Since the beginning of 2007, Nigeria has been enjoying some attention on a weekly comedy that airs on Canada 's national television, CBC. In a country of over 30 million people, more than two million tuned in for the premiere of the CBC comedy, Little Mosque on the Prairie, which is presented as "a humorous look at relationships, family, love, the generation gap, and balancing Muslim beliefs and traditions in a prairie setting."

One of the prominent characters that feature weekly on the comedy series is a woman described by the series producers as a: “no nonsense Nigerian-Canadian Muslim in her forties.” She is the owner of Fatima 's Diner, the town’s local hangout.

In this week’s episode, Fatima was advocating traditional medical practices. She prescribed home-made medicine to Fred, a radio talk show host, who was suffering from back pain. When asked about the potency of the potion, Fatima quipped to Fred and Rayyan: "I gave out plenty of this medicine in Nigeria and no one died. Of course I haven't been back in years.” You can interpret that statement in multiple ways.

After making Fred "suffer for a while" by giving him two different potions, one of which made him break out in rashes and had him looking epileptic, she then held him to her bosom and gave him a firm jerk from the back to complete the treatment. Voila! Fred could walk straight again and felt no more back pain. That brought back some memories.

Little Mosque on the Prairie is a new and unabashedly comedic look at a small Muslim community living side by side with the residents of a little prairie town in Canada.  I have only seen two episodes of this comedy and so far Fatima 's character seems to represent well. I would argue that this prairie town could be anywhere in North America or even Europe . Asia or the Middle East ? Take a rain check.

Fatima is further described as someone who “doesn't suffer fools gladly, but will still serve them the best turkey bacon "BLT" in Mercy. Despite her beautiful traditional clothing and conservative views, Fatima is part of the mainstream culture in Mercy Town .

“When people order goat curry, she asks: "do you want fries with that?" She spends her days fending off the unwanted attentions of the local radio personality, Fred Tupper." I am sure some Nigerian women, even those who are of a different faith, can identify with Fatima ’s character. She could be a friend, an aunt, even a neighbour.

This portrayal of a Nigerian character is showing in an entertainment medium that is driven largely by ratings. Two million viewers may seem conservative, but I hope those who watch the show are able to carry the message into their daily lives. I also hope more people watch it so it stays on air and continue to not only entertain but also educate.

The show is one way to present Nigerians (albeit Africans) living in Canadian communities to the larger population, and by extension, viewers in other parts of the world, by displaying some progressive Nigerian cultures and traditional practices.

Of course it will also touch on the negative practices prevalent in the country, like fraud and challenges of governance, otherwise the portrayal will not be balanced. I am prepared to take the good with the bad. I would vote for a balanced portrayal of Nigeria on a regular basis, even though it is in a weekly 30 minutes sitcom than a politicized 30 second newsflash or one hour special.

You can watch clips of Little Mosque on the Prairie at: http://www.cbc.ca/littlemosque/. For those living in Canada or who can receive CBC on satellite television, the show airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST.

The writer can be reached at jumokegiwa@igilandi.org