Prior to Telemundo, Zeeworld, B4U movies and Televista graced our screens with foreign soaps, there were lots of Nigerian soaps such as “Checkmate”, “Cock crow at dawn”, “Village Headmaster”, and even “New Masquerade” that even kids who were born in the late 80s to mid – 90s could remember watching with so much passion.
The influx of foreign soaps to Nigerian screens began when the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) began to air the series “The Rich also cry”, “Secrets of the sand” with the most popular ones such as “When you are mine”, “The gardener’s daughter”, “Catalina and Sebastian” being shown on another Nigerian station. This paved the way for more foreign soaps.
With the creation of foreign channels by various satellite television companies, it doesn’t look as if the craze for foreign soaps will die down anytime soon as shown by the responses given by a cross section of Nigerians.
Vicky Mary Emmanuel, an undergraduate believes that with foreign soap operas, you’ll be ‘glued’ to your TV screen because “it keeps you engaged all through unlike Nigerian soaps which just look for excuses to burn time”. “Foreign soap operas make sure every episode brings up a challenge or issue that keep you glued but Nigerian soaps, they just want to keep the time running. And they don’t even have a good story line”.
Emmanuel added that the foreign soap operas try to get into the audience’s head, feel how they feel and give them an emotion to feel but that of Nigeria just want a good story.
Concurring with Emmanuel, Augusta Okonta says she prefers foreign soap opera because of the sarcasm, the suspense “and the story line is always different from the previous one. You will always see different faces in each soap opera. And they are always unpredictable. That’s where the fun lies. I love telemundo but can’t stand watching zee world”.
Speaking on why she detests Zeeworld, Okonta said “Their stories are rubbish. It doesn’t go beyond the women always being in control of their household, with the men as the victims. The story line is always the same. No action, no sarcasm it’s just dry”.
However Vou Jugu has a contrary opinion as she says she love Nigerian soaps. “Nigerian soaps are more realistic. It gives us the real idea of what is happening around us.
Patience Steven however loves watching foreign soaps because of their story line which she describes as authentic. “It is because of the authenticity of the movie, that is why I watch them. From the beginning to the end the storyline. It is more realistic compared to our Nigerian soaps”.
Amaoge Mercy Omenye who considers her life a soap opera says it depends on what she’s in the mood for. “So I wouldn’t spend time watching things on TV that I can see in my own backyard. I also appreciate originality and talent e.g. I like Jenifa’s diary. I think it’s cool, especially since Funke speaks really cool English in real life. Mostly though, I enjoy foreign soaps because it’s always a new experience, the really good ones anyway”.
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