I am seriously perturbed by the endemic sort of contents I encounter on social media daily, and the unsurprising silence of the wasted generation towards it. The explicit culture of the western civilisation has manifested itself enough in our way of life and any further assimilation of it spells doom not only for Nigeria but the totality of Africa. Hardly can one scroll through the internet without coming across pornography in its variety on different media.
This includes all of the over fifty thousand blogs and news websites that sprang up between 2012 and 2016, the more relevant ones like Nairaland, Linda Ikeji, Naij, GQ234.com and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Let me not even mention Snapchat – A platform that was built on the idea of an abhorrent portmanteau: Sexting.
The millions of Africans, with majority of them youths purposed to raise us from the socio-economic underdevelopment that we are currently plunged in as a result of the melange of actions and inactions of the older generation are fazed with copying the discouraging lifestyle of western “celebrities” on various mass media inclusive of print, radio and television.
I don’t see any value or useful knowledge to be gained from following someone who got famous through a sex tape, got married after series of failed relationships and still poses nude on different media every day. If there is no such benefit from this sort of information, then there is no cause for its incessant promotion.
Simply put, we have no use for posts containing Kylie Jenner’s photos in a bikini or Kim Kardashian twerking or Black Chyna posing nude on a magazine. It is this sort of content that informs the actions of people like Maheedah or do you think it is unconnected with the aberrant behaviour of Bobrisky. Then you can imagine the amount of twerk videos and such other explicit content posted online by Africans daily. Even a priori, your assumption is valid.
There is also the swift wave of Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender movements – Another one of the countless innovations from the west yet to see its full manifestation in Africa.
Unfortunately, we can only write articles; Action lies in the hands of our fathers at the top towards curtailing this trend. Acting as fuel again to this fire still in its early stages is the media. A clarification before I get burned by gay rights activists, I have a problem with you being gay doesn’t mean I won’t talk to you if you are gay. I only fear for the up and coming generations because God blessed Africans with not just abundant human and natural resources but a practical mind which manifested in our pre-colonial traditions.
The way we practice western religion and admit western preferences sufficiently buttresses this point. Nothing is really African anymore and I confess I have imagined myself being gay before. But what effect will such imaginations have on the brain of the young African watching DSTV or visiting social media. I remember doing the childish turn of Daddy and Mummy after seeing the actions of Daddy and Mummy.
I definitely don’t want my sister in her pursuit of current events in the world coming across transgender and lesbian news online and imagining it. I would prefer she reads about the Tesla and thinking of inventing a better version. I therefore implore Linda Ikeji and Co. to stop broadcasting news of gay and transgender celebrities having ‘fun’.
Some even go as far as searching for and exposing this transgender models on Instagram as their former selves. Let us leave this people be and focus on more important issues to initiate much needed and rather evasive development. We should stop being colonised with the colonial mentality of following every act from the west. Especially since it is in our African nature to copy and take things to the extreme. A good example is the business orientation that religion has taken in Africa, an innovation of the west or the non-particular importance that Africans attach to titular authority. Let me not mention the over a thousand Ponzi schemes initiated since MMM.
I appeal we stop giving prostitutes with big buttocks attention. Let us ignore Bisi Alimi and his gay rants. The Anti-gay law should be enforced in all ramifications to avoid the extreme manifestation of the course in the near future. Efforts should also be made to curtail the spread of this abominable contents online and through media.
In a bid to influence of our sacrosanct culture, the westerners have employed a tactic which I called COVERT INFLUENCE. Covert influence is an inconspicuous tool for propaganda. A skill mastered by the United States of America, it was well played in the campaign for Hilary Clinton where most fictional movies released from 2016 till the election used a female as the American President even the disappointing Independent Day 2. If that failed to achieve its purpose, what of the epic series 24 and the Obama Administration. This cromulent act has continued with most foreign movies and series containing gay relationship of some sorts like The Empire Series and How to get away with murder topping the list.
The kind of music we hear and videos aired on the television are not helpful either. TV giants like Trace Urban, MTV and Sound City can put a limit to this contents. Reality programmes like Big Brother Africa, Big Brother Nigeria, keeping up with the kardashians, to mention but a few should be banned to provide ample time for productive and educative programmes. Corporate companies should sponsor these educational and entrepreneurial programmes.
How much I gained from MTN’s who want to be a millionaire.
The way it is the talk of the whole secondary school the following Monday and how we anticipate it.
I implore the Nigerian government to take a stand against the further penetration of these western values like China did by disabling the media from its further advertisement and perhaps consequently Africa can take a united stand against it.
I assert my point with reference to the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Song “Colonial Mentality” and a famed quote of is, “A man without no knowledge of where he has been, knows not where he is or where he is going. Hence, there is need for an assemblage of African intellectuals for the total reorganisation of Africa according to African norm. If it is not African, cannot help the average African then it should not be in Africa.
Awojobi Adedayo is a final year student of political science in the University of Ilorin.
He blogs at Everydaydayo.blogspot.com
