Segun Arinze
A new reality show seeks to promote cultural values, CHUX OHAI reports
In a few weeks from now, a cultural reality TV show will berth in the country.
Christened Heroes: Back to the Roots, the show is created by the chief executive officer of De Havillah Timeless Productions, Chinyere Ogbukagu, who will be working alongside popular movie director, Ifeanyi Onyeabor and former president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Segun Arinze, to bring it to millions of viewers in their homes.
In an interview with our correspondent on Thursday, Ogbukagu – who is currently supervising a short training programme for the technical crew somewhere in the Lekki area of Lagos said the reality show was designed to revive aspects of the indigenous Nigerian cultures that are currently endangered, among other objectives.
“This is the first time in our history as a nation that young Nigerians from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds will be brought together in a single reality TV show.
“Our focus is the youth. We want to encourage youths from different parts of the country to learn more about one another and also about the rich cultural heritage of this country.
“Also, we want to redirect attention to Nigeria’s tourism potential, which we believe has remained largely undeveloped. We want Nigerians, especially the youth, to understand that what they are looking for outside the country is available right here,” she said.
Apart from boosting the cultural heritage of the people, Heroes seeks to promote the use of indigenous languages among the youth.
In another interview with our correspondent, Onyeabor, who is the technical director of the reality show, said the show was essentially targeted at youths who cannot speak any Nigerian language.
“We are aware that some of our local languages are dying. Also, we know that many youths cannot communicate in their own native languages. This is a very dangerous trend, you know. So, we aim to use this channel to draw attention to the urgent need to save our indigenous languages from going extinct,” he said.
Onyeabor said a total of 37 contestants would be selected to participate in the show from the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory.
“The idea is to bring them under one roof and train them on the rudiments of culture, tradition, local language, tribes, marriages, foods and drinks.
“The show is all about Nigeria’s cultural heritage, traditions and tourism. We have lost our culture due to external influence and we hope to re-instill these cultural values in our children. Even schools must be made to encourage their pupils to embrace these values to learn local languages ,” he said.
While in the House, the contestants will be given daily culture-based tasks such as the cooking of various Nigerian dishes, sewing, crafts, music, singing and more.
Also, commenting on the essence of the show, Arinze – who will anchor it – said, “We must promote our culture and the Heroes Reality Tv Show is just the right platform for this. It is a show with a difference because it will open a new phase for the younger generation to understand where we are coming from by going back to the grassroots.
“As the host, let me warn the contestants that it will be grueling in the House. They must know all about the various tourism attractions in this country; they must be grounded in their traditions and culture. In a nutshell, the Heroes must take us back to our core values.”
The overall winner of the reality TV will take home a cash prize of N5m and a brand new Sport Utility Vehicle.
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