Saturday 11 October 2014

The Media, A Major Catalyst To Cultism As A Societal Menace




Something struck my mind last night while at a barber’s shop, when a young man of about my age walked into the salon to have his hair cut. Of course, what actually drew my interest to him was the mental stress he put the poor barber through, while trying to describe his ambiguous style of choice: the shape, pattern and style of his intending hair style. It took the barber several minutes to understand. Having a few questions begging for answers, I sat outside the salon, lit a cigarette and patiently waited for him to exit.

After asking him the inspiration behind his new hair style, the summary of his reply was simply 'the media'; a musical video by a popular Nigerian model to be specific, he gladly responded. Thinking I was interested in the style as well.
This simply narrates how subliminal what we watch and listen to can be, especially on the present generation. I was even more surprised when I watched a video of an indigenous rapper where he boldly and repeatedly displayed an axe throughout the video, which leads me to the topic of this piece.

The violent activities of secret societies of the present day strongly negates the aim of the founding fathers (Prof Wole Soyinka, Olumuyiwa awe and co.). Being a student of a tertiary institution myself, I cannot but ponder over the various activities of these groups. Neglecting their primary assignment totally due to lack of appropriate moral orientation to make the atmosphere unbearable for learning. Extortions, robberies, rape cases, among others are the order of the day. Can these really be eradicated in this part of the world?

However, there are other few factors that stimulate the desire of youths to become a member of these occultism groups. They include;


·       Parental upbringing/background
 

·       Harsh economic conditions
 

·       Desire for a better standard of living

I strongly believe the violent activities of these groups in our institutions can only be minimized, not eradicated, as it seems to have eaten deep into our educational sector. in this case, neither the parents or government are helpful as they have both been in existence while these uncultured activities thrive.

I strongly believe it is the duty of every individual, regardless of what group you represent, to take the responsibility of protecting his environment and loved ones. Violence is not a gateway to a better life. The various media bodies should gladly wake up to their responsibilities, especially the broadcast media, same with the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission and avoid dereliction in order to assist us live a peaceful life.

BY: Adewuyi Adekunle Akeem (Osun State University).

4 comments:

  1. Nice write-up and I also watched the video you mentioned but you didnt tell us if you are also a cultist. Just asking

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You must be a cultist yourself for asking such question. Animal.

      Delete
  2. The media sabi hype ehn. Na so dem too give importance to those yeye Boko Haramites

    ReplyDelete

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