NB: This article was written 18 months from this day of posting. I just did a minor revision before posting it on this blog page.
"A Celebrity is a person who is widely honoured and acclaimed by people"
The making of a celebrity is a process that involves the people that claim the individual as a celebrity. Essentially, one cannot be a celebrity in a certain community without the support of a large representation of the citizens of that community. Thus, a celebrity is well known and accepted in the community. Obsession, however, is different from acceptance and recognition, these are normal. Obsession is irrational.
It can be readily observed that obsession with celebrities increase when people experience hardships such as heartbreaks, riots, war or recession. Human nature dictates that people look for an escape during times of turmoil. This escape does not mean a change of location but rather an activity they can fall back on to take their minds off the troubles and harsh realities. These activities are often sports and games, music, radio and television. Invariably, people tend to associate themselves to the popular figures of the activity, the celebrities. Often, they resolve to discuss the lives of their favourite celebrities; to set their minds away from the harsh conditions which they face.
Also, a popular way of settling a dispute between two parties is to involve a third party which both conflicting parties know and respect. In times of war and riots within a country, concerts and other activities involving celebrities are organised. This is usually in a bid to create some form of unity and bonding between parties. A popular example of this in Nigeria was the Festival of Arts and Culture in the 70’s, which came up soon after the Nigerian civil war. It involved bringing arts and artistes from the conflicting societies of Nigeria together under one exhibition. Also, peace concerts and rallies involving celebrities are often useful in calming nerves during turmoils. The effect of the Tuface Idibia concert in 2009 on the Jos inter-ethnic conflicts was highly noticeable. Another celebrity show which had immense benefit was the Kanu Nwankwo football fest which involved football stars from within and outside the nation.
Celebrities tend to direct their work and art to represent the harsh realities being faced by the people. This increases the admiration people have for them. It gives the feeling that even those admired in high places and positions feel the suffering of the masses and general populace. The desire for a steady place in one’s life often leads one to assume a celebrity as a model of virtue. One gets drawn to believing the lyrics of the song or the script of the play being depicted by the celebrity. The uplifting derived from associating with the act of the celebrity leads gradually leads to a fondness of the celebrity and an obsession with the celebrity.
Though the obsession with celebrities in Nigeria is much less than that in the western world, one cannot ignore the presence of such obsession. The appreciation of celebrity is growing as a result of the increasing television and social networking culture. Programs such as Big Brother Africa, Tinsel, Naija Sings, and Nigerian Idol continually breed celebrity. Also, the growth and increased acceptance of the football, home video and music industries in Nigeria contribute greatly to the celebrity acceptance.
Recognition, respect and loyalty to a celebrity are acceptable. However, a firm line needs to be drawn to ensure that actions resulting from these are not irrational, especially in adolescents. A recent example of such obsession and irrationality is the self wrist-cutting by fans of Justin Bieber over alleged use of ‘weed’ by the celebrity.
