About Me

My Photo
Funmi Iyanda
Lagos, Nigeria
Funmi Iyanda is a multi award-winning producer and broadcast journalist. She is the CEO of Ignite Media and Executive Director of Creation Television
View my complete profile
Powered by Blogger.
Monday, November 05, 2007

Big No No

The giant with the Big Brother addiction is away on vacation so I have not been given the usual updates or coaxed to watch thus I did not cotton on quickly to the unfolding scandal. The first person to alert me is an anti censorship, pro Big Brother journalist friend of mine and the level of her anger convinced me that something had gone horribly wrong.

The gist (I didn't watch) I have gathered over the weekend is that as usual the housemates were supplied with copious amounts of alcohol and got riotously drunk, woke up with hangovers then were assigned tasks involving even more ingestion of alcohol. By afternoon, the two girls Tatiana and Ofuneka (Nigerian) were comatose and lying prone on a drunk Richard who proceeded to fondle Ofuneka in the nether regions even whilst the girl was obviously too inebitrated to know what was going on, although her body naturally responded. Now, sebi you know I am a near flaming liberal but if this is what occurred, it is grossly irresponsible of MNET and the globally troubled Big Brother franchise has run its course in Africa. What Richard did is statutory rape, and all the underlying issues of uncontrolled promotion and facilitation of excessive alcohol consumption, rape and abuse promotes the proliferation of HIV infections and the AIDS pandemic in Africa.

Why did they drink all that alcohol? They want to fit in, win the audience and the tasks and eventually win a $100, 000, that surely is a form of harassment. As a media professional I know that everything and everyone is a pawn in the race to win ratings but to what extent? If the story is true, we must demand that the various regulatory bodies in all the countries to which BB is broadcast around Africa, look into the issue of best practises on the show, otherwise its time Big Brother stopped watching.

11 comments:

Sam Oracle said...

It is more than true.
Richard is crazy i'm not sure if he was drunk but Ofuneka was too drunk to resist, she just couldn't help it.
If she is allowed to see that video, i'm sure she'll be kicking herself.

BBA is really messed up, i never liked the show from the very beginning.
Big Brother Nigeria was the best

lemonade factory said...

if its really true then i think such misconduct should not be accepted!and the issue of excessive alcohol should not be accomodated,its obvious ppl do all sorts when drunk,we shouldnt encourage such by parading it on tv

Zahratique said...

Has Richard been removed from the house or are the sponsors not doing anything about it?

shhhh...cough...wink...nudge... said...

In the wise words of F. H. Bradley: Richards mind is so open - so open that ideas simply pass through it.
How that Richard made it to the screen of BBA; I really CANT tell.
He’s not only manipulative but horrible annoying. I find the love faced between he and ‘that’ TATI the most offensive.
Sadly, I feel there is little or nothing we can do regarding the BB franchise. Cos like it or not, those ‘kids’ signed a contract and what their eye see is their business. Yeah, I repeat their biz wax.
BB is a popularity contest, and by hook or by crook those ‘kids’ will do anything to earn their stay till either of them is the last man standing.
However, I agree that BBA should have been more responsible thou…. But how that works is entirely up to the management.

Iyaeto said...

BBA what? I only saw the 1st BB UK and never again.

!!Estella!! said...

Sad indeed......but couldnt they have censored some of those things then? And why getting drunk? I am lost as to the purpose of this BBA thingy....(???)

soul said...

So rape occurs and 'oracle' ssay.. 'she will be kicking herself if she is allowed to see the playbck of the video'.
lol.. naija peeps never shock me maan...

There should be a criminal investigation, but of course their won't because let's face it.. people will blame the girl for getting drunk in the first place.

oro buruku pelu erin.

Olu said...

It is rape but she was too unconscious!
I'm sure she will be regretting it now, I immediately disliked dis big brother when I heard about the "naked showering"
must we always copy america?

Funmi Iyanda said...

@the whole media industry needs an overhaul and one day when l have the energy l will put my thoughts down on what needs to be done, as for me, l never really had the time or inclination to watch BBA, now l WILL not watch and Richard should be pulled out of the house. if they wont pull him out, at least people should ensure neither he nor his girlfriend gets the money, but if he does we can prove the theory that he is maniplative as he'll probably dump tatiana and then we can......there in lies the juju of BB.

Anonymous said...

Like Iyaeto I saw the 1st BBUK series and no more since. There is something deeply sinister and rotten about the show.

NneomaMD said...

well Richard won. it's so sad that blatant infidelity is so highly and openly celebrated....but who am I to talk, we all have our faults. let's just hope that Richard comes to his senses.