As the rabid-tongued stews in self-wrought misfortune, so does cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, otherwise known as Bobrisky, simmer in a cauldron of hot broth. The condiments are his oversized ego and penchant to self-destruct.
Yes, if narcissistsdeserve the public’s compassion, it should not be at the risk of enabling or encouraging them to hurt other people or overlooking any damage that they do. This is why there is a groundswell of support from across the country and beyond for Otunba Segun Runsewe, the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture’s condemnation of Bobrisky.
The infamous young man became a controversial internet sensation for his abhorrent cross-dressing and adoption of a feminine lifestyle. Alas, he has a huge social media following where his lifestyle seem to be catching on with impressionable young Nigerians. It was in view of this that Otunba Runsewe clamoured that Bobrisky should be reined in before wreaking further havoc on the psyche of youths.
Speaking at the World Handcrafts Day event organized by his council in Abuja recently, the culture enthusiast lampooned Bobrisky for his lifestyle choices which he said totally negates the true Nigerian culture. While ruing the bastardisation of Nigeria’s noble culture and values by what he called attention-seeking characters such as Bobrisky who he described as a bad example, Otunba Runsewe enjoined youths to remain good cultural ambassadors of the country because the global community respects only those who are able to sustain their unique cultural identity.
Since he made that pronouncement, many Nigerians have been hailing the NCAC DG for speaking against the growing popularity of Bobrisky and other such characters. But those conversant with Otunba Runsewe’s trajectory are not in any way surprised that he is confronting frontally one of the ills of the society. A consistent phenom in the media, culture and tourism sectors in Nigeria since the last three decades, his footprints are indelible in the country’s cultural landscape.
Otunba Runsewe was appointed as an Executive Director at the National Orientation Agency in 2000, a position he held until his appointment as the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) in August 2006. His tenure at the NTDC, marked by an aggressive tourism marketing campaign anchored on the catch-phrase ‘Tourism is Life’, gave the sector unprecedented national and international visibility, and remains a watershed in the development of the home-grown tourism sector. With consistent annual exhibitions at international tourism expositions like FITUR, Madrid Spain; ITB Berlin, Germany; Arabian Travel Market, Dubai; World Travel Market, London, etc; Nigeria, during Runsewe’s tenure, became a preferred tourism destination in Africa and the world.
Otunba Runsewe has also been propagating the ideals and benefits of cultural tourism, which he said is a promising sector for developing country destinations and a broad market with many sub or niche markets. “Europe is a well-established market for cultural tourism. European holidaymakers are increasingly interested in discovering new destinations, especially if these offer authentic activities that teach them about local culture, arts, heritage, landscapes, traditions and lifestyles. No matter where you look, there is art and culture in Nigeria that could be marketed. It’s a part of what makes us human – a form of expression,” he said in a recent interview.
