This CS Monitor story explores one of many new "reality" TV shows which have launched on Iraqi television stations in recent months. One of these programs is a home makeover show in which producers bring donated materials to bombed-out houses and try to fix 'em up. There was also an interesting segment on NPR last week that covered other reality TV shows in Iraq, but I can't find the url right now.
"This is a big surprise," says Ahmed Hassan Kadhim, standing in the doorway with a gap-toothed grin. "What can I say?"
"We've brought you a whole set of furniture!" says Ms. Zubair. "We're trying to compensate you for what you lost!"
"Labor and Materials" is Iraq's answer to "Extreme Home Makeover" and the country's first reality TV show. In 15-minute episodes, broken windows are made whole again. Blasted walls slowly rise again. Fancy furniture and luxurious carpets appear without warning in the living rooms of poor families. Over six weeks, houses blasted by US bombs regenerate in a home-improvement show for a war-torn country.
