By Amin Kef Sesay
Since Housemates Salone Season 2 (2020) was launched on the 30th July 2020 at the Lagoonda Complex in Aberdeen, Freetown, tongues have been wagging, with some people vehemently arguing that it will definitely change the face of the entertainment industry in this country.
“Indeed Africell-SL and the African Young Voices (AYV) are really committed to take entertainment to another level as they have once again come forward to organize another Reality TV Show after successfully rolling out Season 1. For me and my friends we are expectantly looking forward to watch another Season which I am convinced will be thrilling,” Fatima Sawaneh , a third year University of Sierra Leone student opined adding that she will definitely vote for any of the Housemates that really impresses her the most.
When this medium reached out to gauge the views of people in different parts of the country after the launching of Housemates Salone as to what they make of staging the show, a plethora of interesting statements were captured.
The Chairlady of the Sani Abacha Street Traders Association intimated our reporter that it is really good that Africell and AYV once again teamed up to once again stage another TV Reality Show. She underscored that some of them who are fortunate have been watching Big Brother Africa which is hosted by Nigeria saying it is very entertaining to watch. “However, not many are opportune to gain access to DsTV but with AYV Television, which is what “Na Him Salone Sabi”, going far and wide many will have the opportunity to watch Housemates Salone 2020 on AYV Channel 34,” the Chairlady logically expressed optimism.
Contacting the Belgium Sellers in downtown Freetown, most of the hustlers there whom this medium talked with said they want to extend their profound commendation to both Africell and AYV for coming up with the show. The President of the Belgium Sellers stated that the two institutions have really done a lot in terms of empowering young people in this country, saying this is a continuation of the process of mentoring role models in our society.
“To be very frank, my brother, Housemates Salone is all about offering the platform for young people to be empowered by exposing them to the outside world, bringing out their innate God given talents. In the House the mates will learn a lot throughout their stay and indeed when they come out they will never be the same again,” the Chairman of the Association candidly pointed out.
In Bo, Southern Sierra Leone, some young people at a popular social point expressed the willingness to participate in the upcoming Reality TV Show saying that they are confident that one of them is going to emerge victorious to bag the Le250 Million cash prize and a round trip to Dubai. “We have all what it takes to stand out tall in the competition: beauty, elegance, brains and boldness. No competitor from any other district will dare challenge us come the 14th October 2020 when we will enter the House. We will show them that Sweet Bo can perform wonders,” Mohamed Jabati, a fair complexion dreadlocks youth confidently told our reporter.
From the South our reporter headed for the Northern City of Makeni where Housemates Salone (2020) was already a topical issue, discussed in Ataya Bases, lorry parks and pubs. At one of these popular Ataya Bases there were young people animatedly arguing that indeed Sierra Leone is moving upward within the entertainment industry in the West African sub-region chasing Nigeria. One of them intelligently pointed out that just like the Mercury betting game that most of them play participating in Housemates Salone Season2 could be a game of chance.
“You purchase a form for only Le150,000 which is currently on sale through using Afrimoney and if you are lucky to become victorious then you stand a chance of bagging Le250 Million and a roundtrip to Dubai is really worth going for,” the fellow by the name of Alimamy Turay postulated convincingly adding how he will be reserving money just to credit his phone in order to vote for any Housemate that deserves his vote.
In their midst a frisky lady, Memunatu Tarawally, who for short is called, Mems, said it is now a foregone conclusion that Makeni is going to eclipse the entire Housemates Salone Season 2 jokingly stating that after the Season 1 session ended they have been busy practising robustly as to how they must perform in the House, claiming that they have mastered every aspect that will give them an edge further bragging that nothing will prevent them from putting Makeni on the world map.
The expression of these various determinations could be best described as a building-up scenario akin to what the Disc Jockeys (DJs) would say: “The House or Show is getting Warmer”. As of now we don’t really know what residents in Moyamba, Kono, Kabala, Kenema and other places have in store which they could like to unveil. It is possible that they either do not want to let the cat out of the bag or they are merely waiting for the appropriate time to send the shiver down the spines of those who are presently knocking their chests.
Housemates Salone Season 2 (2020), “The Last Standing Couple” with the theme ‘Quarantine Drama’ is really very apt as the show is going to avail viewers the opportunity to reduce all the stress brought about as a result of the marauding coronavirus . As a matter of fact, from what have been heard so far, this year’s show is going to be spectacular and superb as it will have people glued to their TV screens or android phones just to focus on watching the show, which will be broadcast live on a 24hours basis on AYV Channel 34.
In as much as the tourism sector has somehow contracted, the Reality TV show will once more put Sierra Leone in the spotlight and as well further expose it to the outside world. It will also, in one way or the other, help to promote the adherence to Stay Home, Stay Safe within the context of social distancing as more and more people get interested with the strong urge to keenly watch as the show progresses.
Reality TV Show is quite new in this country but seemingly it has now become part of our social fabric as it gains popularity and currency. A Reality TV Show depicts actions of people close to life situation. In other words, it shows natural life and interaction of an isolated group of characters in a particular setting in a situation that develops freely without any predetermined script. A viewer is convinced that he or she is witnessing real scenes of life.
The overarching advantage of having such a show organized is the mere fact that it helps in the area of youth empowerment. Contestants are availed the opportunity to learn and display how to verbally express themselves, to socialize, get used to do certain chores like cooking ,singing, dress as well as other etiquettes and coping mechanisms.
As a matter of fact, as the Show progresses the Housemates will be visited by officials from certain corporate institutions or business enterprises who will explain to them about different products and brands which will surely as well as broaden their knowledge horizons. Besides, they will be financially empowered because, apart from the winner bagging the covetous Le250 Million prize money, for each day a contestant stays in the House, he or she earns Le100, 000 which cumulatively will be handed over to him or her whenever evicted from the House. It goes without saying that after coming out of the House their lives will never be the same again.
On the other hand, the show will provide the platform for interested corporate institutions to showcase their products through advertisements. Taking into consideration the fact that AYV Television has a wider viewership in and out of the country, such is an opportunity many corporate institutions could not afford to miss.
From what has so far been gathered, Africell the leading telecommunications company in the country, with an improved network and a wider subscriber base will enable many viewers cum followers to be able to vote as it is through their network that voting will be done and the link will soon be made available.
As it is currently slated, the closing date for receipt of all applications is 21ST August 2020 and audition will take place in the first week of September. After three weeks, audition will close and 40 finalists will be chosen who will then battle for the final 20. The final 20 will go into the House on the 14th October 2020.
Forms are now going for Le150, 000 and all application forms could be paid for via Afrimoney. For those in the diaspora who may want to participate in the show they may contact the following www.africell.sl or www.ayvnews.com.
From what have been seen and heard so far in different parts of the country it seems as if this year’s Housemates Salone is going to be much interesting and fantastic not ‘Coco Kolastic’ as residents in different districts are bracing up to tell the whole world that indeed they can do it. As a matter of fact there are others in the diaspora who will be coming to participate. Indeed the prize money of Two Hundred and Fifty Million Leones (Le250 M) is very mouth-watering and should be fiercely battled for.
As highlighted above the launching of the Reality TV Show is gaining wider commendation and it is really certain that Housemates Salone Season 2 will continue to obviously elicit a lot of discussions and gossips in many quarters; homes, workplaces, business places, ataya bases, taxi, poda-podas and generate arguments provoked by the performances of the mates in the House.
It’s nice, we will support the show in any positive ways.
Thanks for a well comprehensive report…