Arinze, Onyeabor unite for ‘The Heroes’

 Popular actor Segun Arinze and director Ifeanyi Onyeabor are joining forces for a new reality TV show called The Heroes: Back to the Roots.

Obviously Nigeria’s first cultural reality TV show, “The Heroes: Back to the Roots,” is also set to commence auditions at the twelve designated centres nationwide. This was made known in Lagos by the producer of the realty TV show, Chinyere Ogbukagu of De Havillah Timeless Productions, Jos.

According to her, prospective participants at the reality TV show are to obtain the form at all branches of the First City Monument Bank nationwide by paying into the Havillah Timeless account, with which they can attend auditions at the centres listed against the dates on the show’s website.

The host of the show, Segun Arinze, a Nollywood star, said he was ready to take the final 37 contestants who would emerge from the various states of the federation and the FCT into the house for the specific tasks which would stem from their deep knowledge of the Nigerian culture.

Technical director of the production, who is Nollywood filmmaker, Ifeanyi Onyeabor had this to say about the show which would avail winners with SUV, cash prizes and movie roles: “A people without culture are like a people without a past, a foundation. Culture is a veritable medium for galvanising a people predicated on attitudinal behaviours, dress sense, foods, ways of life, heroics and visionary latitudes. This reality show therefore, is an expository presentation to the front burner that will drive cultural content until sustenance and to largely put an end to the alarming drift to the doldrums, as many youth are alien to their culture and resultantly, roots. A disproportionate but shocking percentage of the youth, do not know how to cook, speak their native languages, be identified through dressing, distances from their roots and foundational past as a people linked with the apron strings of culture. It is disastrous to imagine that the release on the British Broadcasting Corporation a few years ago, on the imminent extinction of most Nigeria Languages could hold sway, if concerted efforts were not made, to halt the drift. Furthermore, most youths do not understand or know their cultural dances, traditional farming implements and methods, engage in commodity trade in their ethnic Languages just as the French do. A resurgence of our culture will bring in its wake the showcasing of the tourism potentials inherent in our various geo – political zones and therefore promote tourism in our nation-state Nigeria, proudly present our rich cultural heritage and tell our story, as a people and precipitate unity and homogeneity in diversity.

Such tourism sites could be found in Jos, Plateau State with the water falls (Kura and Asop falls), the beautiful and rocky terrain with its clement weather conditions; Minna, Niger State with the Guara falls and Kainji Dam, to mention a few. Therefore, as a people, there is the need for identifying with this reality show, which is geared towards achieving the issues and instill bonding”.