BB FANS

MY LOVELY friend Cherise Makubale is visiting Scotland for the first time this weekend and we met up in a rather damp Glasgow — a far cry from the hot conditions Cherise is used to in her native Zambia.

Cherise was the winner of Big Brother Africa in 2003. We became pals when I was spirited away to their house that year.

I’ve always urged her to come and see my country and the perfect opportunity presented itself when her sister Charlotte, who lives in Surrey, got married earlier this month.

There’s a lot of catching up to do, and I was impressed to learn that Cherise has been using her fame and influence from Big Brother to do charity work in Africa.

Recognised

The programme was broadcast throughout the continent, so you can imagine what the ratings were like. She’s widely recognised and has travelled extensively throughout the region.

Celebrities in Africa are regarded as having a duty to speak on behalf of the voiceless.

As a result she has been made a goodwill ambassador by the Zambian government, which means she has access to government institutions.
She’s concentrating on disabled and children’s issues and has been lobbying companies for funds to build a disabled centre in Zambia.

It’s an exciting project and I feel very proud of all she has been able to achieve

Sunday Post

Aww - how sweet! They do suit together well, don't they?

Yes!

I didn't realise; that's interesting. It's a good 'use' of celebrity. I know many over here do that too, although many more don't.

All celebrities over here teach us is that it's okay to screw around with the Nanny.

Bit of a sweeping statement Babybelle. Isn't the Loos.e woman a celebruty?

All she taught us was how to molest pigs (the ones with two legs as well as four). I was thinking more of Jude Law though when I said about the nannies.

There are celebrities here who do good things, I suppose. It's hard to see some of them as good role models though when they go on stage at an event like Live 8 and they're quite obviously high.

You're right Babybelle. Trouble is that people are set up to be role models - they don't often set THEMSELVES up to be such.

Interesting point of view. There are professions where we expect that people are 24/7 role models, or used to expect (of course the expectations has grown from the fact that people has set these professions up to be role models): teachers, police-officers, politicians, firefighters, priests, physical education instructors etc. They won't be every day on the covers of the magazines or in TV shows, but they are real role models near everybody, every day. Even our own parents are role models. When they have chosen to study profession like that and accepted to work in a profession like that, I think that they've set themselves up to be role models.

That's right Mari A - for me the 'role model' definition of a politician would be slightly different but the other occupations you mention are notmally everybody's idea of what role models are. Generally speaking, when shmelebrities and the like are held up as role models, either it doesn't work at all, or it works for a bit and then goes horribly wrong.

But anyway, teenagers needs role models and they don't usually choose their parents to be one at certain age. They usually have role models (in good and bad behaviour) that are their friends or celebs. And that's an age that needs special attention from those people that have been set up to be role models and a realistic idea of the responsibility how everything that a celeb does or don't do effects to the behaviour of these teenagers.

And if a celeb and a role model is behaving well, it gives hope to other adults that world isn't yet that bad place to grow children and live.

And we did have an article on newspaper recently about african womens place in their families as well. It said that every second Zambian woman says that they are assaulted by men and the situation is alike to every third Nigerian and Namibian woman. And women thinks that they deserve it! (What kind of world we are living in? ) In Zimbabwes capital, Harare, every six from out of seven murders are caused by family-assaulting. They still have an islamic law in Nigeria where husbands are allowed to discipline their wifes violentally.

Did you ask Cherise, that are this kind of knowledge true? If they are, they really need female celeb to do charity work and be role model. She really needs to speak behalf of women and children over there !

Cherise just texted to say that she's arrived home safely and that she had a great time in Britain.

Aww, that's good to hear, thanks Cameron.

I'll try to email a couple of photos to Christine to post on the thread - I'm not that technical, as she knows!