BBNaija And The Ongoing Culture War

We are in a culture war. A war between African traditional values, and Western liberal values. The intent of this war is to destroy the mores of the African society; to uproot the foundations laid by our forbears in our African core values system, which was amplified by Judeo-Christian values for Christians and Islamic moral ethics, for Muslims. Truth be told, the current values being imported from the West today are somewhat opposite to the values brought by the first European visitors to the African shores. These are the values of Western society without any moral compass. This war has been ongoing, albeit under the radar, but the advent of social media has opened Pandora’s Box. Social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, TikTok, Twitter, WhatsApp), in spite of all its benefits, has opened the door to any, and everything inimical to the wellbeing of society.  This is the oxygen of the ‘Big Brother’ reality franchise.

The Big Brother reality show was created by John de Mol Jr. and the first broadcast was in the Netherlands in 1999, and subsequently syndicated in more than 62 countries. As of August 2021, there have been 504 seasons of Big Brother across more than 62 franchise countries and regions. Unfortunately, millions of viewers across the world are unaware that the catchphrase in the show was aped from a 1949 dystopian novel Penned by English author George Orwell, titled “1984”. The idea that ‘Big Brother is watching you was the actual experience of many people across many nations during the Covid-19 pandemic. The reception of Big Brother Nigeria (BBNaija) was overwhelming when it debuted in 2006. However, the second season aired in 2017, and since then it has taken the form of an annual national ritual. The 2021 edition of BBNaija cost a whooping N4.3 billion according to the CEO of DSTV in Nigeria, Mr John Ugbe, but the price money was N90 million.

Speaking on the level of damage the Big Brother Naija reality show is wrecking on societal values in the country, Dr Sofiri Peterside, a social scientist, and lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt,  lamented that the programme deeply worries him. He said that “the kind of obscene dressing and of course the sexual content, sociologically speaking, is not very good for society, particularly for the younger generation.” “I think that societal values ought to be very seriously respected, but that programme, seems, from my own perspective, to have thrown all that to the wind. And that’s my worry.” “It has implications for the breakdown of families. It has implications for juvenile kind of delinquency, particularly for younger people. The tendency to mimic without knowing the consequences for them, and for society is what is worrying me?” “For the family because the family is a very key institution to society, because whatever we are, and whatever we become is a consequence of the kind of socialization we get from the home.” He is not impressed by the actions of relevant agencies.

He opined that, even though there are ratings for those who might watch this genre of programme,  “in our country, even though that exists,  the extent to which  families play the role of policing and controlling what children watch is also problematic.” Since the programme is organized by a private business, it may not be stopped; however, he suggested that the programme content requires attention, particularly for professionals  to control certain aspects. He is especially saddened by the idea of people having sex on the show. In his words, “people come to national television to have sex, and people are not seeing anything wrong with that, people are voting that those kinds of things can continue.” “l think that the government’s  regulatory agencies need to actually take responsibility, in terms of controlling the programme’s content and insisting that certain requirements be met if  that programme must continue”. In his opinion, a Clergy, Umaromi Sunday Azery, noted that Big Brother Naija is a show of sexual immorality. Ordinarily, for him, reality shows should deal with the character of the participants. According to him, “this one is out of it, just immorality, and I don’t like it.”

“The origin is another matter because if you look at the symbol, it is Iris, it is the Illuminati symbol, which has to do with occult people”. “Most people may not know, the truth is the Nigerian culture, we don’t believe in reading to find out facts. We believe in what we think is trending. So whether it is good or bad, they feel that is the in- thing.” “Look at the issue of twerking, a girl wakes up in the morning, the only thing she thinks to do is to wear something that will expose her body, then twerks for someone to video her and put online, and they say that is what is trending.”   He further lamented the fact that even the elderly who ought to know better are patronising the BBN. The painful part, according to him was that the church has not seen it as a priority, and neither has he seen a strong religious voice addressing the issue.  On how to change the narrative, and create much-needed awareness, he suggested three levels of communication.

“Share the same message, get people to realize and reason with you. Talk to the people who are elites, religious leaders, teachers, influencers and others, to reason with them. Then mass mobilization, through seminars, workshops, and from the pulpit”. He also added that the government should be spoken to whenever there is an avenue. On his part, a legal practitioner, Bar. Grateful T. G. Pepple, averred that the show provides content that is majorly unhealthy for Nigerians. He says, “I don’t see it helping to build the nation.” He however noted that it is a private business and that they are entitled to do whatever they want to do. Nigerians on the other hand, are also entitled to watch, or not to watch.  According to him, “it is a private programme, it is not forced on Nigerians. It’s just that because of the publicity, and how it is being  spoken of on social media, and everywhere, you see that those who are not supposed to be talking about it, or watching it, are doing so, and it’s not helpful.”

“I just wish that, probably, it could have more enlightening, more educative, more creative programmes that would lead to the development of minds, rather than watching people lazing around, and doing all sorts of things.” “Yes they do some educational stuff. You see all sorts of things, all sorts of bad behaviour that are not something you want a younger to watch.” “I don’t think religious organisations are doing enough if in churches we still have not been able to teach people in such a way that they begin to imbibe righteousness and good moral behaviours into what they do, and then there are churches that allow people to come anyhow they like” . The way the Church is run now, everybody wants to make it, everybody wants to do what feels good to them, not what is actually right.” Similarly, a retired naval officer, Capt. Ambie Barango commented that he has never liked the programme from the outset. In his words, “it only  teaches immorality. People just go there and mess up.”

He wondered if the government’s censoring agencies are active, “because the programme is not teaching anybody anything good and any boy or girl who goes there has declared independence for themselves. Both of them are looking for money; but what is it teaching?” “They are given cars and money. Is that all? What of the process of arriving there? If it is money they are looking for, then it is not teaching anything, and it is not the process of making money.”He further questioned the rationale for the age barrier if the programme has wholesome content. “If we have something bothering on morals, we should stop. We are already having problems with these children because of social media, and we shouldn’t work towards worsening it. We are talking of exam malpractice, and all of them are getting iPhones and android phones.”

In the view of Dr Mene Kpoghi, a lecturer at Ken Saro Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, the programme should be stopped immediately because of the obscene things people  do on television. According to her, “the impact it is making on the life of the young ones is not really the positive one, they are not learning anything good from it. “Sometimes they say they are censoring it, as in, parents can guide what  they watch. But that is not true. It is not all parents that have the time to do that. Secondly, not all parents are educated to follow the steps to lock the channel.” “The programme is creating nonsense in the minds of the young ones because they learn faster, and they are prone to learn the negative ones even more.” Mrs Ndot Ibisiki, a public servant, observes that the reality show encourages promiscuity. She said,, “Somebody you just met on national television show, you feel free to be kissing, and doing all sorts of rubbish.”
“I don’t see what it teaches, and I don’t see how that benefit people.

I don’t think the censoring  board is doing the much it should do “. “It is not helping our children. See the kind of attention and strength the thing is pulling. But when children are doing well academically they are not celebrated. We like to celebrate the wrong things, and we put our values in the wrong places. If not, for me, what does it teach?”  “They call it entertainment; it is wearing off our morals. But you cannot be the only one shouting. I don’t like it, I don’t watch it; I’m not a fan.” She further noted that religious organisations are not doing what they should do. However, she advised that the government should look at the reality show with the intent of building talents especially using the task that they are given in the house, and forget the immoral things. But it has to be strategically planned in such a manner that it can be beneficial.

Unlike other reality shows that have been aired in the past, the BBNaija reality show seems deliberately designed to target the moral pillars of society. It is unfortunate that leaders of thought, agencies of government, and other key influencers, like religious leaders are either asleep or blind to the layer-by-layer dislocation of moral values. Some have tabled the argument of entertainment, but Reuben Abatti, the spokesperson for former President Goodluck Jonathan, calls it crass capitalism. Sharing his opinion after the 2021 edition, he said, “I was relieved because, for about 70 days, the show was a big distraction, crass capitalism at its most cynical edge, a source of unmanageable madness in homes and on the streets. “MultiChoice, through its Big Brother Naija and Big Brother Africa franchises, seems committed to the promotion of base values, chiefly adultery, prostitution, love of money, nudity and sex.
“What just ended as Big Brother Naija 2017 was nothing other than the corralling of some human beings into a zoo, pressured to behave like nothing but animals.

The organisers made money devaluing other human beings; the sponsors turned alcohol and pornography into legitimate sport.” Since 2017 it has been worse, especially with millions of Nigerians on social media. Ironically, only the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free – Kids, a civil society organization have called the National Broadcasting Commission to be alive to their responsibilities, particularly regarding the use of tobacco in the house. In summary, it is evident to every well-meaning Nigerian that BBNaija is a slow poison designed to ravage our society. It is also apparent that those whose responsibility it is to act, are missing in action; civil society organizations and even religious leaders are mute.

Consequently, the only immediate remedy is to take personal responsibility. Parents can start by temporarily suspending the DSTV subscription till the show is over. Also, Christians and Muslims alike should encourage their leaders to openly discuss, and discourage BBNaija.  Finally, since we are in a democracy, everyone concerned about the destruction of societal values, and the future of the next generation should call their Senators, and Representatives to bring the BBNaija reality show for debate on the floor of both Chambers of the National Assembly. Maybe a bill might be sponsored to this effect that might disallow all unwholesome elements of the show.

By:  Pepple Raphael