Big Brother Titans' is here but queer representation is not

Big Brother Titans' is here but queer representation is notBig Brother Titans should be used as a force for good and not a vehicle to reinforce harmful stereotypes that exclude other people.

by Luh Tsele

25-01-2023 12:41

in Entertainment

Promotional poster of Big Brother Titans featuring hosts Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Lawrence Maleka. Image: @BigBroAfrica / Twitter

South Africans and Nigerians love the social experiment that is big brother, so it came as no surprise when the powers that be gave us Big Brother Titans. What is difficult to comprehend is the lack of LGBTIQ representation in one of the biggest reality shows in Africa.

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Big Brother Mzansi and representation When Mzansi ushered in their seasons of big brother they seldom turned their back on the queer community, and this is evident in their casting of Mzamo (Big Brother Mzansi - Secrets) and the daring Sis' Tamara (Big Brother Mzansi - Beke le Beke).

Having a single LGBTIQ individual in the house is not enough, but having no one at all to represent this already marginalized community is concerning.

BBNaija and its blatant lack of representation It is not shocking that the Nigerian franchise of Big Brother has never had a queer representative in the house because to this day homosexuality is still frowned upon heavily in that part of Africa.

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Even if a queer person has been there before, they were probably hiding in plain sight because of the fear of being ostracised from society or worse, jailed or killed.

BBNaija has always walked the path of keeping the majority of Nigerians comfortable.

Homosexuality is not just frowned upon in Nigeria it is punishable by law, that's why they wouldn't embrace queer representation, and having queer individuals on the show would most probably kill their ratings said Journalist, Broadcaster, and LGBTIQ activist Ditshego Ditshego.

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BBTitans taking several steps backward And please don't get me wrong because even with the constitution of South Africa protecting LGBTIQ rights, homophobia is still a thing. If you were on Twitter during Sis Tamara's turn in big brother's house, you would have had a glimpse of this reality.

With that being said, this amazing platform should be a space that embraces all Africans regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

A show as prolific as BBTitans should be used as a force for good and not a vehicle to reinforce harmful stereotypes that exclude other people.

A lot of queer people are saying they submitted good quality videos for the initial audition, but didn't even get to the next round, and they believe they were overlooked because they are visibly queer said Ditshego.

DSTV should have taken this as an opportunity to teach the African continent about love and acceptance, instead, they seemingly bowed down to the legislation of Nigeria. The Big Brother Titans is a great concept, one that could have amplified the voices and visibility of queer individuals in Africa, but unfortunately, the moment was not seized.

ALSO READ: Ntsiki Mazwai: Trans women to stop calling themselves women

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LINK:	https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/entertainment/big-brother-tita...
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