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Steve Harvey with one of the guests

We are now approaching a busy season for weddings and this means all the reality shows that deal with weddings now have some content to present. Earlier last year US musician Adam Levine and his Maroon 5 band mates caused a stir with their music video for “Sugar” where they acted as wedding surprise acts. The band walks into a series of venues, seemingly unnoticed, and sets up their performance equipment behind a curtain on stage.The curtain drops, and we see a shocked bride and groom confused by the fact that Maroon 5 is playing at their wedding.

Later then we saw the birth of “Our Perfect Wedding” a television show on DSTV, Mzansi Magic channel 161 while Zimbabwe had its own share of the reality shows.

The shows are turning out to be most controversial reality shows, even getting more dramatic than most soapies and movies.

For a start, two months ago some locals were angered by one of the episode on “Our Perfect Wedding” — ‘gold digger’ after it emerged that the groom’s family and friends had snubbed him after they labelled the bride, a Zimbabwean, a gold digger.

The wedding was the first interracial wedding on OPW with Martin, 56, marrying his long time love Tafadzwa, 34.

The couple met at a bar where Tafadzwa worked and it took some time before she could fall in love.

For Martin on the other hand, it was that first-sight type of attraction.

The couple said they had faced many obstacles during the course of their relationship, but nothing would stop them from getting married.

“I’m not gonna take any nonsense from anyone about this relationship,” said Martin.

Martin’s brother shut him out of his life when he started dating Tafadzwa.

According to him (the brother) and a few other people, Tafadzwa was a gold digger.

The brother had also frozen Martin’s funds to try and prevent him from marrying his lady.

This is what riled many viewers who were moved as the groom — Martin cut a lonely figure at the wedding ceremony, even as he was dressing.

But after the uproar, one of Martin’s brothers, Jeremy Milani has stepped forward to protest the ‘unfair’ criticism.

This by the way is not the focus this week but it is a support of that our local should be original.

I took time watching our version — “I Do” which is somehow interesting but lacks depth.

It is more of like we just watching a wedding video.

There is no clear analysis of the wedding.

The presenter is just giving us highlights of what is coming thus taking the job of the master of ceremony.

What baffles me most is that the show lacks coordination with those interviewed.

The presenter should take the viewers on the road to wedding, what inspired it, the challenges and the best scenes.

I am not saying it should be like a South African version but we are still to find the difference because this is more or less the same.

Should the show act as a wedding guide?

On to DSTV, last Friday we saw the première of “Little Big Shots” on M-Net channel 101.

This new variety series is produced by two of the biggest names in comedy: talk-show queen Ellen DeGeneres and funnyman Steve Harvey.

“Little Big Shots” is a nine-part comic family-friendly series which airs every Monday to Friday.

The show is hosted by Steve Harvey, the multi-talented entertainer, best-selling author and popular television host whose good synergy and dynamic personality brings out the best interviews and performances from the talented young musicians, singers, dancers and more.

By the way “Little Big Shots” is not a competition, but a funny, feel-good show which celebrates the uniqueness of children in the USA.

Let’s see who among the kids is the intelligent and creative of them all.

However, Multichoice continues to put spotlight on Africa’s story tellers.

According to Multichoice Zimbabwe public relations, Liz Dziva, MultiChoice Africa will put Africa’s compelling storytellers on centre stage to commemorate Africa Day on May 25.

Remember it is the hope you feel in a rousing melody on The Voice: Nigeria, the joy in an electrifying ululation on Hotel Majestic, the contentment in a soothing hum of a mother on Tinsel, the love exuded as a couple celebrates their union on “Our Perfect Wedding”, it’s the euphoria of watching the home football team qualify for the AFCON 2017 tournament and the shock of an irreverent joke made by the Zambezi News trio.

There’s no denying that African stories on DStv trigger a variety of feelings and throughout May, MultiChoice Africa will put Africa’s compelling storytellers on centre stage to commemorate Africa Day on May 25.

Over the past few years, MultiChoice Africa has observed this occasion by highlighting Africa’s notably rich history and by investing in the growth of the continent’s entertainment industry through its focus on home-grown channels which are available on the DStv platform. This is evident in the growing number of locally-produced, quality programmes available on the hyper local free-to-air channels and local channels including Zambezi Magic, Mzansi Magic, Mzansi Bioskop and Mzansi Music and eight Africa Magic channels.

MultiChoice Africa recently celebrated the continents’ outstanding on-screen talent at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs) in Lagos, Nigeria where 26 winners from Southern, East and West Africa were recognised for their outstanding achievements in the African film and TV industry.

Other storytellers that MultiChoice gives recognition to for their stellar work in sharing Africa stories inspired by Africa and its people are the media whom are also acknowledged through the annual CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Awards for their hard work and commitment to sharing stories that help develop the continent. The organisation also has some exciting initiatives in the pipeline that will further emphasise MultiChoice’s commitment to broadening its strategy of local content discovery and acquisition in Africa.