Finally, a true effort at cultural understanding. After decades of documenting lions, elephants, and war atrocities as the most interesting parts of the African continent, a new channel turns to the showcasing of the actual Africans – you know the people that live there.

Now TV One has a new ally in the battle to not let BET be the soul representation of our people … sort of. Form the clips it appears to be a reflection of US media’s impact on the entertainment of African countries. Their reality shows and soap operas are still reality shows and soaps – not many of which are worthy of air time here in America. Don’t get me wrong, an African Family Feud not involving the sale of the losers to rich Europeans would be nice.

Being black in a majority Black city, as a child and teenager I’ve been force fed hundreds of hours and thousands of pages on African history. Mainly to augment the educational bias my parents suffered in the fifties and sixties: “You were slaves, then Lincoln came and set your people free. So, don’t you owe the white man some thanks.”  My generation had the Civil Right struggle to study plus Roots and the titillating saga of Shaka Zulu - 85% nudity in a prime time mini-series will lock the attention of many a teenager. contemporary African entertainment would be a welcomed glimpse into the present of our cousins.

Their TV could be worse: Confused, their version of Lost,  would portray survivors of an African cruise somehow becoming stranded in a rural Mississippi community. Unable to speak the language, and having their native tongues confused for some new Ebonics variant, they must try to get home while being treated like American Blacks and avoid the plots of the white robed Others whom have secretedly revived the Confederacy.  

That’s actually an interesting idea. I’d watch it if J.J. Abrams didn’t write it.

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