international journal of communication

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION Volume 20, No 1 (April 2017)

How to Cite: Egbunike, N. (2017). ‘‘Us and Them:’’ The Cross Cultural Communication Clash of the Big Brother Africa Reality Show. International Journal of Communication, 20(1). Retrieved from http://journal.ijcunn.com/index.php/IJC/article/view/17

‘‘Us and Them:’’

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‘‘Us and Them:’’ The Cross Cultural Communication Clash of the Big Brother Africa Reality Show

Nwachukwu Egbunike Abstract This paper provides an episodic perspective to the cross- or inter-cultural communication clashes that the Big Brother Africa reality show precipitated in the Nigerian context. This was necessary since virtually no other approach has the advantage of limiting the subjectivity inherent in the methodology of qualitative review of literature which was employed. As such this paper provides a contrast to naïve universalism, countering the tendency to presume that the communication competence from one’s own country/culture also applies to other countries. At the same time, this review provides the balance that prevents parochialism and ethnocentrism in intercultural communication situations. In the end, cross cultural communication is best served by an in-depth understanding of one’s own system and then juxtaposing its familiar structures against those of other systems. Unfortunately, it appears that the organisers of the Big Brother Africa are yet to come to terms with this reality. Key words: intercultural or cross cultural communication, Big Brother Africa, Nigeria, African world view The History of Big Brother Africa (BBA) Big Brother Africa is a reality game show based on the Dutch television series of the same name originally created by John in 1997. The show follows a group of occupants living together 24 hours a day in the "Big Brother" house, isolated from the outside world but under constant surveillance with no privacy for three months. The first series of Big Brother Africa was held in 2003 and ended up in a win for Zambia with Cherise Makubale taking the prize money. Gaetano Kagwa represented Uganda and in the sixth week; he was swapped with Cameron Stout, a contestant from the Big Brother UK. Uganda and Tanzania did very well because much as they did not take the day, Mwisho was a runner up and Gaetano was the first housemate to leave the house on the last day. The next edition of BBA was in 2007 when Big Brother Africa 2 bounced back. Uganda was represented by Maureen Namatovu who pushed until the second last week leaving three housemates in the house. Richard from Tanzania took this one home. BBA is now coloured and the biggest reality TV show in Africa is becoming an annual event. Big Brother Africa 3 hits the televisions in November 2008. Uganda was represented by Morris who did not do very well compared to his predecessors. He left five housemates in the house. This was taken by Ricco from Angola. International Journal of Communication


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September 2009, saw the coming of Big Brother Revolution. This was when BBA started his tricks of bringing in more than one housemate per country. Nigeria was the only country to have three housemates and in the end the winner (Kevin) was from Nigeria and yet some countries had only one representative. Uganda had two representatives: Hannington and Phil. In July 2010, the game was back and this time dubbed ‘All Stars’ implying that previous contestants, not winners though, were given a second chance. Uganda got Hannington bouncing back only to be ejected on day 61 after a nasty exchange with Lerato from South Africa. Uti Nwachukwu from Nigeria took this. He even lost his dad while in the house. In May 2011, the game was amplified with all countries having two housemates except for two countries Mozambique and Angola with one housemate each. The ladies were sixteen and the men were ten. Unfortunately, Ernest Wasake, the first Ugandan was evicted after he had sex the previous night with the Tanzanian TV presenter, Bhoke. Seduced by BBA? The Globalisation of Cultures Why are thousands of the people from different cultures seduced by Big Brother? Why are Arabs in Spain or Africans in Portugal emotional with voting the contestants out? One of the possible hypotheses is that the globalization of the cultural industry has not only permeated the movies, via books and internet; it has also conquered the television too, through the adaptation of the hybrids formats. These hybrids formats include gender, fiction and reality with the local culture of each country through globalization: this communication’ space that connects different territories and connects them to the world (Castro, 2002). Other possibilities have relation with the voyeur that exists inside everyone. It is possible that the voyeurism has helped to discuss about the frontage between public and private space, frontages that are falling down in the postmodern world. On the other hand, the opening up of cultures and the media’s globalization make it possible to see how the media constructs social reality. In the international space, we see publicity about the programme until the audiences become frenzy. In the national sphere, there were comments, discussions, and day-by-day mentions in the media about BB. Like the audiences, today culture is developing a constant movement, a movement of rupture and hybridization between the local and global systems, and of the traditional and modern systems. The people become world citizens though they have not travelled much but because the world gets into the houses, inside the personal world, in the quotidian of the people’s particularity through television. It’s through the quotidian’s that people show up the mundialization of their culture (Castro, 2002). The Digitalization of Inter-Cultural Communication The Economist (2010) declared that Facebook was the second most popular site on the internet after Google. Facebook after just four years of existence has 350 million users with 55 million updates per day and shares more than 3.5 billion pieces of content with International Journal of Communication


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other members of the site every week. Facebook certainly has a wider outreach than any old (mass) media can ever dream of. Obviously the world has changed and the new generations of Nigerians are more openminded due to the convergence of technology which has afforded various windows to the world. The Generation-X are natives of the internet. Marc Prensky coined the term digital natives and immigrants. “What should we call these ‘new’ students of today? …But the most useful designation I have found for them is Digital Natives. Our students today are all ‘native speakers’ of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet. So what does that make the rest of us? Those of us who were born into the digital world but have, at some later point in our lives, become fascinated by and adopted many or most aspects of the new technology are, and always will be compared to them, Digital Immigrants” (Prensky, 2011:2) The social media has opened up the world to people and people to the world. The avalanche of information asides, being intimating has also resulted in a polychromic view of society. Nigerians now judge their government based on the bar created in lands beyond the Atlantic. This also means that a diffusion of cultural norms naturally takes place. Do Nigerian digital natives careless about their cultures than they do about the economy? While there has not been much study, to our knowledge about the Occupy Nigerian protest, we think that the fury of information on the digital platform even caught sceptics unawares. For one, it seems Nigerians have gained cross-cultural competence that does not yield to government oppression. One of the oft-recycled thinking after the Arab Spring was that Nigerians cannot unite over a common front. This reasoning was hinged on the acclaimed religious fault lines between Christian and Muslims in the country. For instance, during the protest, Christians formed human rings around Muslims while they prayed in Kano and on Sunday, Muslims did likewise for Christians. This was a remake of the scenes in Tahir Square, Egypt, during the protests against the government of former President Hussein Mubarak. Asides faulting this national lure, Occupy Nigeria protests also reinforced the fact that majority of these young Nigerians – between 18 and 35 – bear personal scares of the mismanagement of our common good. They want a ‘better life’ for their children, electric power to be a right not a privilege, they need jobs, want to buy or rent homes and in short, a dignified future. They are also smart and were able to discern that the religion is a ruse used by some ‘big men’ to foment trouble and disunity. In this they transcended their ethnocentric barriers and communicated towards a greater good (Egbunike, 2015; Egbunike and Olorunnisola, 2015). Identity is no Longer Rigid Television and multicultural societies have created a ‘neutral’ identity. Not that cultures have been flattened, rather the dynamism it has soaked has put it in a constant flow of change. As such, it may be difficult to state who an African is: one with African parents, International Journal of Communication


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or one who lives in the continent or one who though living abroad yet has roots firmly at home? Identity can be defined as the interplay of characteristics that make up the individuality and uniqueness of any person or group. Such uniqueness comes from a particular combination of traits, be they physical, emotional, psychological, social, economic, political, or cultural. Identity can also be seen as an open process of identification and location, in which individuals and groups attempt to negotiate their sense of autonomy on both a global and regional scale. In an age when constant flows of ideas, images, and ways of life, particular values, and material and abstract goods— understood as processes of globalization — are constantly permeating physical borders, what is the impact of such flows on traditional accounts and perceptions of identity? Have such flows transformed people's ideas of who they are? Have such flows made us rethink notions such as manhood, womanhood, selfhood, otherness, nationality, citizenship, and religion? (Sajed, undated) It can be argued that processes of globalization constantly interact with processes of identification. This argument points to ways in which identity acquires a deeper political aura, as claims to various identities are used for political mobilization as well as contestation in larger political, social, and historical developments of global restructuring. Considering its politicized character, it is no surprise that there have been heated debates concerning the complexities and contradictions that surround both the term and the practice of identity. Although there are conflicting views pertaining to the definition and conceptualization of identity, these fall into two different camps. These differ over whether the boundaries of identity are mobile or fixed, and whether one can and should even be able to talk about identity as a clearly defined notion, one which awaits our impartial and detached investigation. These two major accounts are modernist and postmodernist. BBA: Intercultural Communication Clash with African Cultural Values We humans communicate all the time, and most of the time we do it as a matter of course, without thinking about it. We talk, we listen, we write, we read or we draw, we mimic, we nod, we point, we shrug, and, somehow, we manage to make our thoughts known to one another. Of course, there are times when we view communication as something difficult or even impossible to achieve. Yet, compared to other members of the kingdom Animalia, we are amazingly good at it (Sperber, 1995). Thus man is essentially a communication animal (Wilson and Ekanem, 2006). For without it, life will be frustratingly unthinkable. Ugboajah (1985) asserts that “to be is to communicate. Without communication, man is not different from the lower animals”. Wood expounds further: “communication is more than exchange of words. It is what we say, how we say it, what we neglect to say. It is our facial expressions, gestures, our postures and vocal tones, grammar, lexicon, phonology and syntax acquisition. It involves the knowledge of the cultural norms of spoken interaction” (Wood, 1991:121) – [emphasis added]. International Journal of Communication


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Bennett opines that subjective culture refers to the psychological features that define a group of people—their everyday thinking and behaviour—rather than to the institutions they have created: “Understanding subjective cultures—one’s own and others’—is more likely to lead to intercultural competence. Of course, social reality is constructed of both large and small “c” aspects of culture; people learn how to behave through socialization into the institutions of the culture, which leads them to behave in ways that perpetuate those same institutions. As noted above, traditional international and multicultural education tend to focus only on the objective mode of this process; in contrast, intercultural communication focuses almost exclusively on the subjective mode. For instance, inter-culturalists are concerned with language use in cross-cultural relationships, rather than in linguistic structure. They study how language is modified or supplanted by culturally defined nonverbal behaviour, how cultural patterns of thinking are expressed in particular communication styles, and how reality is defined and judged through cultural assumptions and values.” (Bennett, 1998:2) – [emphasis as used by Bennett]. The cultural norms of any nation are best captured by her literature – written, audio and visual. This is because we have to tell our own stories or suffer the indignity of a single tale. Language is imperative here, for one can only effectively narrate a reality through a channel that drives that worldview. Language and literature share a symbiotic relationship in this regard because they are tools of communicating ones’ cultural identity. And naturally, cultural communication displacement and/or mis-communication usually arise from language/cultural incompetence. A clash of civilisations (Huntington, 1996) can therefore occur due to inter-cultural flops in communication. BBA Vs the African (World View) Cultural Norm Kaboha (1992:7) looked “at different attitudes and lifestyles and try to formulate original conclusions from the contrast and similarities elucidated through the comparison”. Concepts treated were: time; social wisdom (a living memory from one generation to another); metaphysical understanding of the African cycle of life (life with and by ancestors); love for children (miscarriage is seen as a curse and deliberate abortion is an abomination). Other basis of the African world view that was analyzed showed why God is central to the African traditional metaphysical systems. Thus living in cities deprives man of this close contact with nature. Therefore the question arises “whether this integration with nature and the metaphysical intuitions arising from it are of any value to modern man?” This crisis of civilization – the clash between the traditional and modern – has inflicted sores on the soul of the contemporary African. This, Kaboha thinks, is seen in the idolatrous crave for technology despite its hazards, the top burner issue of climate change and global warming. Since the basis of the cultural norm has been eroded, the vehicle for the transmission of values has been crippled. As such moral permissiveness (gay unions and legalized abortions); individualism, consumerism and materialism reign supreme. In addition, religious fanaticism (especially Islamic fundamentalism) is growing in the continent as a reaction to Western materialism. International Journal of Communication


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The approach of African traditional society to the problem was not to seek to "control" or "manipulate" nature, but how best to "integrate" into their system of life whatever new knowledge, discovery and invention they had come across. They knew the price of "hubris" from experience; always they expiated any acts that appeared to challenge the gods with elaborate ceremony and sacrifice intended to prejudice popular opinion against such tendencies. Nobody was expected or even allowed to "play God" by trying to control the system; one was only to seek to understand how God wanted the system to run (Kaboha, 1992). Is Kaboha not merely enslaved to an idealised past? Are his assertions above not just childish in a century when the footprints of man are already scattered on the moon and is presently aiming to conquer other planets? Superficially this may appear as a condemnation of science and technology; but it is not. The crash of civilization and the attendant consequence of the development paradigm that was inflicted on Africa are yet to fully heal. The reason was that development was hinged on economics and the absolute grandeur of technology without integrating the human person and the cultural norms of his society. The ideological thrust of material dialectics has left man to seek ‘humanity’ without God. Consequently the Western mindset is based on happiness that is purchased via the strength of each person’s purse. This runs contrary of the foundations of the African cultural norms – where the African seeks happiness via the community. As such one concurs with Kaboha (1992:4) that: “It is my contention that science has become a religion in the western world and technology a God.” The idealism of Western individualism cannot understand the communality of the African worldview. As such it is no alternative in seeking solutions to problems that besiege the continent. Mapadimeng (2009) expounded on the concept of Ubuntu/Botho which has been previously defined as “a philosophy of life” or “the significance of group solidarity”. Ubuntu values emphasize respect, group solidarity, conformity, compassion, human dignity, humaneness, collective unity and solidarity, sharing, universal brotherhood, communalism, interdependence and hospitality. These values are hinged on the maxim “I am because you are and you are because I am.” Mapadimeng makes a case that Ubuntu does not negate individualism; rather it recognizes the limited character of the possibilities of individuals. Mapadimeng’s central thesis is expressed in this question: “Does this view on Botho/Ubuntu have a theoretical backing? That is, at the much more absolute theoretical level, is there evidence in support of the notion that societal cultural values have a positive role to play in social change and economy?” Also strengthening the claims that the ubuntu culture has a role to play in the socioeconomic development of the contemporary South African society is the evidence of historical failure by white managements and governments under apartheid to successfully adopt and implement Western- and Eastern-based workplace strategies to improve working relations, work performance, efficiency, and productivity. While the above points to a rather strong case for ubuntu, there are however some serious concerns and International Journal of Communication


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potential constraints to its socio-economic developmental role and significance (Mapadimeng, 2009). The need for such revival was also raised in Mapadimeng’s criticism of the “monied former township blacks” (Mapadimeng, 2009:79) who have left the apartheid created black townships. He attributes this to their selfish individualism, lack of appreciation of the political and philosophical ethic of communalism promoted by the ubuntu culture, and obsession with material success as well as lack of interest in establishing structures that promote and preserve the African spirit, heritage and culture. Ayantayo (2010) established how African societies have provided, transmitted and maintained ethical conducts. Drawing inferences from cultures – particularly Yoruba – Ayantayo stressed the communicative meaning associated with facial expressions, gestures, symbols, colours and oral traditions (songs, proverbs, etc). These conduits were used in holding the ethical fibres of African communities, educating the young and also served in punishing deviants. However, the influence of modernity has eroded the communicative aspects of these channels. Ayantayo (2010) laid the blame on the ‘demonization’ orchestrated by religion – especially Christianity – which stereotyped all these into one word: fetish. Nonetheless, Africans were not spared blame either, as Ayantayo lamented the inability of most youth in understanding proverbs or speaking their native language. Arts have been abandoned to the ‘taste’ of Western tourists while indigenous stories/songs have made way for video games, hip/pop and satellite television. Would anyone be surprised about the erosion of ethical norms in the continent or the demeaning perception of African world view? Language is the vehicle that conveys the cultural ethos of any society. As such one who mouths Yoruba, for instance, without an appreciation of its proverbs, is merely vocalising the language. It within this context that one appreciates Mungwini and Matereke (2010:13) who argue that “culture and specifically language can constitute an effective incubator for the emotions that result in rape.” The Shona are a totemic society that venerates plants, animals or animal body parts as symbols of specific clans. The sexual behaviour and qualities of the animal (totem) are readily appropriated to the clan members. The physical characteristics of the totem are easily accorded sexual connotations, with emphasis on such qualities as virility, potency, wit and agility. The sexual behaviour of an individual can therefore be explained and justified merely by an appeal to his totem. In other words, totemism among the Shona has contributed to sexual perversion, serving as a vehicle for the “institutional ‘normalization’ of rape” (du Toit 2005:256), as rape can be explained as a normal manifestation of a man acting in consonance with his identity as defined by his culture (Mungwini and Matereke, 2010:13). Mungwini and Matereke (2010) established validity of their research problem as the construction of muscularity among the Shona renders the female body an object of male dominance. It was no surprise then that since language is the conveyor belt of culture, the International Journal of Communication


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music, arts, symbology, symbolic displays and rituals all point to this dominant expression of female domination among the Shona. It is imperative to note that this study was ignited with the numerous documented cases of rape and the failure of past researches which focused on the symptoms without making an effort to understand the root causes. As such, the palliatives offered were plainly ineffectual. Among the Shona, the language has already sown the seeds of rape. Besides this validates the position that indigenous knowledge carries not only the local validity but is the key to unwrapping the basis of advocacy via exogenous media. However, this synergy will be lacking if the point of departure is seen as a superior exogenous knowledge that must be pushed through the exogenous media and as a last resort, hiring the indigenous media to give it a paint of acceptance. BBA: Intercultural Communication Clash with Local Values BBA: Obscenely Amplified? Here we shall reproduce two excerpts from two public commentators in order to better appreciate public perception of BBA in Nigeria. Reuben Abati, former Editorial Board Chairman of the Guardian newspapers, states thus: In 2003, the programme was criticized on two grounds: an over-arching obsession with money and low morality content. On the second ground, religious groups in Zambia and Uganda asked that the show should be banned from television. There were misgivings also in Nigeria, and concerns about Bayo Okoh, the then Nigerian representative. But even if this was an issue, the values of the idea were not completely obscured; indeed at the end of it all, Cherise Makubale the winner was received in audience by the living legend, Nelson Mandela, quite a strong endorsement. The 12 participants in BBA1 managed to come across as strong personalities with talent and focus. They raised public expectations about their future and potentials. There may have been some unsettling moments such as the shower hour (in which Housemates bared it all) and on-air romantic relationships, but the participants drew strong empathy. In comparison, however, the class of 2007 has played up all the negatives, making BBA II look like a terrible experiment in on-air pornography with the girls behaving like sex-starved animals in a zoo, and the men like a bunch of barracudas with "uncontrollable third legs". For over 40 days, we have been treated to a gross overdose of sexuality and pornography, the portrayal of women as sex objects, selfdenigration by women, and the spectacle of 12 young Africans whose laziness is non-paralleled and whose love of obscenity is without boundaries. I believe that there is a problem of casting with BBA II; the show director must accept the blame for coming up with such a selection of a trashy set. M-Net must return to the drawing table and ask the questions: what is the objective of the programme? What value is it adding? Is this corporate social responsibility or a search for brand equity and profit going out of hand? One strong message that is coming out of BBA II so far is that money is everything and that where a little profit can be made, anything is fair. M-Net and its mobile phone company collaborators are making a lot of money from SMS messages being International Journal of Communication


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sent at high cost by viewers during voting sessions and in form of feedback. They are likely to make more than triple the prize money of $100, 000 and the cost of production, not to talk of advantages in terms of brand equity. At work here is capitalism without moral restraint. The participants in BBA II also seem to have taken this to heart and what we watch on a daily basis is a group of young Africans "going for the money" as they say and throwing all caution to the wind. They and their fans insist that BBA is a game, fun, and entertainment. But I do not see how that justifies the jaundiced, sex-soaked picture of reality that comes across. BBA II is not about reality per se, it is a mindless, sex and booze driven manipulation of reality. The majority of young men and women in Africa are far more ambitious, and better organised. The programme is rated 16, but what is the guarantee that younger persons do not watch it? It should have been rated 30 (!) with prior warning that it contains strong language and explicit sexual scenes (Abati, 2007, NigeriaVillageSquare.com). Nze E (undated), to whom we owe the title of this section, aside presenting a vox populi also asserts that: The show, largely seen as a means of integration in Africa has been gathering rave comments among its publics especially in Nigeria. Opinions are divided. The show has provided an avenue for people to see how people behave when they are put in particular situations. It has also given a perfect example of how humans socialise and how they co-exist. However, the moral lesson is called to question. Having gone around the world and garnered so many fans all over, the big issue becomes what message or value the show is passing on to the people watching. Some of these issues range from morality to ethics. While a lot query the fact that the housemates might probably not be aware that their shower hour is being shown to the world, contrary to these assumptions, Ghana’s female representative, Confidence Haugen, evicted from the game a week ago, made a shocking revelation as regards the early morning shower hour during her eviction press conference. She revealed that every housemate in the BBA house is aware that their shower hour is being streamed for a section of the public on the BBA official website. It can therefore be presumed that they all are aware that the uncensored materials can be spread on the internet with or without BBA’s permission. Although the TV content is rated 18+, the question is how many rated movies are children protected from in the Nigerian/African society? Some ardent followers express their views on the likely impact on society. ‘The whole idea is to integrate these people culturally,’ says Lucky Effiong, a banker with one of the commercial banks in Lagos and an ardent follower of the BBA show. ‘It is for their activities to come to the open and we watch every detail of their lives where we see the way different people love, hate, betray, backbite and express other emotions. We also watch as they bond, communicate and share knowledge and how they are able to cope when faced with the challenges of life,’ he points out. He is not the only one that thinks that the BBA show has a lot to offer. Seun Adeoye, an undergraduate student and BBA fan, says that ‘BBA is a show that sets out to promote an intercultural spirit of working together as we can see in the International Journal of Communication


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weekly tasks the housemates were given.’ For Adeoye, the advantage of the show is to ‘unite African countries and more so, make celebrities out of the contestants.’ However, Sulaimon Adeleke, a computer programmer takes a different stand on the BBA issue. He says, ‘BBA organisers are only amusing themselves on the African continent. The show is a big scorn of our culture and tradition. If they so want to integrate the African culture, I bet there are better ways to do that.’ Patricia Eze, a Lagos based consultant agrees saying, ‘one cannot separate one’s culture and religion from oneself. The show is shame to our faith be it Christianity, Islam or African Traditional Religion.’ Ajoke Akindele, a housewife and mother of two believes that, ‘the idea of the BBA organisers is simply to create a human zoo. This stems from the fact that they already see us as gorillas and so what more do they need to entertain themselves?’ She is pained that some people seem to be glorifying it. ‘If not for poverty, why would someone exhibit his/her state of nudity just for a few thousand dollars he/she is not even sure of getting,’ she reasons. Others, while sitting on the fence, observe that the discussions and tasks given to the housemates are neither mentally challenging nor educative in any way. Joy Akpoviri says, ‘although I’m not a fan of BBA, I see that the programme is all about showing your nakedness which I see as disgusting. I’m beginning to wonder if this will achieve anything positive for either the contestant or the people watching it.’ In the same vein, Adesola Ogundana sees no need for the continuous running of the show in Africa. ‘I think the show has outlived its usefulness in Africa. In the early days of BBA it used to achieve the cultural integration thing but now, even with the amplified stuff, all that is amplified is the shameful display of breasts in pictures. I fear they will soon start coming up with porn reality shows.’ Suffice to say that it is high time the show organisers started finding other values to communicate through the show; values that the continent will be easily connected with and more importantly, beneficial to its youth. After all, Oprah Winfrey’s show until the end affected the lives of both the host and viewers positively. There are other reality shows that have changed the lives of viewers positively. The BBA – amplified or not – ought to be impacting on stakeholders better having run for some time now (Nze, undated, M2online.com). Political Correctness and Illegality Henry Akuika argues that BBA is a manifestation of political correctness and is also illegal: From inception, the BBN was being greeted with a loud and persistent outcry from many people. Dr Latetitia A’daudu in her Big Brother Nigeria (The Guardian, May 10, 2006) stated that, “the constant manner in which these inmates are watched is reminiscent of the way children go to watch caged International Journal of Communication


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animals in the zoo”. Similar remarks have been made in succeeding years. Dr. Reuben Abati, Big Brother Africa II – Pornography and Money (The Guardian, September 16, 2007); Mr Leo Uzo, We do not want Big Brother III (The Guardian, June 10, 2008 ) and Mr Tayo Fagbula, Big Brother III (The Guardian, June 18, 2008). NBC has many statutory responsibilities. Some of which are: “regulating and controlling the broadcast industry; promoting Nigerian indigenous cultures, moral and community life through broadcasting; regulating ethical standards and technical excellence in public, private and commercial broadcast stations in Nigeria; determining and applying sanctions including revocation of licenses of defaulting stations which do not operate in accordance with the broadcast code and in the public interest;” etc., (cf: National Broadcasting Commission Decree No 38 of 1992, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and National Broadcasting Commission (Amendment) Decree No 55 of 1999). Currently, the most fashionable approach to moral issues is to say many things without saying anything, i.e. being ‘politically correct’. Thus the glide path is to avoid any contentious issue, so as not to hurt the sensitivities of some people who do not like the truth. In summary, you either avoid taking a stand, or side the powerful minority. The prevailing ‘wisdom’ is that it is primitive and outlandish to tackle moral questions. If one insists, then get ready to be branded as voyeuristic, hypocritical or Victorian. Does that mean that the truth has to be sacrificed on the altar of enlightenment or progress? The BBA is not only morally bankrupt but also a slight on the value system of this country. It is a canonization of idleness, bitterness, knavishness – vices that are totally un-brotherly – and a brutal assault on the traditional values of the family. At the risk of sounding redundant, I return to my original proposition that BBA can neither pass as an educational nor an entertainment programme. Above all, Big Brother is creating a new trend, an abuse of the individual’s privacy and a deification of ‘false’ stardom (false because, the inmate who eventually wins does not possess any worthy talent that can be emulated). It’s only worth lies in the millions of naira that the initiators of programme rake in at the expense of Nigerians (Akuika, 2008, FeathersProject.wordpress.com). Big Brother: Intercultural Communication Clash with Other Civilisations We present two cases where the Big Brother reality show has ignited or suffered from an intercultural communication misunderstanding. The Arabian Story A recent example of poor cross-cultural sensitivity occurred with the launching of a new TV show in the Middle East. The television show 'Big Brother', where contestants are International Journal of Communication


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kept under lock and key inside the same house until public voting leaves a winner, was first launched in the UK on Channel 4 in 2001. It has gone on to see spin off versions in countries such as Russia, Turkey and Australia. In early 2004, the Arab TV channel, MBC. surprisingly decided to produce their own version, Al-Ra'is (the Boss), in Bahrain. Perhaps just as unsurprising was the decision to cancel the show after its second showing following intense media criticism accompanied by protests on the streets of Bahrain. One can only wonder how the MBC producers failed to see the cross cultural implications of Al-Ra'is. An understanding that the format and logistics of the show demanded some cross-cultural modifications became manifest as the producers decided to segregate the sleeping quarters of the male and female contestants. In addition a prayer area, women's lounge and mixed-sex communal area were introduced to better accommodate Islamic principles. Targeting an audience comprising mainly Muslims, Al-Ra'is failed to read the cross cultural signs. The close quarter interaction between men and women was culturally unacceptable to the majority of viewers. "It is normal for males and females to mix, but not to put them together in the same house for a long time," said 21-year-old student Maryam al-Sayrafi, who summed up most Muslims' feelings on the show. The failure of Al-Ra'is points to two things: 1) the adverse consequences of a failure to incorporate cross- cultural analysis into a business strategy; in this case a TV show, and 2) the importance of cross- cultural understanding in transferring ideas and concepts across cultures. Shilpa Shetty and the UK "Celebrity Big Brother Saga" It is undeniable that the world has become smaller. All of us from Canada to Congo have more exposure, contact and dealings with people from other cultures and countries. Within this global, intercultural web we often come across examples of companies, organizations or people who commit cultural faux pas with embarrassing and often costly results. The majority of these incidents come down to simple lack of cultural understanding and soon blows over. Very few stir any real debate and discourse about serious topics such as racism, ignorance or the need to nurture intercultural tolerance. This all changed, in the UK at least, with the "Celebrity Big Brother saga" that dominated headlines in Britain for over a week. In this series, the producers brought in a Bollywood actress by the name of Shilpa Shetty who has faced bullying and abuse by three other housemates, most notably the (former) tabloid darling Jade Goody. Goody, along with her sidekicks, gradually fell out with Shetty which led to comments being made about her that have been interpreted as racist. These led to over 30,000 complaints to Oftel (the TV watchdog), the Chancellor Gordon Brown apologizing for the behaviour on his tour of India, Carphone Warehouse pulling its multi-million pound sponsorship with Endemol (the creators of Big Brother), street protests in India, Channel International Journal of Communication


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4 (the broadcasters) coming under huge pressure due to not acting sooner and of course massive amounts of column inches in newspapers as well as becoming the lead story on most domestic news programmes for days. It would be no exaggeration to say that the incident could be the news story of 2007 even though we are only in January. Racism is a difficult topic, a multilayered topic and one that this article does not intend to cover. Whether or not the actions or comments of Goody and her accomplices were racist, as many uphold, it is difficult to prove. However, what can be proved is that what led to the whole situation was ultimately down to intercultural communication issues. Intercultural communication looks at the different ways people from different cultures behave, think, speak, eat, etc. By understanding these differences intercultural trainers seek to help people working in teams to get work more effectively done by ironing out differences caused by clashes of culture. For those that work in the intercultural training field, the events that led to the tense situation in the Big Brother house are all too familiar. In multinational companies, many of the same scenarios are played out on a daily basis when multicultural teams work together. People misunderstand and misjudge one another due to their intercultural differences. Communication breaks down completely and a paralyzing wall is built between people that seemingly offer no way out. It is only once parties are able to retrace their steps, analyze situations objectively and apply some intercultural know-how that they start to knock down this wall. In order to illustrate the intercultural breakdown in the Big Brother house, let us look at two examples of how the Indian and English cultures clashed (KwintessentialLtd.com, 2007): Communication Styles: A major factor in Shetty losing respect for Goody was due to the latter’s communication style. Indians always make sure they protect both their own and others' face, honour and reputation when communicating. Therefore their tone will more often than not be soft, words are used diplomatically, people will never be criticized in public and expletives are a serious no-no. For Shetty to come face to face with someone that called her a liar in front of others, who swore constantly and spoke in an extremely aggressive manner, was shocking to the system. She lost face and as a result Goody, lost face in her eyes. Goody on the other hand, who is obviously used to a more expressive form of communication, interpreted Shetty's tendency to be tactful, non-confrontational and seemingly secretive as suggestive of her hiding something and not being genuine. Both felt little warmth to the other's character as a result. Food: One of the comments made in relation to Shetty was in regards to her touching food with her hands. A housemate commented she did not approve of that as she did not know "where those hands have been"; the implication being she was dirty. Coming from a culture where food is primarily eaten with utensils can make the British rather sterile when it comes to food. In contrast, International Journal of Communication


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much of the rest of the world is far more comfortable eating with their hands and as a result is probably rather more conscious of hygiene as a result. Again, this intercultural gap between the two sides meant one was offending the other without knowing. As we can see in the above examples, no-one is to blame. In both cases, had each side been aware and open to the other's cultural norms there would probably have been no issue. However, as we know, these issues did occur and as a result tensions arose. This is when people are then liable to slip into a "them and us" mentality when the person they have fallen out with no longer becomes a person but rather a member of a "foreign" group, in this case as commented by one of the housemates "the Indian". As a result of this pariah status, Shetty soon became on object of ridicule and seemingly racist jibes. Her accent was mocked (even though she spoke more clearly than the mockers), her countrymen were stereotyped as "skinny" due to being constantly sick (a remark made in response to Shetty undercooking some chicken) and was told to "f**k off home" (a term used within the British context to immigrants and foreigners). It was these scenes and remarks that caused outrage among the public. In terms of intercultural understanding however, the whole episode has illustrated, in a very public way, how important intercultural communication is in today's world. What we witnessed on Celebrity Big Brother is more than likely taking place across the world in schools, offices and organizations where people from different cultures, faiths and nationalities come together. It provides an insight into the frustrations of immigrants; it illustrates the experiences of expatriates working in foreign environments; it paints a very vivid picture of what it must be like to work in a multicultural environment and it sums up why it is so crucial that today's citizens of the world must be inter-culturally-savvy. Conclusion As emphasised in the abstract, intercultural communication is best served by a better understanding of one’s own system by juxtaposing its familiar structures against those of other systems. BBA merits lies to a great deal, on a model that principally takes this into account. BBA was crafted for the young and to the young – it has high interactivity. It may seem relatively new but nonetheless is founded on a very old platform, the soap opera of real life. It’s a mix, a hybrid: mixes game’s programmes, soap opera and journalism. For the first time in the television world, in BBA, audiences could participate through letters, e-mails, web pages and phone calls, mixing different communication’s technologies, like the open television, the private channels and also internet. In addition although global, its popularity hinges on adapting it for a local audience. Unfortunately, it appears that the organisers of the Big Brother Africa are yet to come to terms with the cultural norms and values of Africans, especially Nigerians. For a Western mind, ‘morality’ is a synonym for irrational religion. However, they have not taken into account these values that have been in existence before the missionaries came with their ‘Western’ religion. Little wonder, that some of the authors reviewed are quick to pick at this condescension as part of their grouse against the BBA show. From the foregoing, it will be important to state that Big Brother Africa has much to do in order to respect the African cultural norms and/or worldview. The portrayals made by it International Journal of Communication


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are demeaning of African standards. The producers are to re-examine the content of the entire show and carry the African along in the light of the norm and cultural demands of our society. Or else they reinforce the notion that they are only concerned with the profit that will accrue to them but care little about the dignity of the housemates or viewing public. This will mean one more cross-cultural communication clash – ‘us and them’ – situation being averted.

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