By TOYOSI OGUNSEYE, Published: Sunday, 6 Dec 2009



TRANSGENIC CREATURE


A popular Yoruba TV programme, Labeorun, is being called to question by its viewers after a claim that it wrongly presented a transgenic creature last month, writes TOYOSI OGUNSEYE

PATRICIA Piccinini is a celebrated artist. Being an international sculptor, she is not new to controversy and criticisms that are akin to the art world, Nigeria inclusive.

Wherever she may be, the Australian will be surprised that one of her works, The Young Family, which received rave reviews, is generating controversy in the country. But she may not be pleased if she finds out circumstances surrounding this controversy.

The Young Family, a 2003 Piccinini work, presents a transgenic creature. According to the artist, the inspiration behind the sculpture is the belief that other species have growing human organs. She was quoted as saying on her website, www.patriciapiccinini.net that,

”I wanted to address the reality of the creatures themselves in a very compassionate way, and show a very beautiful image of motherhood.

”As you can see, she (the sculpture) is really caring towards her children and worried about them. The question I raise, that I am interested in, relates to the distinction between human and animal characteristics, not so much her humanity, but the ‘animalness‘ in us.

”Perhaps we share traits with her, the fundamental trait of looking after your offspring, your babies. I am interested in the kind of ways that we look at the many ethical issues that surround medical technologies.

”There are two kinds of people who are thinking about these issues; those who are objective observers, and those that are actually affected by the issues, such as somebody who has a family member who is affected by a disease.

”These two viewpoints are often very different. It is impossible to be objective about these issues when you are emotionally involved, but I don‘t think that is a bad thing.”

There are however allegations that a popular television presenter, Mr. Segun Adisa, ‘got involved‘ with the sculpture in other ways than suggested by Piccinini.

A journalist, Olusegun Mokuolu, told SUNDAY PUNCH, that Adisa, the producer of the programme, Labeorun, which is syndicated on some national TV stations, used the sculpture to deceive the public. But Adisa has refuted this allegation.

According to Mokuolu, the producer, in a particular episode in October 2009, allegedly presented footage of the sculpture and allegedly claimed that a hunter living within the boarder of Nigeria and Republic of Benin found the strange creature.

Mokuolu said, ”If you think everything being presented on our TV stations is true, you have to think again.

”In the month of October, on MITV (Channel 135 on DSTV), viewers were deceived on a scale that can only be imagined. The programme was Labeorun, a Yoruba genre about strange happenings in the society.

”People are usually drawn to the programme because of the strange stories and footage,” said Mokuolu. ”The presenters usually claim they are using the programme to sanitize the public and make them aware of the evil schemes going on around them. In a particular episode in October, the presenter, Segun Adisa, said that a hunter living along the border of Nigeria and Republic of Benin found a strange creature.

”The creature, he claimed, was half woman, half dog. Then the footage was shown in a rather fraudulent manner; the footage was not clear and did not last long enough.

”An image looking like dog and woman was seen with half babies, half puppies by its side. Adisa claimed afterwards that the creature had moved to the Republic of Benin. End of story.

”He must have thought that he has done a great show and can go home to rest. This is not going to be. In my recent research on the Internet, I discovered the image Adisa was claiming to be a strange creature was actually a sculpture by (Patricia) Piccinini. The human-like sow and her offspring are a sculpture entitled, The Young Family by artist/sculptor (Patricia) Piccinini, shown as part of her We Are Family exhibition in 2003.”

In his response, Adisa said the allegations were false. He said, ”When we showed it, we said that people sent it to our electronic mail from the Internet. That was what we said during the programme. We never said that a hunter found the creature between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. It‘s not true that I said that. It was one reporter that wrote that it was found between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, but we said that we got it from the Internet.”

Another ardent viewer of the programme, Mrs. Tayo Emmanuel, said she remembered the episode of the programme vividly. ”I watched in it October and I remember that the image of a half dog, half human being was shown with its puppies who were also deformed. I also recall that the presenter said the creature was found by a hunter between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin,” she says.

Emmanuel‘s claim was buttressed by that of Mr. Tajudeen Suleiman, who does not miss the programme. Suleiman said, ”Ever since my girlfriend drew my attention to the programme, I‘ve never missed it. In fact, I call it my Sunday tonic because of the human angle stories the presenter features.

”I also learn a lot of lessons from it. I remember that October episode of a half woman, half dog with its puppies who were also half human. I took the photograph of the creatures with my phone because I was intrigued by it. I had never seen anything like that before.

”The presenter said the creatures were found by a hunter along the Nigeria/Republic of Benin border, where they were hiding. I even remember that the creatures were breathing.”

Adisa however insisted that he did not say the transgenic creatures were found by a hunter in Nigeria or the Republic of Benin. He stressed, ”I never said so. I said we got it from the Internet.”

The presenter of the show is a bloody liar. Showing a picture recieved from the internet in 'Labeoroun' as a strange happening is not in line with the concept of the programme.

He should abeg spin another lie.

I prefer nkan be,