to private acts? Who are the team players and the lone rangers? The characters who will be able to sidestep these obstacles and at the same time snatch the hearts of the voting public from around the continent will come out tops.
However, past editions of the series have shown that it takes more than that to come out tops and outshine all the other contestants. One factor that is widely known but rarely acknowledged is the influence of West African countries on who stays or goes in the show, led by continental powerhouse Nigeria. As Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria has one of the largest Big Brother Africa followings and in the past more often than not, neighbouring countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana have sided with their neighbour when voting.
One does not need more evidence of the influence of the West African country on the competition than the fact that it is the only country to win the competition more than once since its inception in 2003.
Kevin, who won the competition in 2009, was followed by Uti and Karen who grabbed the first spots in the contest in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Since then the competition’s ultimate prize has taken a two-year hiatus from the West African nation but few would bet against them repeating the feat in this year’s edition of the competition.
With the influence of the Western tip of the continent on their minds, most contestants from other parts of the continent have to master the tough act of pleasing their own country’s viewership while making sure they do not step on the toes of their West African compatriots who seem to hold the fate of other contestants in their grasp. In the past, contestants who have stood up against the West African bloc of countries have been applauded for their courage by some, while others have criticised them for promoting regionalism in a competition that is meant to bring the continent together.
One feature that binds most of these housemates together is that they have rarely ever progressed to the later stages of the show or haven’t been able to make it across the finish line.
Last year’s Botswana representative, O’neal, launched a crusade against West Africa saying the undue influence exercised by the region was forcing other contestants to walk around eggshells in fear of angering viewers from the region. Although he had been very popular for his intelligence and artistic creativity before his controversial views, he was eliminated a few weeks later.
Zimbabwe’s Pokello was also eliminated after going on a foul mouthed tirade against West African countries whom she believed to be behind the elimination of compatriot Hakeem. She was also eliminated a few weeks later despite having been popular with West African viewers before the incident.
Zimbabwe has had more than one run in with West Africa, with Vimbai Mutinhiri also falling victim to the chop after being involved in a spat with Nigeria’s Vina in the show’s 2011 edition. The model-turned presenter was attacked on social media by Nigerians who had knives out for her, with the main accusation levelled against her being an alleged foul temper which had reduced Vina to tears on many occasions. While Zimbabweans campaigned for her, she was heavily de-campaigned by West Africans who raised a groundswell of negative opinions against her on popular social media platforms.
For their part, organisers of the show have refuted suggestions that the show is biased towards West African countries, saying that the show’s system of allocating a vote each to each country negates all allegations of regional bias.
While allegations of rigging have come up in the past, especially after the loss suffered by Zimbabwe’s Munya Chidzonga in 2010 and South Africa’s Luclay in 2011 to Nigerian winners, it seems that West Africa’s power lies in its ability to vote as a unit and its ability to sway opinions on social media against perceived enemies. This year’s edition will therefore be a test to see whether the rest of the continent can stand behind their candidates like their West African counterparts.
Online Reporter