I was going through my Facebook account recently and stumbled on a blog post about activities at the ongoing Big Brother Africa television reality show in South Africa, which attracts viewership across the continent. I was stunned by curiosity and clicked on the link and the site opened to a video with a title that fired further curiosity.

You can bet I clicked on, and right there staring in my face was a video that drove my imagination to its wildest limit. The vivid details of uncensored amorous entanglement of a man and a woman was certainly beyond what I had imagined was permissible in the so-called BBA ‘The Chase’. And I said to myself, how easy it has become nowadays to find adult entertainment.

I may have been imagining things; I thought to myself, but what else could a man and a woman be doing wrapped under the bed cover with the full knowledge of ambush cameras prying on them? The rhythmic movement of the bodies ‘under the cover’ leaves one’s imagination in no doubt. But for the benefit of much touted ‘game plans’, it could have just been an act to appeal to a susceptible youth dominated fan group, with a view to retain the ‘entertaining’ actors and edge them towards the lucrative prize. Three hundred thousand dollars, approximately forty-five million naira, is quite a temptation. But at what cost?

Soon the first clip played out, another prop up and my curiosity clicked on. Behold a full-bodied African woman in her prime, with all her physical endowments, feigning to be having a shower in the full glare of the world. Was it distasteful or admirable? I would say both. But above that, is the treacherous blow that was dealt on my psyche, for which I feel burdened to share these thoughts.

Without meaning to advertise, I can assure you several other BBA ‘The Chase’ adult movies abound online. Besides the ease of access to these x–rated movies, is the fact that the actors are no strangers. What if one of them was you, your sibling, a relation or a friend? Would you be proud to see and circulate such videos, and boast about the performances? Is three hundred thousand dollars worth the prize? Or would the promise of unsubstantiated allure that may follow in future compensate for the seeming degradation? Some would answer in the affirmative to the last two questions, given the penchant to get rich at all cost. Would it still add to the right value when one actor sweeps the prize for performances staged by over a dozen others?

Think about this! Who is really getting richer and at what cost to a gullible and exploited youth, lonely housewives, as well as indulging and morally bankrupt men? Calculate the cost of the endless unproductive hours folks spend glued to their television screens to catch all the lucid details unfolding in the BBA house - perhaps, a zoo best describes it. Add the cost of millions of sms votes flying from across the continent at premium rates. Unfortunately, the sum of such charges may never be made public to the ordinary people who bear the cost for obvious reasons. That leaves one with only a wild guess. These are what I call the material cost.

If you can imagine a figure and take out three hundred thousand dollars, you should have an idea who the real winner is. But I bet you, it is definitely not those actors who are dishing out free adult entertainment.

Also, beyond the promise of glamour and instant financial breakthrough, we were once told of some sort of cultural orientation through the BBA. How real! Unless if there is virtue in having a group of young people locked up in a zoo-like environment and idling away, without exploring their God-given talents or channeling their energies towards productive ventures. How African is it for a woman to deliberately expose her nudity to the world without any sense of shame? Is it also the permanent disposition of an ideal African man to pry on women and manipulate their senses just to exploit them for sexual pleasures? Where in Africa is having sex in public so glamorized? Maybe I am just ‘un-African’ to understand what virtue really means for our people. But methinks the misrepresentation of African values is the real cost of the BBA phenomenon.

Understandably, not quite a few folks who are BBA fans would agree with the foregoing point of view. But be mindful when you decide to haul verbal missiles. Less you come across as an advocate of double standards.

I recall when the National Assembly of Nigeria recently took a firm stand against homosexuality; the people echoed a resounding applause. The reason was not farfetched: such indulgence, although excused by the West, is a taboo among Africans. And I ask, does not public display of sexual intercourse whether between a man and a woman fall within the same realm of violations of African culture? How come everyone seems to be enjoying or simply nonchalant about the attack on our collective morality? Where are the government officials who serve as custodians of our values? It is either someone is definitely guilty of double standards or some people are sleeping on duty. Hence, the time to wake up is now.

The reason being that soon the current BBA ‘The Chase’ will end; a moment of hibernation will follow, before the next round of God-knows what title would be adopted. Should you, your child, friend or relation decide to join the queue to grab the form, be sure to weigh your options properly. The prize may be tempting, but is it worth a role in a sequence of x–rated movies? What if you do not win the prize at last, simply because there is no guarantee you would? You must accept my sympathy in advance, because the recordings would have been concluded and the videos circulated. What would be left is for you to prepare an excuse to your unborn generations, who may have to put up with the shame of facing their peers discuss the roles played by their parents or grandparents in explicit movies.

Take my advice; you may need to adopt that excuse even before going for the form, perhaps as part of your game plan, whether you eventually win or lose.

-Ukpai Ezera

http://silverbirdtv.com/blogs/entertainment/bba-cost-copying-everything-western