REVIEW: Ebuka Turns Up Africa: Reality Travel series partially masked by “scripted” argument

Minus the inororganic drama, "Ebuka Turns Up Africa" is the ideal option if you need a relaxing show that captures the beautiful places in Africa.

Movie Title: Ebuka Turns Up Africa

Release Date: 1 March, 2024

Runtime: 40 minutes per episode

Executive Producers: Ziyanda Ngcaba and Erika Klopper.

Cast: Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Timini Egbuson, Zubby Michael, Jimmie Akinsola, Onoja Adole, and Alistair Englebert Preston

Thanks to reality shows like Showmax’s Real Housewives of Lagos, which gained a cult-like following after its release, producers have seen the lucrative opportunity reality shows hold in Nigeria. It wasn’t surprising when Prime Video released an original reality series starring media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu.

Titled “Ebuka Turns Up Africa,” the series release was initially met with scepticism because it features an all-male-led cast.

Nigerians speculated it would be boring as “Nigerian men tend to steer clear of drama.” However, two episodes into the series proved everyone wrong, as in addition to celebrating the beautiful places in Africa, the series also offers some premium drama, keeping viewers pleased and on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the disputes between the cast members.

The premise behind the reality series is quite simple: Ebuka explores different African countries, accompanied by five of his friends. Each episode has the group travelling to other countries, touring fascinating sites, indulging in local activities, and engaging in heartfelt conversations or sometimes petty arguments.

The Plot

Long due for a break, Ebuka decides to go on vacation. To make the vacation (or storyline of the reality show) more interesting, he enlists five friends to come along. His friends include notable individuals in the entertainment space: Timini Egbuson (actor), Zubby Michael (actor), Jimmie Akinsola (presenter and hype man), Onoja Adole (entertainment impresario), and Alistair Englebert Preston (photographer).

At the group’s first meeting at the airport, it’s evident that tension exists among the friends. This is mainly due to the unfamiliarity that exists among some of them. While at the hangar, it is revealed that Jimmie and Timini know each other and “had” a close relationship before Timini’s betrayal. As the group exchanges a few bants, Jimmie quickly slips in his beef with Timini for bailing on his wedding, to which a brief argument ensues.

The conversation is de-escalated, and the gang board the private jet en route Rwanda, their first African Tour stop. The men are amazed at the beautiful scenery of Rwanda, incredibly the minimalist yet luxurious apartment Ebuka selected for them to live in. The atmosphere soon becomes tense when a banter about who is a better actor between Timini and Zubby goes south. The conflict is resolved almost immediately as the group attends a basketball game.

Subsequent episodes follow a similar format: the gang travels to a new country, goes sightseeing, engages in a few activities or attends events, reflects on an emotional issue, revisits arguments or problems, and resolve their differences.

Africa to the World

“Ebuka Turns Up Africa” is a love letter to Africa, celebrating the unique attributes of our continent. A typical pattern that exists among the countries the group visits is how they educate viewers on the practices of the country. For example, in episode 2, Ebuka and Alistair visit Lake Kivu and join the singing Kivu fishermen. Through a voiceover, we are given a brief background of the fishermen. We also see this when the group visits a coffee plantation, spotlighting Rwanda’s produce.

The education is not limited to the activities or locations in host countries but also to prominent figures, as seen when the group rallies and meets Rwanda’s top rally racer, Queen.

A High-Class Production

The cinematography level of “Ebuka Turns Up Africa” would most likely remain unmatched for a while. There were no mediocre shots, showing how intentional the crew was about the show. The angles were right, the locations were just blissful and enchanting; the costumes and styling cemented Ebuka’s fashion icon status, the colour grading seemed right, and the sound was well-captured.

A scripted reality show

While “Ebuka Turns Up Africa” is deserving of applause for putting a relatively new spin on travel shows via its offered drama, it felt inorganic.

It almost seemed like the producers spoke to the cast beforehand, giving them notes on what to say and how to say it.

Jimmie suddenly confronting Timini about missing his wedding barely five minutes after they met makes no sense.

That interaction can be interpreted as the producers’ way of leaving viewers on a cliffhanger that says, “Watch out for these two because things are going to get pretty heated between them throughout the series.”

Another instance is the “I am a better actor than you” bit. In what world does another actor meet another actor and almost immediately brags about being better without a substantial inciting incident? The way Timini starts to boast makes it appear as if he is intentionally seeking trouble, and the way Zubby reacts bolsters the theory that the fight was well thought out before.

Lastly, the way most of the drama revolved around Timini and Jimmie’s beef suggests that might be why both men were cast on the show. Don’t get it wrong; there’s nothing wrong with throwing people on reality shows because of their beef, but it’s how most conversation in the show leads back to the beef.

For example, after the misunderstanding died down a little, Onoja found a way to bring it back up. Each episode (at least the ones that have been released) brings up the beef, which makes the series somewhat exhausting to watch.

Final verdict

8/10. Minus the inorganic drama, “Ebuka Turns Up Africa” is the ideal option if you need a relaxing show that showcases the beautiful places in Africa.

“Ebuka Turns Up Africa” is now streaming on Prime Video.