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Bruce Ndlovu
THIS week Zimbabweans and the rest of Africa were left questioning why they had been left outside the picture when Big Brother Naija debuted on small screens across the continent on Channel 198.
The canning of South Africaa��s own version of the popular reality show last year reignited belief among many on the continent that the Africa wide version of the show was going to return this year.
Ita��s been three years since the last edition and many still harbour hopes of seeing Africaa��s sons and daughters mingling and entertaining them in the same house.
While the shows focused on a single country are good, they do not have the same competitive edge that prior continental editions had and strip the contest of any national pride, reducing it to mere competition among personalities.
The reasons for the cancellation of the original edition of the Big Brother showpiece were never made clear.
According to a statement from M-Net last year after a second cancellation in as many years, the show was still under evaluation and thus not part of the upcoming programming schedule.
a�?At the moment, the team is busy re-evaluating the strategic direction of Big Brother Africa. Be assured that when it returns, it will be bigger and better,a�? reads the statement.
That unclear statement sparked speculation of why the show had indeed been cancelled.
Some could not fathom how a show such as Big Brother Africa, which had been reputed as the most popular reality TV show during its nine season run, could fold without reasonable explanation.
Some blamed sponsors who pulled out as a reason why the show could no longer sustain itself, which again was suspicious given the high viewing ratings that the show commanded.
Others, including past stars, pointed out that the show had lost its zest, as new candidates who came to take part were no longer adhering to the original ethos of the Big Brother concept, as they came to the house with pre-planned strategies. Big Brother in its early stages was marked by wild and spontaneous behaviour, much to the delight of many viewers across the continent.
a�?That season was a hit for many reasons; it was fresh and almost all contestants had no expectations,a�? said Hannah Nakuya, who was in Season Four of the reality show.
a�?By the time the show came back in 2007, many of the new contestants had watched Season One and thus wanted to replicate it,a�? she says.
So why is Nigeria getting its own Big Brother show?
While Big Brother Africa struggled to get a sponsor, the Naija version was made possible by sponsorship from PayPorte. Corporate entities and businesspeople in Nigeria have always been willing to chip in with sponsorship for entertainment purposes, a factor that has helped their music and movie industries forge ahead of continental rivals.
Like fellow continental economic powerhouse South Africa, Nigeria also accounts for a large percentage of the subscription on DSTV hence it makes more sense for Multichoice to tailor some of its major products for those two countries.
In addition, with its vast population, Nigeria accounted for a large percentage of the votes on Big Brother Africa, something that can be tapped into for that countrya��s edition of the event.
Throughout its duration, the continental event was plagued by accusations of vote rigging which soiled the reputation of the concept. Fingers were usually pointed at Nigerians, but with an edition designed specifically for that country, Multichoice no longer has to deal with a post Big Brother fallout.
Online Reporter