Big Brother Africa 5: Up close and personal!

THE knives came out in the house on Tuesday night. No bad blood between housemates! Yet, anyway.

Rather the targets were newspapers, especially tabloids and bloggers. In what can be termed an uncensored, unedited information-sharing session, Meryl, Sheila, Munya and Mwisho made no secret of their lack of respect for ‘scathing’ tabloids. In Munya’s words, ‘tabloids don’t sell good news’.I have got to give it to you though, some juicy bits came out of this highly engaging session, especially from our girl Meryl. For starters, Meryl just happened to let it slip that her baby’s daddy (yes, the one who to this day remains a mystery to many of us) was a half Kenyan/half Muslim reserved individual who is not fond of the media limelight. Sadly as a result, Meryl and her half Muslim partner have since pulled the plug on their relationship. Hmmm, with so many rumours, I guess the plot on this one just got thicker, especially with sooooooo many rumours making the rounds as to who the father is. I’m hoping that many similar sessions of this nature will follow soon …Anyways, during the conversation, mamma Meryl also recounted how both she and her younger brother went through a period of emotional torture because of negative and misleading news published in tabloids after her exit from the house after Big Brother season 2. In between giving Sammi something of a lap dance, she reported on how she was referred to as everything from a ‘husband snitcher’ to a ‘people beater’ in some newspapers. And in case you didn’t know, feisty Meryl also revealed that she has an adopted daughter whom she calls ‘Ouma’. Sheila said she’s also not had it easy with tabloids in Kenya as they preyed on her like hungry puppies, at some point even accusing her of getting it on with a girl in a hotel whom she didn’t even know (yes she has said that she’s bisexual). I cannot remember how many times both Munya and Mwisho used the F word during this session but I can assure you that this brothers’ hate for tabloids and bloggers runs deep. Sheila’s advice to her fellow housemates was ‘when you get out of the house, Google your name to find out all that has been said about you and have a strategy as to how you are going to deal with all of it’.Identity and BoxersAs the tabloids came under fire from one group, the other group – consisting of the likes of Paloma, Tatiana, K1, Jennifer, Lerato, Code and Sammi – conjured up thought-provoking deliberations on culture and where our identity as Africans originates from. According to Paloma, the problem that Africa faces is that we are living a life that is not ours. ‘We do things a certain way because our cultures dictate that of us, because we have been brought up that way’, she said. K1 agreed. He remarked that ‘the only thing we have as Africans is our identity’. Lerato said she appreciated the fact that her native South Africa was a very liberal country where one could do anything without anyone passing judgement with regards to culture. Talking of liberalism, I hit the jackpot when Jennifer confirmed my suspicions as to whether she had indeed become a liberal for Christ or not … it turns out she is – can I get an AMEN someone?! In her own words, ‘I am saved. I am born again’.The housemates left no stone unturned as they aired their opinions on a variety of subjects, including the tolerance towards gay people in some African countries and the lack thereof in others, hygiene and the mother of them all – circumcision. Tatiana was worried that the guys in the house may have been repeating underwear as she had not seen boxers hanging in the bathroom since the housemates entered the house on Sunday evening. Well, let’s just say that because of this question, we now know that Kaone is not circumcised and Uti is!Mwisho, MwishoWe may call them ‘All Stars’ but Mwisho threw the cat among the pigeons by saying the housemates have all failed in society (not correct, of course!), which is precisely why they are back in the house for a second time. Amidst laughter, Mwisho particularly took issue with Sammi, teasing that if given the chance, Sammi would be back in the BBA house again next year. After all is said and done, let me take this opportunity to say big ups to K1. The ghetto-swagging King did us proud yesterday by rocking a black The Namibian t-shirt, a gift from a staff fan, who sent one down for him at the end of last year’s show.All housemates are up for eviction this week so remember to keep voting for our girl Meryl to keep her in the house.Send your vote to 15626.* Also, watch the daily shows on M-Net Africa, Channel 102 at 18h30 daily and see all the live action go down on DStv’s Channel 198 24/7.

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