B & P 12: On HIV-AIDS awareness ads, D’banj and Tosyn Bucknor

HIV-AIDS awareness ads on radio
I will be frank with you; I am not cool with the HIV-AIDS awareness ads on our radio stations (and TV stations). Why is it that most of these ads are done by people living with the disease? Most of this people, in fact all of them, are either illiterates or half-illiterates who have some form of difficulty expressing themselves in English. And why are all the ads toeing the line of just getting people living with the disease to do an impromptu speech? Why can’t they prepare a more organized speech or get someone to write it for them or better still, get a well-meaning Nigerian to do the speech? In my opinion, using only low-class, unlearned people for these ads is inadvertently brandishing the disease as a poor-man disease, when in reality it can be contacted by the rich as well, especially those fun-loving, pleasure-seeking, promiscuous well-to-dos.

Koko-anything
It all started with Kokolette, then it evolved into Babylette, Sisterlette, Mamalette and the like. He calls himself the Koko Master. D’banj must have realised the effect he is having on people with such connotations. Now he has created a brand out of it. The resulting products include Koko Water (even if it was a joke), Koko Mailer (another joke?) and Koko Mansion.

Talking of Koko Mansion, I have had several arguments with people who have been expressing a lot of negative things about the show. According to them, the show is going to feature all sort of unscrupulous things involving male and female. Talk about D’banj and the Mo’hits crew taking rounds to sleep with the girls. Can you believe that? Trust me, I gave them lot of reasons why the show will be very far from prurient and why he doesn‘t need a Koko Mansion before getting all the girls he wants. I also listened to a fellow artiste saying that D’banj is just trying to stay relevant instead of staying in retirement. Who thinks D’banj is in retirement? Why do we find it difficult to support creativity in this country? Now, for those of you that still does not know what Koko Mansion is all about, take this:

D'Banj aka the Koko Master is starting his own reality television show called the Koko Mansion, a programme geared towards exhibiting the true qualities of a marriageable African woman. Twelve young women (Kokolettes) live in the Koko mansion for eight weeks, where they will put to play the virtues of womanhood to please D'Banj. The show also features D'Banj's prerogative to give KokoMycine (immunity) to one of the girls but he can only use KokoMycine once in the duration of the show. The winner will among other benefits, be crowned Kokolette 1, and win a Chris Aires Diamond ring, brand new convertible car, feature in D'Banj's next music video, You Don Make Me Fall In Love alongside N5 million in cash. The winner will also have the privilege to be D'Banj's companion at public events both within and outside Nigeria.
Gbam! If have any problem with that, go and jump over the third mainland bridge!

Anyway, this topic is not about Koko Mansion and cynics, it is about the fact that D’banj can connote anything from “koko”. We can brace ourselves for Koko Records or what other explanation does he have for not featuring in the two latest songs from the Mo’hits All Stars?

Tosyn "SpeechGirl" Bucknor
What have I got to say about our lovely Tosyn? Well, we all know that she’s got this show on Top Radio 90.9 fm and I aint gotta lie to you; the show is off the hinges! Apparently, must people think the same, what with all the thumbs-up she gets from listeners. She has enough proposals from guys to last her fifty lifetimes. She happens to have a way of laying them off - she tells every aspirant to call her Dad on 080419419. Tosyn, on her radio show is very funny and sarcastic. She is undisputedly Top Radio’s top-gun, the reason why most people listen to the station. A listener was not chary enough to tell her - he called and said he likes her, not Top Radio. She has such captivating effects on people. One thing I like about the show is the way she divides it into segments; it’s like a magazine show. She is on her road to becoming the queen of the airwaves; you should trust my judgment. Tosyn is also a writer; you can view her blog and her show’s. Yeah, I know; I’m granting her free publicity. But frankly, she doesn’t need it. She’s just doing something great that is worth mentioning. Don’t think this blog is all about castigating the Nigerian media.


I rest my case for now. Peace ya’ll.