Entertainment – music and movies – are potent vehicles for conveying social and cultural influences. Positives and negatives alike coexist in same medium, including the chances of increased classical conditioning of mind and behaviour.
My father knew this early, little wonder he made sure to chaperone how we consumed contents from this medium. As good as Rap music was in my time, the mere fact that it was coloured by a certain kind of gangster mannerism made my Father resent it, thus depriving us of any access to it. In its place, he loaded my childhood and teenage memories with songs like country music, RnB, highlife and of course gospel tunes. Today, to a better part of my understanding of music, Rap is just “noise”.
Now, growing up and observing Nigerian Entertainers of my time, stories of “baby mama”, incessant divorce and all other common social maladies of today, were not so common. Except for Emeka Ike and a few others, most Actors, Singers and footballers of that era are discrete with their marital union, holding family sacred and out of the media. The only drama they engaged in was their craft.
Today, we have consumed so much of Western worldview through their music and movies that the actual drama is now about the real lives of our Entertainers. I sincerely hope this cycle in our social evolution fritters away quickly before it gets worse.
I know we would blame the internet, rather than our failure to raise effective gatekeepers.
— Mazi Ejimofor Opara writes from Awka, Anambra State.