Does Nigeria's BBA Voting Threaten African Peoples Unity?
For the first time, there are only three on the
eviction ballot and they are from the three most influential sub-regional blocks
south of the Sahara: Elikem (Ghana, WA), Annabel (Kenya, EA), Sulu (Zambia,
SnA). BBA viewing, commenting and voting weaves an unprecedented Africa-wide
online, twitter and TV text bar network of 20 million, generating intense
conversation among the continent’s peoples in ways never seen.
With inklings of geo-political jostling and
amid raging passionate and acrimonious IT debates, plus with evident voting
along national and sub-regional lines irrespective of housemates’ personal
qualities, Africa is thus put to test over which sub-region’s population
actually carries sway and how much that can reveal of the continent’s diverse
population feeling as one people.
The main sponsor of the show this year Airtel
runs a slogan “one Africa” which is echoed by Big Brother to housemates during
daily Diary Sessions. And, yes, the annual reality show now in its eighth
edition is a veritable melting pot of housemates from countries across
sub-Saharan Africa, showing off at the same time the continent’s diversity and
its sameness on live television 24/7 for three months. But, oh, the acrimony
around voting!
So even what appears to be wayward child’s play
can mean a thing with far-reaching implications, looking at the vital
indicators. That is, beyond the moral concerns over likely promiscuous talk and
deeds on primetime TV, and beyond the chase towards the $300,000 prize money,
BBA is still a huge billboard emitting a strong revealing message to
Africa.
The winner take all voting formula means
country votes are equal irrespective of national population size; from Nigeria’s
mammoth 170 million through Ethiopia’s 70 million and South Africa’s 50 million
to a meagre two million each for Namibia and Botswana. Yet, in case of a tie on
number of country votes, national population size may have a bearing on
Africa-wide percentage average, the tie breaker.
Who Nigeria votes for may easily win the
percentage average. Plus, Nigeria’s huge migrant population across the
continent, with noted enthusiasm for BBA voting, may also influence host country
votes against the citizens’ voting preferences.
Nigeria’s population alone slightly surpasses
all East African participating countries put together and by far all of southern
Africa, despite their superior country count (seven out of 14 participating
countries). Population size also offers a bigger consumer market for the various
businesses involved: M-Net, DSTv, Channel O, Multichoice, Africa Magic, Airtel
especially, and others advertising on the show. Could this – as some ranting
fans claim – also be influencing BBA policy somehow? Some fans are calling for a
change in the voting formula. Nigerians have dominated the show since
2009.
Perhaps that accounts for the semblance of
inferiority complex towards Nigerian housemates. It looks like the most
realistic alliances are stitched around Nigerians. Botswana’s Oneal was incensed
when his Tanzanian soul mate Feza told him that she was advised by friends back
home to associate with a Nigerian guy – just any in the house – to enhance her
game plan.
“To associate” does not exclude having an
amorous relationship, but there is no certainty if Angelo’s hookup with
Nigeria’s Beverly followed that calculation. However, Namibia’s Dillish, shadow
girlfriend of Nigeria’s Melvin, has won the Nigeria vote two of the three times
she was up for eviction. She only lost it once to Bassey from neighboring Sierra
Leone.
Generally, other housemates seem to strive to
be jolly towards Nigerian housemates, perhaps to keep a good face with Nigerian
voters. Hardly are Nigerian housemates nominated even in the secrecy of the
Diary Room. Even Beverly, considered in a wave of opinion from home as wayward
and a weak link, has never featured on the eviction ballot and has pulled only a
sprinkling of individual nominations across nine weeks.
Though Melvin, apparently Nigeria’s hope this
year, has been nominated twice, those only came when he was Head of House and
fellow housemates, lost for choices, generally said they believed he would use
his Save and Replace discretion to redeem himself. Once he even maintained
himself on the ballot but won a landslide to survive eviction!
Melvin is a good looking gentle soul with fine
manners, no doubt, but he is neither entertaining nor eloquent nor adventurous,
if you get the point. His presence in the game creates no drama and generates no
suspense. Fans don’t switch on their TV anxious for Melvin’s next move, or
something happening around him. But he is Nigerian and many fans across the
continent are frustrated that that counts.
Yet, it was Melvin’s swap of Hakeem to the
gallows, leading to the hulky Zimbabwean’s eviction that made the East and
Southern Africans match together in battle amour. “According to Nando and Bimp,
Melvin saved the sexy Ghanaian ‘Selly’ because she comes from West Africa where
he also comes from and he put up Hakeem for possible eviction because he comes
from the Southern part of Africa,” states a write up on BBA website. The
opposition – East Africans, Nando (Tanzania) and Bimp (Ethiopia) and southern
Africans Cleo (Zambia) and Oneal (Botswana) discussed an anti-West Africa plan
after a Channel O party.
Nando, Bimp and Zambia’s Cleo have since then
consistently nominated Melvin for eviction. Oneal and Pokello went the extra
mile with sulfurous on-camera declarations against West African domination of
BBA, but it is Oneal who has spilled more hate literature. From “I’m no longer
impressed by this West African pageantry”, Oneal later said he is so put off by
West African superiority airs, he won’t wear West African cloths nor dance to
West African music. “General” Oneal might simply have been whipping up morale
among “his” intimidated troops. But how far can he go?
Pokello may have already paid the price. She
lost the Nigeria vote she had won many times over. Now West African voters are
calling the war by its name, crying for Oneal’s blood and lining up behind
theirs. Nigerians have particularly taken it badly. Ahead of Pokello’s eviction,
a Nigerian fan commenting on BBA website said, “Pokello is ungrateful. She has
bitten the finger that fed her. Naija/WA vote Pokello no more. Oneal, we’re
waiting for you on the chopping block.” It is obviously thanks to her man
Elikem that Pokello still pulled Ghana even on her eviction.
This feeling of Southern African betrayal is a
replica of what obtains on the diplomatic scene. Nigeria often thinks it
deserves more and feels betrayed, especially by Southern Africa, with
particularly acrimonious rivalry from South Africa. Commentators often recall
that during the apartheid challenge, Nigeria left the comfort of far away West
Africa to voluntarily join Southern African countries in the trenches as a
“front-line state”, putting its might and national resources in the struggle to
liberate South Africa and the entire sub-region.
Before the call to arms, West Africa had hardly
really shown any block vote. Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria had been more akin
to follow their hearts, scattering their votes sometimes as their
representatives’ amorous interests go. This week’s vote is their first test on
unconditional sub-regional solidarity.
Now, so much bad blood spilled has left fans
across the continent lamenting that the dynamics of the game were tending to
divide the continent, thus negating the beauty of the game – “just a game,” many
insist – and its underlying objective of uniting African peoples. This may only
get worse towards the finale.
This week, Ghana’s Elikem can count on Ghana,
Sierra Leone and Nigeria (WA) and very likely break out of his sub-region to
grab Zimbabwe, home country of his lady Pokello who back home, has been
campaigning for him. That makes four sure country votes, at par with Sulu’s
assured Southern Africa Botswana, Namibia, Angola and his home Zambia. Annabel
may thus trail them with her three traditional East African votes from Tanzania,
Uganda and her home Kenya. She has only pulled Ethiopia once. South Africa,
Malawi and Ethiopia could be tie breakers. Yet the regional fault line is
telling. It is West against East against Southern Africa, and that could leave
long-lasting blisters, even scars on African peoples.
The spirit behind the conception of the Africa
Union (AU) was the quest for the unity of African peoples, a step up from the
shortfalls of the defunct OAU’s elusive quest for unity of governments. Nothing
more than BBA voting puts to test African’s perception of each other across
national boundaries and sub-regional blocks. Can this be the litmus test for
sociopolitical temperature in a dream United States of Africa?
By Franklin Sone Bayen (Freelance Journalist in Cameroon) / Sierra Express Media
Source: http://www.bbafanclub.com/2013/07/does-nigerias-bba-voting-threaten.html
Paulina says: Omgoodness is it me or is Big Brother
Africa getting toooooooo serious!!! If that’s the case –I think Elikem should
walk –Ghana was and will still exist without this game show –and Elikem has a
thriving career as both actor and fashion designer –and we can leave the rest
of Africa to fight it out ---it’s just getting tooo weird.
