Big Brother Africa

A tribute to Goldie Harvey

Feb 15th, 2013 3:13 PM UTC
By Wangui Muchiri

Beautiful. Sophisticated. Elegant. Intelligent. Creative. Bold. But above all, humble.

I remember meeting Goldie for the first time right after the 2012 Big Brother Africa show had concluded. I had gone to drop both Prezzo and Goldie to meet Prezzo’s Mum’s at her flat in Sandton, Johannesburg, to say hello.

When Goldie met Prezzo’s mum, she moved from being a sophisticated posh girl, to her knees to show respect and acknowledge being in the presence of someone she highly regarded. While this is traditional in many African cultures, it is not common practice. We all fell in love with her immediately.

We met a few more times after that, in South Africa and the United States. I personally admired how Goldie had mastered the art of being a modern African woman. She was proudly Nigerian, no doubt, yet the pop culture world she had embraced, had done nothing to erode her African values.

Goldie had a naturally nurturing nature, and she took care of those she cared about without a second thought. After spending a few days with her, you could tell this was a God fearing, well bred girl, and her future had the sky as the limit.

Goldie’s unexpected death is shocking. Africa has been robbed of a lady full of passion and a relentless spirit to change her own world, and the world of those who live in it for the better.

Last year, Goldie recorded this video for ONE. In it she expresses why the fight against HIV and AIDS starts with her. Goldie’s generosity lives on, May God Rest Her Soul in Eternal Peace.

A little swagger, a lot of heart: ONE Ambassador Prezzo

Oct 9th, 2012 2:00 PM UTC
By Malaka Gharib

Meet Prezzo, a rapper from Kenya with a big heart, great style and a positive attitude. He just won second place on the latest season of Big Brother Africa, earning him a gig as a ONE Ambassador, tickets to a Jay Z concert in New York City, and a trip to ONE’s Washington DC office.

As an ambassador, he will use his musical influence and star power in Africa to help raise awareness for ONE’s issues on a completely voluntary basis. He’s already done some awesome things for ONE — including designing this amazing “Swagger Farmer” shirt (which is available for purchase here) to help make the concept of farming cool to African youth.

We’ve been waiting for weeks for him to come to ONE’s office to meet the team and learn about our issues, and today was finally that day. In anticipation, we asked ONE members on Twitter and Facebook to submit questions for Prezzo, and we got some great ones from all corners of the globe.

After a short talk with ONE staff, I sat down and asked him a few of those questions. What surprised me was that 1) People knew all about Prezzo’s ambassadorship with ONE! 2) People were really interested in his love life and 3) People wanted to know how his advocacy would affect his music.

In addition to answering ONE members’ questions, he also treated us to a little show, freestyle rapping for ONE staffers (at 9 in the morning, no less!) Listen to it here:

Malaka: First of all — we’ve had about 10 ONE members ask about your relationship with Goldie, a musician from Africa who was also on this season of Big Brother Africa. They want to know: What’s going to happen between you and her?

Prezzo: Goldie is a beautiful person. We had a close relationship in the house, so I don’t see why we can’t have a close relationship outside the house. Everything has a reason. We just have to wait and see.

Peris Mugwe, via Facebook: What are you planning on doing with your “Swagger Farmer” idea?

I want to work hand-in-hand with ONE, and I am more than willing to put my contributions out there. I already came up with that slogan, “Swagger Farmer,” and hopefully it will attract a lot of people and youngsters. The more farmers we have, the less chances we have for Africans to suffer from malnutrition and poverty.

Jane Peter Mhina, via Facebook: Are you ready to commit yourself to your duties as a ONE ambassador?

I’m ready. I was born ready like Freddy. Like I said before — I look up to someone like Bono [ONE's co-founder] because he’s a celebrity with a good cause behind him. It’s good to give back. I’m here in the ONE Campaign office right now and we’re having a conversation on working toward a way forward. I am at ONE’s service.

A clip of Prezzo on Big Brother Africa:

@c_uzie, via Twitter: What impact do you hope to make in Kenya & Africa as a ONE Ambassador?

I am sure there are graphs of progress with the ONE Campaign. In my term, I want us to look at the graph and see some changes. I have a lot of friends who are musicians as well who can help spread the word across the continent. Thanks to Big Brother Africa, I have a wide net now. There’s a lot of change that can be made out there. I’m not going to be the one, but one of the people making the change. Together with the other artists and the youth, all they need is the opportunity.

Listen to a sample of Prezzo’s music here:

@paulanxtone via Twitter: Do we expect new songs from Prezzo as a way of creating awareness of extreme poverty and preventable disease?

Most definitely. I don’t think I should be sharing this with the whole world, but I am working with the same people that I was telling you about, my artist friends. With the Internet, you don’t need to be in the same room to record a collaboration. I want to get a few names from each and every country in Africa, have a theme, a song like “Heal the World” kind of theme, and join that together with Channel O [a music channel in Africa], MTV and ONE to help get the message across. I want to look at this as playing soccer. I’m the striker, you’re the keeper, everyone’s playing a role in it, and together the chances coming a winner is very high. I don’t want a one man show. If I have support from other people the message will be easily taken across.

@nyalolwe via Twitter: What do you think the youth can do to change corrupt leaders?

I think what the youth can do to make change is cast their votes wisely. Don’t cast your votes based on hearsay or what you’ve received from an individual. Don’t think just five years down the line. Think 10 years, three or four terms ahead. If you vote for the right leaders, we wont have to worry about the politicians, just other issues. The vote really matters.

Malaka: Which issues are you closest to? Why?

Back home, we have a lot of children’s homes. My mom and I normally give donations to a children’s home called Mama Fatuma every Friday, because it’s near the town where I grew up. There’s also a place called New Life Home, where I got two beautiful sisters and one brother. The kids from that home are brought there because parents think they are HIV-positive, but sometimes they end up being HIV-negative, thanks to medication and care. I believe that there is a god out there, and he is not going to let a child suffer because of a parent’s mistakes. God works in mysterious ways.

Malaka: Any last words for our ONE members?

Mine is really a statement: I’m happy and proud to be here. I was even happier when I saw people rocking the T-shirts [ONE staffers were wearing Prezzo's design when he walked into the ONE office]. I just want ONE members to know that I’m at your service. Whatever you guys would want from me, I’m just a phone call away. I’m very committed to the ONE Campaign and was waiting for an opportunity like this. God has given me a platform to prove what kind of individual Prezzo really is.

Got a question for Prezzo? Tweet it to him at @AMB_Prezzo or leave it in a comment below.

Take action now and sign the petition to break the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger once and for all. Stay strong, stay committed, stay hungry for change.

Big Brother Africa, Week ONE

Aug 8th, 2012 5:44 PM UTC
By Mzwandile Sibanda

Last week ONE partnered up with the Pan-African reality TV phenomenon Big Brother Africa for an exciting week.

As with previous Big Brother Africa seasons, the producers of the show sought out an issue, coupled with an organisation to dedicate a “task week” to, and this year it was ONE’s Thrive campaign.

Tuesday

To make sure we took advantage of this amazing opportunity we enlisted the help of the Nigerian music sensation 2Face Idibia to be our ambassador on the show.

He started off his week with ONE by being interview by The Times newspaper where discussed his reason for being in South Africa and the work he would be doing with ONE.

Big Brother Africa’s “task week” for the housemates begins on the Tuesday of every week, and so early in the morning Big Brother introduced the task, giving the housemates a brief about food security and the need for agriculture as a way to reduce poverty. As part of their brief housemates were told that they had to go hungry from morning to evening in solidarity with the millions of people on the continent who do not have enough to eat. They were told that the only vegetables they could use had to come from the ONE garden hey had been told to look after for the past 6 weeks. To round of the brief housemates were given ONE merchandise, and asked to help grow a new vegetable garden to show viewers how it can be done.

Towards the end of the day housemates were given a pleasant surprise, when 2Face entered  the house. Unspringing housemates were thrilled to engage with him, as he spoke to them about ONE’s Thrive campaign and our work. Just before leaving , he told the housemates he did not come alone, at which point a video shout out from ONE’s co-founder Bono, was played on the TVs in the house. It was clear from their reactions that this shout out really meant something to them, with even one of the housemates saying “…man I feel like a rock star”. After this, 2Face said his good byes and left the house mates to soak in all the happenings of the day.  Big Brother also introduced the housemates next task, which was to design a t-shirt that represented the Thrive Campaign and communicated the important message of the need to end hunger and famine in Africa.

2Face capped off his day with an interview with Channel O.

Wednesday

The day started off, the way the previous day ended with media interviews for the singer who is affectionately referred to as Tubaba. From the ONE office in Johannesburg 2Face was interviewed by Kenyan radio station Capital FM, Nigerian radio station Rhythm FM and The Guardian Nigeria.  After these interviews he headed off to the Pan-African radio station Channel Africa for a series of interviews to cap off his morning of media.

In the afternoon he paid the Kliptown Youth Programme a visit, where he learnt about their fantastic work. 2Face spoke about food security and the Thrive campaign and was treated to the legendary Gumboot dance performance, and closed out his visit by helping out with the youth food programme.

Before Tubaba could call it a day, he had one more stop to make at Metro FM for the Touch Down with Touch radio show.  As the two knew each other from before, Touch and Tubaba joked and laughed while still touching on the important issues 2Face was on hand to discuss, and even fielded calls in from the public.

All while 2Face was keeping busy outside the Big Brother House, inside the housemates kept themselves busy as they continued to work the garden project and their t-shirts. Throughout the day, they were treated to more surprise video shout outs of from Zolani of Freshly ground, the actor Michael Ealy and in-house DJ for the Ellen DeGeneres show Tony Okungbowa. All the shout outs were received well, but the Hollywood heartthrob Micheal Ealy made a notable impression on ladies of the house, who were clearly missing the outside world!

Thursday

In the Big Brother house, housemates were treated to a morning shout out from Kenyan music sensation Nameless. They then spent the rest of the day preparing their own individual presentation on what the Thrive campaign meant to them, with a focus on creative expression of their thoughts.  And in true Biggie (Big Brother) fashion, he kept the housemates entertained with more shout out from well known faces, this time with back to back shout outs from legendary rapper Nas and singer Melanie Fiona.

Outside of the house, Tubaba picked up food prepared by the Big Brother house mates that was to be delivered at a children’s home down the road from the Big Brother House in Johannesburg. After delivering the food 2Face made his return entrance into the house to watch the housemates’ as they gave some insightful and very creative presentation on what the Thrive campaign meant to them. Mr. Idibia said his final good byes and he exited the house, leaving Big Brother to draw a close to the Thrive task week.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Even though the ONE tasks were over housemates continued to tend the two gardens in the house wearing their ONE merchandise. It was fantastic to see that the Thrive campaign had really hit a cord with them, and as if to reward them Biggie had one more surprise up his sleeve. To the delight and surprise of housemates, Big Brother played a shout out from the Queen of Hip Hop Soul; Mary J Blige, where she called out all the housemates by name. The week ended with the Big Brother live eviction show, Big Brother’s most watched programme. During this, the Thrive week was recapped and was highlighted for those who may have missed week’s great moments and activities. A fitting way to cap off a fantastic and impactful week!

2Face visits Kliptown in Soweto

Jul 31st, 2012 10:57 AM UTC
By Remi Onabanjo

When Nigerian musical sensation, 2Face Idibia arrived in Johannesburg, the Big Brother Africa House wasn’t his only stop. Along with the ONE Africa team, he went into the heart of Soweto, South Africa’s largest township, to visit the Kliptown Youth Centre.

Founded in 2007, the Kliptown Youth Centre’s works to help children and adolescents in the surrounding area take control of their futures. While visiting the centre,  its director and co-founder Thulani Madondo, who was recently recognized as one of the CNN Heroes 2012 gave the group a walking tour of the facilities, and briefed 2Face on the numerous programs that they offer in the centre’s ever growing library.

2Face Idibia (front right) talks to Thulani Madondo (front left) at Kliptown Youth Centre

As Thulani explained the after school tutoring program and its use of One Laptop per Child, a unique technological initiative aimed at empowering children by providing them with low powered laptops, we could hear the distinct sound of children coming in on their way back from school, all excited to take part in everything the centre has to offer.

After meeting the main youth programmers, we were treated to another facet of the Kliptown Youth Centre: the talented and enthusiastic youth Gumboots dance group. Through their phenomenal performance, it was clear that the centre doesn’t only focus on nurturing the youth academically, but also allowing them to express themselves artistically. As the visit finished off, 2Face was able to personally help out with the food program by serving hot lunches to the school children. Although simple in design, this is one of the centre’s most important programs, as it ensures that each child that comes through has access to at least one balanced meal per day.

2Face Idibia with the Kliptown Youth Centre and ONE teams

At the end of the day, all those involved in the visit were extremely moved and inspired. 2Face was especially impressed, and stated how the centre was the embodiment of a true “positive initiative”. He acknowledged the hard work that the centre is doing in order to change the lives of youth in Kliptown, and actively wondered whether this could be done in other regions on the continent.

The admirable work of Thulani and his peers shows that in Kliptown, Soweto, people are definitely hungry for change.

Join them and become part of the movement!

Hungry for change in the Big Brother Africa house

Jul 27th, 2012 11:19 AM UTC
By Remi Onabanjo

This week, ONE has been a recognizable presence within the Big Brother Africa house. In weeks past, we have been in the backyard, in the THRIVE garden where the housemates harvested vegetables and produced compost. But that all changed early on Tuesday morning when the contestants were told to fast an entire day, save for what they had produced in the Thrive garden. This challenge was set to symbolize the millions of Africans who suffer from hunger and malnutrition everyday while also emphasizing the usefulness of farming one’s own food.

Although the Big Brother housemates weren’t exactly ecstatic at the idea of going without food for a day, they took the task seriously. And they were duly rewarded with many personal shout-outs from ONE celebrity ambassadors, such as South African songstress Zolani Mahola, Kenyan music sensation Nameless, and even ONE’s co-founder Bono. These messages encouraged the housemates to stay hungry for change”—words  that they definitely took to heart.

Taking things to the next level, Nigerian superstar 2Face Idibia made a personal visit to the house, and gave everyone the shock of their lives. Although at one point Ugandan housemate Janette got 2Face to sing her a few bars from “African Queen”, he made sure that the conversation stayed focused on the issue at hand. Right now, 31 million Africans and 12 million children can be saved from poverty and stunted growth respectively by 2015. This can be achieved by raising awareness, making smart investments in agriculture, and holding African leaders accountable, all significant aspects of ONE’s Thrive campaign. While in the house, 2Face made sure to communicate this message to the housemates and answered all of their questions about ONE and the campaign.

In the wake of 2Face’s visit, the energy and enthusiasm among the housemates was palpable. The housemates have been busy preparing food that will be hand-delivered by 2Face to a children’s home in the surrounding Johannesburg area. Their energy is also being harnessed towards designing their own ONE t-shirts, all of which are distinct, creative, and sporting inspiring messages. One of the designs will be selected, and the housemate who wins the competition will not be disappointed with the reward we have in store.

All in all, the Big Brother Africa contestants are demonstrating that it’s possible for anyone to make a difference by supporting the Thrive campaign towards the eradication of hunger and malnutrition on the continent.

They are definitely hungry for change. If you are too, join the movement by signing our petition.

Stay strong, stay committed, stay hungry for change.

Nameless: Use the opportunity to say no to hunger and yes to food security

Jul 26th, 2012 4:24 PM UTC
By Mzwandile Sibanda

Kenyan Music legend David Mathenge, AKA Nameless, popped into the Big Brother Africa house via video this morning to remind the house mates to keep staying hungry for change.

Watch his message here:

His song “Ninanoki” broke Kenyan chart records by staying at number one for 110 days, and he was named as one of Kenya’s 100 most influential people by the Standard newspaper. In 2009 he won MTV Africa Music Awards – Artist of The Year, Best Male & Listener’s Choice.

Nameless has carved out a special space for himself in the African music industry since his debut in 1999, and continues to be of the most important voices of his generation.

Join Nameless in taking action right now.

2Face’s message to the Big Brother Africa House

Jul 25th, 2012 11:28 AM UTC
By Wangui Muchiri

Yesterday African music sensation 2Face Idibia visited the Big Brother Africa House as the housemates stood in solidarity with the hundreds of millions of Africans who go hungry every day.

Watch his message here:

Speaking at the house 2Face said:

“My brothers and sisters, we might live in different countries but we are united in the belief that that no one in Africa should go hungry, much lesssuffer famine. Not in 2012, and not in a continent as rich in natural resources, human capacity and ingenuity as Africa. Housemates, you are the future of Africa. And what you do could inspire a new generation of young Africans who, with you,will be the change we want to see. Stay strong, stay committed, stay hungry for change.”

Throughout the week 2Face and others will encourage us all to be hungry for change and support of ONEs Thrive campaign, boldly calling for progress in the fight against hunger, poverty and malnutrition on the continent. They will present the Big Brother housemates with creative challenges to promote this vital issue for the continent throughout this much-watched week.

You can join them by signing our pledge here.

This is just the start of a series of ONE activities that the Big Brother housemates will be involved in this week, so keep an eye on the ONE Africa Blog for more news.

Express composting

Jul 25th, 2012 11:07 AM UTC
By Guest Blogger

Stephan Meyer, ONE’s expert gardener who is responsible for setting up the box garden in the Big Brother Africa house, continues his series of gardening tips.

In the previous post “Organic Box Gardening” we discussed organic gardening and what it actually means. We mentioned that an important step in successful organic gardening is “feeding your soil”.

The ONE garden in the Big Brother house

This week we will teach you how to make your own compost pile from scratch. You don’t have to be a professional gardener to do this, all you need is perseverance. The more effort you put in, the faster you see results.

A lot of professionals will tell you that you need brown composting matter for Carbon and green composting  matter for Nitrogen. They will also say that the composition ratio between brown and green should be 30:1. You might ask yourself, “does that mean I need to cut down a tree to make compost?” The answer is simply no.

*Jargon buster*:

Brown composting materials are woody materials that are high in carbon, such as; peat, moss, sawdust hay and straw. While green composting materials are high in nitrogen, such as; garden refuse, food scraps, and manure.

Organic Box Gardening

Jul 5th, 2012 11:05 AM UTC
By Guest Blogger

In the second of our series, Stephan Meyer, ONE’s expert gardener who is responsible for setting up the Box Garden in the Big Brother Africa house, explains how we can grow and thrive organically.

As the green revolution is fast spreading, and people are becoming more conscious of sustainable living and development, you too can do your bit with organic gardening and growing.

What does growing plants organically mean? It does not mean, leaving your garden to its own devices and allowing it to be ruined by weeds and pests.  Instead it means not using synthetic products, including pesticides and fertilisers.

So how do you do it?

Step 1- feeding your soil and feeding your plants.

Ideally all natural nutrients taken out of the soil must be replaced. Unfortunately this is actually easier said than done; therefore the key is perseverance rather than skill.

• Compost: Feeding your soil decomposed organic matter can add beneficial nutrients to the soil and improve soil structure, thus creating an ideal habitat for beneficial microbes and organisms like earthworms.
• Nitrogen fixing crops: Rotate your crops by planting nitrogen fixing species from the legume family such as alfalfa or clover grass, peas, beans, lentils or peanuts. This is done in order to replenish nitrogen levels in an area that has been depleted of nitrates by heavy feeders like vegetables.
• Organic Fertiliser:  The above mentioned factors will help you to create an ideal growing medium, but all plants will need some extra nutrients. This can be done by adding organic fertiliser; examples include natural dry deposits like rock phosphate, and/ or plant products such as sea weed and wood ash. Alternatively liquid concentrates of organic fertilisers that contain most of the essential nutrients are available from all garden centres and can be used instead of the dry fertilisers.Synthetic fertilisers will shorten the time between planting and harvest. It is for that reason alone, that the Big Brother House mates are using it, instead of organic fertiliser as duration of the show is obviously limited. For the rest of us however, we can  put in the extra time and effect to produce a more natural, sustainable and responsible end product.

Step 2- Pest management “The Friendly Way”

• Organic Pesticides: these products are extracted or harvested from natural sources, and are in most cases not harmful to the environment.   The breaking down of pesticides into a simpler and less effect form happens much quicker when using organic pesticides. It is therefore important to apply the pesticide more frequently in order to have a lasting effect. The most readily available products on the markets are Extract of Neem, Diatomaceous earth and Beauveria bassiana.These products are also being used by the Big Brother house mates with great success.

• Companion planting: In nature there are thousands of different plants and animals at work. When people plant species they tend to only choose those that are preferred for their fruit, colour or scent, and not those that support beneficial insects. A long term strategy for keeping pests at bay is companion planting, this is an approach were by you create diversity i.e. an alternative habitat, shelter and food source for beneficial inserts to establish in your garden.  These predators (beneficial insects) will feed on the pests (non-beneficial insects) in your garden, thus eliminating your pest problem. In order to do this, you will need to find out what pests you are most likely to get, and then choose plants based on their ability to support the predators and /or repel pests with their un-attractive smell, taste or colour.The Big Brother house mates planted onions that repel plant-eating insects like aphids, ants and Flea beetles. It is unknown if it is the odour that repels pests or masks the scent of plants that the pests seek!

• Trap planting: A trap crop is a plant that you will plant in your garden to attract the pests away from the crop you want to harvest and eat. Just like humans, insects have a preference to what they want to eat.  By planting rows or patches of a trap crop near your desired vegetable crop the pests will be more attracted to the trap crop, thus your vegetable crop will in most cases be safe from attack.  Nothing will be harvested from the trap crop as it is only there to keep your main crop “safe” from the pests.Some plants can act either as a companion or a trap crop where as others can be both. This is why it is critical to do research on the crops you want to grow i.e. pests and diseases the crop attracts before deciding on the companion/trap crop you want to plant. There is a vast amount of choices, from flowering plants, fruits and veg, to trees, grasses and herbs.

Check out the ONE Africa blog for more tips from Stephan next week.

Growing the “Box Garden” with Stephan and the ONE Africa Team: Week 1

Jun 15th, 2012 9:30 AM UTC
By Mzwandile Sibanda

As part of our Thrive campaign in the Big Brother Africa House, we are providing some gardening tips from our very own expert gardener; Stephan (right), the man responsible for setting up the “Box Garden” that is currently in the house.

This is the first of a weekly series of gardening tips that Stephan and the ONE Africa team will be sharing with you all, and of course the Big Brother House mates.

Tips for “Box Garden” growing

The “Box Garden” is the box pictured below with the ONE and Thrive insignia, and it is normally used by people who either are working in confined spaces and/ or have bad or no soil.

This specific Box Garden is filled with a blend of sand, loam soil, compost and peat moss, and herein will be referred to as the growth medium. These tips are appropriate for various species of root vegetables, which will mature at some stage and then can be harvested.

How to grow vegetables successfully in your Box Garden

Feeding your vegetables

Regular watering is as important to growing vegetables as is sunlight, without a regular source of water; vegetables will not grow to their full potential. In some cases vegetables such tomatoes may even split if they absorbed a great deal of water in a short period of time, after being starved of water. Regular watering means two to three times a week.

Using fertilisers on your vegetables may improve the quality of your plants and accelerate their growing time. It is suggested that you use a mixture of fertiliser stock and fertiliser from a sachet, as this is what the Big Brother Africa house mates are doing. If you choose to do this, then you should add one sachet of fertiliser to 50ml of the stock solution, and then add that mixture to 10L of water. You should spray the plants no more than twice a week, spraying must be done after watering of the plants.

Protecting your vegetables

As it is winter here in South Africa, and certain areas are prone to frosting over at night, it is important to cover the plants overnight.  White cheese cloth is suggested as an appropriate overnight cover; ensure you pull the cloth over the whole box to cover the plants once the sun has set.

Weeding

Vegetables by their nature do not like to compete with weeds for nutrients and water.  If you are starting out with a semi-sterilised medium then you are at an advantage, as is the case with the Big Brother house mates. Regardless, it is critical to prevent weeds growing in your box; any which are found should be removed.

For your Information;

Crop species in the Big brother Africa garden

• Lettuce (Red Butter)

• Lettuce (Green Butter)

• Spring Onions

• Onions

• Swiss Chard

• Spinach

• Baby Cabbage (Red Rookie)

• Cauliflower

• Broccoli

• Squash

• Parsley

Check out the ONE Africa Blog next week for more tips!