Nigeria's burgeoning pop music industry
and film-makers have been accused of producing "pornographic"
content that is sexualising society.
There is growing discontent among
religious figures and in the media in Nigeria – which has one of the most
influential entertainment industries in Africa – with content from some of the
country's most popular artists frequently banned by censors.
"It is common to see kids as young
as five years old dressed in tight-fitting dresses, their faces glistening with
makeup, dancing sensuously to modern day songs with sexually explicit
lyrics,"
said Elder Godsday Orubebe, the minister of Niger Delta affairs and senior
pastor of the Glory Sanctuary Christian Centre, speaking at a recent church
anniversary.
"We live in a hypersensualised age
and much from our westernised popular culture is rife with pornography and the
sexualisation of women".
Michael Ugwu, the chief executive
officer of Iroking, an online centre for afrobeat and Nigerian music, said
there has been a large increase in the number of music videos being banned for
broadcast in Nigeria.
"Artists have begun releasing
videos purely for the internet to get round the censors. I have seen the
content of both music and movie videos get more and more racy."
Casualties of Nigeria's state censors
include Iyanya, the popular artist whose recent single Head Swell was released
last month online only, and P Square, the identical-twin music duo signed by
the American star Akon, whose hit single Alingo was also censored for Nigerian
TV.
Church figures have been among outspoken
critics of the new trend. Nigeria's film industry, popularly known as
"Nollywood", has also been producing a growing number of films with
erotic themes, such as Bold 5 Babes, described as "an erotic comedy about
a group of women with supernatural powers they use to seduce men and turn them
into BlackBerry Bold 5 smartphones", and other titles like I Slept with my
Boss's Wife and Strippers in Love.
Industry figures say that the move
towards more sexual content is an inevitable part of competing in a crowded
market and catching up with global trends.
"More and more people are bringing
out movies and music videos, so just as in the west, people are using
increasingly racy subject matter to get viewers' attention," said Ugwu.
"There is a tension between African
culture and this new wave of modernity and naked bodies," Ugwu added.
"People are pushing the envelope, but it's not just happening here in
Nigeria, it's everywhere. This kind of content has been aired on channels like
MTV since the 1980s."
"What's happening in music videos
and movies in Nigeria would be considered normal in the UK or the US," said Tony
Tagoe, a Ghana-based former artist manager. "It is just that in countries
that are very religious, where churches and imams have a strong influenced,
they are noticed more."
courtesy Afua Hirsch, West Africa correspondent
theguardian.com
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