Is Big Brother Morally Bad?
Aug 07, 2003
PEOPLE are subjected to horrible pictures, which are corrupting the morals of our children,†said Taylor Nothale, Malawi’s parliamentary media committee chairman, on Wednesday.
By Sebidde Kiryowa
PEOPLE are subjected to horrible pictures, which are corrupting the morals of our children,†said Taylor Nothale, Malawi’s parliamentary media committee chairman, on Wednesday. While Gwanda Chakuamba, the opposition leader said, “We want the government to stop this nonsense on TV.â€
Malawian lawmakers had the previous day banned the screening of the reality show on the country’s only television station because of its sex scenes. Sex is a taboo subject in this deeply conservative southern African nation. The local television, which rarely shows sex scenes, started operating in 1999.
Malawi’s representative in the BBA house, 27-year-old Zein Dudha, was the second housemate to be evicted from the famed house in Randburg, about a month ago.
Only last week, Namibian president Sam Nujoma banned Big Brother Africa on state television due public out cry that the show was promoting immorality following a romp between Uganda’s Gaetano Kaggwa and South Africa’s Abby Plaatjes.
However, officials at Multichoice Africa, the distributors of DStv, which screens Big Brother Africa, say that whilst the country’s national broadcaster TV Malawi (TVM), which has been screening the Big Brother Africa daily highlights for free, has stopped its broadcast, viewers in the country can still watch the programme on M-Net and DStv Channel 37.
So is Big Brother Africa bad for us? Carl Fischer, M-Net’s director for Local Productions says, “We have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the programme is relevant for our audiences across the continent. To this end we ensured that the content of the daily show would be suitable for family viewing and believe we have achieved that rating.â€
“Big Brother Africa should be recognised as a unique African entertainment product,†he adds.
Big Brother is a big phenomenon in Uganda. The show screens for half an hour on WBS TV at 6:30pm and M-Net shows are on Open Time.
Most Ugandans I talked to believe that Big Brother is watched by choice and nothing warrants its ban.
Ends
PEOPLE are subjected to horrible pictures, which are corrupting the morals of our children,†said Taylor Nothale, Malawi’s parliamentary media committee chairman, on Wednesday. While Gwanda Chakuamba, the opposition leader said, “We want the government to stop this nonsense on TV.â€
Malawian lawmakers had the previous day banned the screening of the reality show on the country’s only television station because of its sex scenes. Sex is a taboo subject in this deeply conservative southern African nation. The local television, which rarely shows sex scenes, started operating in 1999.
Malawi’s representative in the BBA house, 27-year-old Zein Dudha, was the second housemate to be evicted from the famed house in Randburg, about a month ago.
Only last week, Namibian president Sam Nujoma banned Big Brother Africa on state television due public out cry that the show was promoting immorality following a romp between Uganda’s Gaetano Kaggwa and South Africa’s Abby Plaatjes.
However, officials at Multichoice Africa, the distributors of DStv, which screens Big Brother Africa, say that whilst the country’s national broadcaster TV Malawi (TVM), which has been screening the Big Brother Africa daily highlights for free, has stopped its broadcast, viewers in the country can still watch the programme on M-Net and DStv Channel 37.
So is Big Brother Africa bad for us? Carl Fischer, M-Net’s director for Local Productions says, “We have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the programme is relevant for our audiences across the continent. To this end we ensured that the content of the daily show would be suitable for family viewing and believe we have achieved that rating.â€
“Big Brother Africa should be recognised as a unique African entertainment product,†he adds.
Big Brother is a big phenomenon in Uganda. The show screens for half an hour on WBS TV at 6:30pm and M-Net shows are on Open Time.
Most Ugandans I talked to believe that Big Brother is watched by choice and nothing warrants its ban.
Ends