Being called out on the school assembly line for breaking the rule is common in pre-tertiary institutions. But getting summoned for committing multiple offences like some modern-day problem child is a whole level of notoriety that many aspire to, but are too afraid to copy.
That confident, swag-full, carefree, law-breaking attitude is what got us interested in Bridget Bema, the 9-year-old Kenyan girl in the now viral video that everyone is watching across Africa and beyond.
For those who don’t know, Bridget’s character was developed by her hitherto better known Dave Chappelle-loving elder brother, Oliver Otieno AKA YY The Comedian. He played the School Administrator in the viral video where Bridget‘s name was reeled for varying misdemeanors ranging from late-coming, to noisemaking and bullying.
Agreed that having your name penned down for misdemeanors isn’t that much of a novel occurrence. What drove the school assembly content to virality isn’t the dialogue or the shock expressed by the school administrator – it is the carefree – almost happy actually – manner with which Bridget moved from row to row in open defiance of constituted authority.
Bridget doesn’t care for rules. She is every inch her own ‘woman.’
And that is the catch. We all – well, most of us – go through life abiding by the rules set by the society. So Bridget represents what we aspire to do but are too scared to do. For those who had no aversion to breaking the rules and making things happen, Bridget represents a fitting throwback to the days when doing what one wishes without any care in the world came naturally.
So either way, there is a Bridget Bema is every one of us. That is what got the video across international borders – because it resonates deeply with us regardless of our background. And this is why we hope Bridget doesn’t stop what she’s doing – making content out of Kenya for us to laugh hard and share aggressively.
Emmanuela did it out of Nigeria, why not Bridget?
For those yet to watch the video, here’s what you’ve missed:
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