What's Wrong With ‘Style hunt’?

There is a real boom in reality television shows and I am most enthused about them because most of them bring out the hidden talent in young people. Apart from that it adds to the entertainment value of television viewers.

The problem I have is when such programmes are not well organised and people who are meant to benefit end up being used or rather misused.

My view is that when people are organising programmes they should either do it well or they should not attempt it at all.

There is this new reality talent hunt on TV Africa that I have seen but yet to follow. The programme called Stylehunt and it seeks to bring out the best in people who desire to become fashion designers.

Ten fashion design contestants namely T-Kay, Christy, Ken, Sam, Solo, Bix, Vera, Hola, Eve and Prince were camped in a house and each Saturday, after a live show on TV Africa, one person would be evicted until a winner emerges in the early weeks of June this year. This may be a grand idea for the fashion industry.

Information I have gathered however is that all is not well with the organisation of this wonderful programme. I am told that the housemates are camped somewhere at East Legon in Accra but the organizers have not been prompt in providing food for them.

Sometimes they eat only once a day and other times they are not provided with anything at all. Those who live in Accra occasionally get family and friends to bring them food but those from outside Accra have to bear their hunger like that.

That aside, the organisers have not been prompt to provide water for the housemates to bath with. As of 3.30pm last Sunday some the contestants had not taken their bath for a while and there are a few women in there, mind you!

With these allegations and others you don't want to know, I called the organiser of the event, Ken Kumalor, to verify. His first response was that he knew there were people who wanted to run the show down and so we were just coming up with spurious stories about its organisation.

He conceded, however, that at certain times they were unable to provide food on time, adding that it was anybody's judgment what they consider as breakfast or lunch.

He also conceded that water was a problem for all the residents of East Legon and not peculiar to where the contestants were housed. He said whenever there was water shortage they tried to get some from tankers although it took long to deliver sometimes.

Kumalor was of the view that they were doing well to bring out the talent in these young people and minor issues like these should not be used to run down the show.

The show will air this Saturday at 8.00pm on TV Africa and I hope you watch to appreciate the “sufferation” (as the Rastafarians would say) that the young people go through to emerge as stars. Even if it means foregoing food and bathing to emerge winners so be it.

Only I had hoped they would do so voluntarily and not under duress as it seems to be.

Article by Francis Doku