COLONIAL METAPHOR IN 'GOLDEN BALLS' GAME SHOW?

In the British game show, 'Golden Balls,' which aired between 2007 and 2009, contestants competed to win as much money as possible by choosing from balls containing prizes ranging from £10 to £75,000 (or $12.74 to $95,580 in today's dollars). In the game's final round, the two remaining contestants must choose whether to 'split' or 'steal' the jackpot.

In this episode, a Black contestant trusted her white rival to split the prize money so that she could donate the proceeds to her church. This came after the white contestant told her that she, too, was a Christian like her. However, shockingly (although we weren't shocked), that was just a ploy to bring down the Black player's guard so she could steal the entire prize money.

Some online are saying the episode itself is a metaphor for the relationship African people have with European people: Too trusting and easily fooled when it comes to promises predicated on religion.

When the Portuguese first arrived in Africa in 1418, they came initially for trade and to spread Christianity, but it soon turned into a land grab to extract our resources for as little as possible whilst trading our people as slaves. Conversions to Christianity were used early on as a diversion only for religion to be imposed on the masses over time.

The late South African Bishop Desmond Tutu described the process best when he said: 'When the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible, and they had the land.'

For many online, this clip symbolises how many of us have not learned from our history. Or is this just another case of the internet overthinking stuff?

Let us know in the comments.