Am I the only one thinking these ever growing celeb couples and weddings is just not our thing in Nigeria/Africa? Or I’m just an old school geezer who’s not getting with the modern trend? The more I see Nigerian celebs overhype their love for their partners I just cringe! For real. Actresses, TV presenters, OAPs, footballers and even celeb politicians.
Using your private life to entertain the public is not entirely a bad thing, after all the American and UK celebs do it to raise their profiles and make money from TV shows and endorsements, Posh & Becks, Kim & Kanye… In Nigeria, when I see these new celeb couples doing photoshoots, magazine covers, hyping their love and generally making it look like love never existed before they came along, I just think God forbid if this don’t work, these people gonna get it hard from the same media that they used to overhype their love.
Let me put it as I see it. In Nigeria, if celebs decide to hook up and use their love to enhance their status or media profile, that’s cool, at least they both know wassup and why they’re doing it, so if the thing no work, they’ll still spin it in the media and even garner some more media points, TeamHusband or TeamWife, media hype noni. But if only one is a celeb, when the media intrusion and pressures mount on top of the other person they are always in danger of misbehaving. But before we start to crucify the other person, let’s consider if that person even wanted all that media hype in their private lives anyway. Let’s consider if the love was real before but since the love story has now become public media property he/she is not sure if it’s even real anymore. Let’s even consider what the other person goes through on a daily basis. Do people congratulate him/her everyday for marrying a celeb or make snide comments within their earshot and subject them to ridicule? Did the person want to have all these media intrusion in their lives anyway? Did he/she want their proposal to be blown out of proportion? Did the person want their wedding day to be a riddle, publicity stunt, surprise, Top 5 countdown or live TV event? So when that person goes back to, or seek what he/she think is real love, they fall off the wagon, they fall off the wagon so hard that it will spoil everything.
I pray to God no one goes through the hurt and embarrassment of a cheating spouse. As we Yoruba people say, “Olorun maje”. But we men can be weak too, we get confused, and we succumb to anything if the elements of marriage pressure compound on us (some of us are just stupid and our head is not correct). The biggest mistake by modern Nigerian wives is flaunting your man as the best man in the world especially in the media. Isn’t that advertising? You are advertising what most women want in their lives but expect that other women wouldn’t want it? I don’t get. Or maybe you’re rubbing it in our faces? I’ve never really understood the logic of “I love my husband and my husband loves me, and I want the whole world to know”. Why?!
As for the public, we Nigerians just like hype and pomp. We don’t care if it’s real or fake, or if it was real before and not real anymore. We just like to hype when it’s good and bicker and hate when it’s bad. It’s all entertainment to us. I have been married for more than half my life (and I’m almost 47) and I’m not even a celeb but my wife don’t even want me to put anything about our life on any social media. People say “oh you don’t even celebrate your wife on Valentine’s Day like put her picture on your dp or something”, I’m like “thank you, eshe gan”. Marriage is not a rosette you wear on your sleeve to prance around. Nowadays, people think if you don’t flaunt how happy you are in your marriage you’re not happily married (like if you don’t sit on your car on Instagram, you’re still legging it). So celebs now turn it into a daily mantra to over-push the point, then when yawa gas it now becomes a prayer point and a media pity-fest.
Anyway, like I said, love is a beautiful thing, marriage is even better. It’s a private thing, it’s a precious thing, not a media tool or a career enhancing status. So for all you celebs out there using or planning to use your personal and private life to entertain the public, know that when there’s a little crack in your marriage it’s like an earthquake in the media, so be ready to weather that storm.
Disclaimer: The above is not directed at anyone or celeb in particular. I’m just testing my microphone.
Shonaiya is a filmmaker
