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Couch Potato with Tafadzwa Zimoyo
What a week it was for Zimbabweans of all walks of life, with the Harare Agricultural Show, the Toni Braxton and Davido concerts, Judgment Night among other activities taking place this past weekend. If I owned a TV station I could have filmed all this, in fact it was a chance to make money giving them space as it was closer home.

Who would have said no?

It was a time for Zimbabwe to prove to the world that we are indeed a hospitable country, contrary to the negative picture that is often projected by the country’s detractors to the outside world. For television viewers, there were loads of events to tune into and true to what has become the norm for the national broadcaster, ZBC, they made sure that there was something for everyone on screen.

Attention-seeking or serious business!!!

Last week I was one of those people who had a good time on the couch following some of these proceedings. Then I couldn’t help but note that some new talk-shows have all of a sudden flooded the screen and most of these are by some personalities and celebrities who in most cases always grab every opportunity to be in the limelight.

Not that talk-shows are in any way a bad thing, since it means that more ideas will now be shared and advice offered. But the question here is: “Is everyone qualified to be a talk-show host and does everyone always have something to offer with everyone simply because they are some celebrity of some sort?”

But maybe with reality shows becoming the future of TV we should get ready for more attention-seeking personalities in showbiz. I also had a privilege to attend the Zimbabwe Modelling Awards at Crowne Plaza, where the Prima donnas of this land were showing off what they are made of.

According to the Urban Dictionary, a Prima Donna is a person that is considered vain, temperamental and, or conceited. In short a diva. However, that night looked like the odds were stacked against the divas as the humble walked away with awards, while the attention-seekers mostly went home empty handed. Maybe the meek will inherit the earth after all.

Food for thought, even the Bible says “ . . . humble yourself before the Lord, he will lift you up . . . ” Enough of this, back to reality. In January last year, socialite Makosi Musambasi started her own talk-show named after her, “Makosi Today”’. Others questioned if she was doing it for the purpose of entertaining and educating people or she was simply doing it to grab attention for herself.

Pokello Nare also developed a tendency of always making her way into the headlines after the ultimate Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton sex tape leak. She has stayed in our faces with her “Big Brother Africa” stint and her subsequent relationship with Elikem. It has been rumoured that the couple is working on a reality show and we will keep a close eye on that situation.

Over the sea, Kim Kardashian is also another celeb who has evidently inspired some of our personalities when they appear on TV and try to act and dress in the attention-seeking style that has become a part of her character. Paris Hilton knows how to seek and grab attention, often posting her instagram photos and videos for people to watch.

Who can take away the same crown from Lady Gaga whose bizarre and outrageous costumes border on the weirder and darker side that is normally associated with horror and science fiction movies. As TV is not the only medium of film these days we also turn to attention getters who post videos on Youtube and Facebook.

Prominent businessman, Phillip Chiyangwa is also one person who makes sure that he leaves a lasting impression whenever he appears in public or on the screen. Still recall the incident in which Chiyangwa went and threw money along one street in Harare, where people had a party as they scrambled for the cash?

He is currently making waves as he is seen dancing his heart out at one of his progeny’s wedding. In similar fashion is another mogul, Wicknell Chivhayo, who can’t help but brag about his wealth. He once described himself as one of the richest young people in Zimbabwe, and at one point appeared in many newspapers telling the world about his loads of cash.