Ram-pa-pa-pam, ram-pa-pa-pam, woman down!

Two female journalists were downed in the line of duty within the space of a week – one for not asking the right questions, the other for not asking the questions right.

The first is Zinnia of HFtv Africa, the second is Azuka Ogujuiba of Thisday. Azuka got Genevieve magazine to help her off the ground but something tells me Zinnia might need a little more help than Azuka did.

Omawumi stormed off the set of Zinnia’s show “the Chat” after being asked a series of aggravating questions about her personal life that reached a boiling point when she was asked about the smoking and drinking rumors that have circled her name for years but contextualized it with her being a mother and a role model. Omawumi had had enough at that point, she packed her things and walked away, a move that lends more credibility to the rumors than she probably intended for it to, but was the much-loved R&B singer right in doing so?

Don’t be afraid, ask me. The one I don’t want to answer you, I’ll tell you… I don’t bite

Omawumi opened the door right there. When you as an interviewee sits for a chat with a press person, except your manager or PR folks expressly say – you see ehn bros, if not because it’s you, we wouldn’t have done this interview. You see this scandal, you see this picture, my love life, it’s all off the table. However, when they do so, guess what’s left on the table for us to talk about? Everything else.

Now, some journalists with a big name and/or big balls will ignore your list entirely and ask what they want, while others will use their church mind and avoid that general line of questioning. But if an artist’s team hasn’t taken out the time to detail this and/or done their research to know what kind of interviewer they are dealing with, anything they see, they should please take it like that.

But I doubt that is what happened here, this wasn’t Omawumi’s first time of meeting Zinnia, surely. When the presenter was rubbing her hand with methylated spirit, cotton wool and compliments just before she drew blood, Omawumi called her bluff playfully.  

I don’t know which one is this one that you’re doing oh, because I don’t understand.. I don know you since 2007 when I enter industry.

The presenter also referred to Omawumi’s kids as “my” babies, before quizzing her about allegations that her daughter was fathered by her manager at the time.

To those allegations, Omawumi responded –

I don’t like talking about it but because of you, I’ll be polite.

Maybe what they say is true, maybe familiarity does breed contempt because it could be argued that Zinnia’s line of questioning was too direct. She defended herself, saying that those sit across her must be able to defend themselves when uncomfortable stuff comes up. But the truth is if journalists want to retain the right to ask confrontational questions, then the subjects also have the right to do as they please. If you use a pin to prick someone and they pull out a grenade and hurl it at you, who is at fault? You that instigated or the person that reacted? Omawumi obviously felt pricked, so she did what she felt she had to do.

Nevertheless, Zinnia’s work isn’t to make Omawumi look good or to “mean her well”. Omawumi has PR folks, management, her fans, even her family members for that. Zinnia’s job isn’t to make her look bad either, her job should be to ask the kind of questions that will lead to the kind of answers that the viewing public can use to make that decision for themselves. 

I maintain that if you have not seen me smoking and you come out and say it on national TV, that means you don’t mean me well and that’s the end of this interview…

And you will publish it o! (Omawumi)

Kudos to Omawumi for standing up, yes she literally stood up, for herself but in doing so she must also be aware that there’s now a bounty on her head and any journalist (or indeed any member of the public) that can score a picture of her sitting next to an ordinary shisha pipe will want to collect it.

Be careful, those who live in glasshouses always wear clothes. 

Photo credit – Instagram