by Thinus Ferreira
It was raining. The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic was growing worldwide including Nigeria. But that didn't stop the Nigerian wall artist Olajumoke Ogunnaike from creating a vibrant, colourful splash inside the 5th season's Big Brother Naija house.
Olajumoke Ogunnaike, the CEO of Lefteye's Signatures in Lagos, Nigeria, is once again the art director for the latest season of M-Net West Africa's Big Brother Nigeria.
She is responsible for the look and design aesthetic of the camera-house reality show produced by Red Pepper Productions and broadcast on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa.
Olajumoke Ogunnaike is once again sitting at the creative helm of the 5th season's look after Lefteye's Signatures came onboard for the 4th season of Big Brother Naija "Pepper Dem" season that was the first season since the first that was produced from and inside Nigeria again after the show used to be done from Johannesburg, South Africa.
For this season she says "the most challenging design I worked on in the house is still the garden area - the time it took to complete the beautiful mural, being at mother nature's mercy and praying several times that the rain stops."
"Also at this period, coordinating about 20 of my team members on a particular wall, with me not having control over the weather and with a slim timeline counting down. But I'm glad we pulled through".
As to this season's art design in the Big Brother Nigeria house, she says the colours and design bring ambience and warmth to the production. "This time we decided to keep it simple and soft."
About the impact of Covid-19 on her business she says that "Just as it has its downsides, it also had its positive effect".
"When we sensed that the drop in demand for our services was solely because clients were scared of the pandemic and high on safety, we had to up our standards. We went and got appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to keep both the team and our clients safe".
