By Ayo Shonaiya
As a Nigerian, I am very aware of our pride in our culture, in fact, forget culture, our ‘Nigerianess’ is what I will call it because a lot of us are not really cultural are we? What is Nigerianess you may ask? Well it’s like a consciousness of who we are and how we do things, more importantly how we perceive things, and ultimately how we react to (and pass judgment on) certain things. In the Yoruba language, they will say ‘o yato’ (being different), but lately what I see is ‘o yoye’ (being peculiar). This peculiarity is where I’m coming from today.
I love to write. I love to share with the world and whoever cares to read, thoughts, opinions and sometimes just laughs. New Media such as Facebook has given a lot of people like me that opportunity to achieve this. I do it once in a while when I feel like it, and I’ve been asked often to take it a step further and write a weekly column for a magazine or even start my own blog. But really, that’s not me, besides the fact that I do have a job that splinters into many divisions and any free time is limited and reserved for family, I do not like deadlines and the expectation to be creative, witty or engaging all the time as being a professional writer requires. But back up though, in this day and age of new media, do I really need to be all that?
I read an interesting piece not too long ago about how blogging is now killing journalism. Really? How is that possible? These two things are not the same, linked yes, but definitely not the same. Then in Nigeria (with our Nigerianess) I realised that the people who are making the most noises on the matter are mainly tabloid writers and the like. It’s actually funny because tabloid writers are not really considered journalists are they? It’s like calling an artiste a musician even though the artiste cannot play any instrument.
One notable feature of tabloid reportage is the gossipy nature of the news, the not so factual claims and the exaggerated and often inflammatory headlines that draws our attention to it. Then there’s the blogs, the baby sister of tabloid, where you do not even have to do any writing per se, but just put up a picture and write ‘discuss’. The one trump card of the blog over the tabloid is the opportunity given to the general public to comment and give their opinions at the speed of light. But in Nigeria, again with our Nigerianess, is this a good thing?
When I see a picture of an unknown young lady, accidentally (or however it happened) exposing her private parts while scaling a barricade at a concert, and the hundreds of comments flowing from Nigerians about how she MUST be a whore for not wearing panties, I wonder about the motivation of whoever put up the picture. Or recently, when I saw a picture on Facebook, of a Nigerian guy who had a sex change operation, and that picture was lifted by another Facebook user and put on their page to solicit for (or pretty much incite) negative comments, I start to see a distasteful trend developing amongst our people. Has the degrading of another human being become our national pastime? Or as someone said to me last year, I have to submit my artistes’ songs and videos to ‘the blogs’ and read the comments to see if they’re going to be successful or not! So, negative comments by nameless and faceless dream killers on the Internet are now a required process in the music business? Na wa o!
Back in the days of the TV series Village Headmaster, there was this character ‘Amebo’ who was the village gossip, and as high as her uncontrollable urge to spread gossip was; we kind of liked her, now I know why. Amebo was the only amebo on the show, in the village, but nowadays I see millions of amebos in Nigeria, on the internet, disguised in our Facebook statuses, blogs, on Blackberry Messenger and the almighty Twitter. We are now obsessed with passing along information that is neither our own or is our job to do so. Be it a naked picture of celebrity taken by a groupie or just some guy who is rumoured to be gay.
The gay issue is on another level with our Nigerianess. There is still a lot of debate and backlash the world over about gay rights, gay marriage and so on, but in Nigeria we seem to be more focused, not on the socio-political aspect, but the spiritual and, funny enough, the cultural angle of it. How many times have I heard that being gay is ‘not our culture’ and it’s the so called Western World that is trying to force it upon us. The same Western World where internet comes from abi? The same Western World where our beloved Gucci and Prada, Hennessy and Moet come from? Our selective amnesia regarding modern culture baffles me honestly. The same girl with Peruvian hair sewn into her scalp is telling you that homosexuality is foreign to our culture. The ones that really irk me are the comments that start with Corinthians chapter this or the other, then they go into pure prejudiced rants, as if the Bible verse sanitises your hatred or justifies your ignorance. Maybe someone should remind the Christian Hatred Front that Christianity itself and the Bible were also brought to Nigeria by the people of the Western World, but don’t let us go in that direction.
I have tried not to mention names in this piece, but I have to in this case as it saddens me to read about the recent development in the Court case brought by singer Asa against the tabloid News of the People. The tabloid magazine ran a story claiming that Asa and her female manager were in a lesbian relationship. It’s sad that this is even a headline in Nigeria, but what do you expect in a country with a Senate that can pass laws making it a criminal offence punishable by 14 years in jail to even be supportive of anyone who is gay. Same Senate where a member can marry a 15 year old girl as his fourth wife?! Anyway, I am a big fan of Asa, and as it happens the Publisher of the tabloid, Loye Hamzat, is my friend. But beyond that, when Asa petitioned the Court, stating categorically that the story is false, malicious and hurtful, and in seeking judgment and damages, had submitted a full statement to that effect, the onus of proof is now on the tabloid to prove and submit how it arrived at the conclusion which they felt so strongly about to print in their publication.
Last week, the Court adjourned the case until April when Asa herself is required to attend the Court hearing. What for?! So she can now be put on a witness stand and asked about her sexuality, thus creating tabloid media frenzy for all of us suffering from inadequate information about very important global matters such as Asa’s sexuality? In a Twitter banter with a Barrister, he claims that is the law in Nigeria, she has to come to court to support (and prove) her claim that she is not gay. How? Perform fellacio on one of the policemen, or submit herself to be pleasured to the point of orgasm by a designated male? I don’t know how a person is supposed to prove their sexuality in a Court of Law. If the tabloid has any proof let them submit it and it will be judged by reason not by whether she comes to court to repeat what she’s already submitted in her statement.
Now, because we all love Asa, the other tabloids and blogs are trying to be ‘journalistic’ in their reports on this case. It’s probably the first time I’ve ever seen blogs tread so carefully about any news, especially with the subject matter being homosexuality. Which brings to mind the realisation that these blogs and tabloids operate from a deeply personal and subjective angle, so we can be cautious because it is our darling Asa who represents Nigeria positively all over the world, but for Nollywood actresses who we want to kill their career and bring down its all-out war about their orgies and all those evil and satanic practices. The hypocrisy is mind blowing.
Lastly, whether we realise it or not, we all contribute to the development or degeneration of our current generation by our apparent overdose of information, and importantly how we peddle it. Please note, I am not saying all Nigerian blogs are about vile gossip driven by personal agendas, neither am I killing the ambition of current and future bloggers. The positive use of new media has shown us how it can benefit our lives and inform us in quick time just like it did during the recent protests across Nigeria, and of course when we use it to alert the public about a child that has been abducted and description of kidnappers and so on. I started reading blogs because they were entertaining and informative (and a little gossip wouldn’t hurt), now gossip has grown wings and it’s about people ‘exposing’ other people (mostly celebs), and the ease at which we quickly zip out our camera phones to take pictures, solely for sending it to bloggers who will then put it up, drawing comments of ridicule and disdain, mostly out of ignorance, religious prejudice and pure hatred is alarming.
The advent of social media is greatly welcomed, but the same tool by which we participate in this new adventure has now become our shining badge as amateur and vigilante ridicule merchants, and we use it to incite waves of negativity towards that which we do not agree with or understand or just want to burn down. And the anonymity feature on blogs for highly prejudiced and hateful comments to be expressed on virtually anything is quite frankly, as Fela said, is bringing out the beast in us.
Shonaiya is a producer of film, television & music and the CEO of The RMG Company
12 comments
Every blogger’s got his own views on issues and they’re surely not gonna be the same for everybody. I’m sure one of these bloggers talked negatively about ur padi and you’re tongue lashing. What I mean is personal agenda is behind most Nigerian blog posts including this. No offence meant cos I might be guilty too.
Yes, Linda Ikeji posting the story of that non-public guy from Ife who has gender issues was a low blow by all standards. You can mention names.
Ayo, pls are you married? You’re so hooooot.
We should be careful of the news will share.
As much as I agree with this, I think this is not a nigerian problem but more of an internet problem. Doubt me, go on youtube and see the comments on a random video. Or see the comments on a sports site like espn.
One thing everyone has is an opinion and the internet 2.0 has provided a perfect platform to express those opinions without being seen or identified.
I find your question amusing. Your write-up in bad taste. Ever heard of the Legal principle, ‘he who asserts must prove’? Asa took d tabloid to court, and not the other way round. Thus d need for her to be put on d stand to prove her sexuality. So there’s no need for u to scoff at d law. No one forced her to file the suit.
She says the article in d tabloid was false abi? Oya go to court and prove it. Wen we say being gay isn’t in our culture, you and others scoff, so why does Asa think it’s malicious? She’d have let it slide afterall we all want to be seen as liberal. That’s jst contradictory. Nuff said
yes… Leave us wit our nigerianess,we like it like that
dis is a good piece…read it from ‘As a Nigerian’ to ‘…beast in us’
Thanx for pointing it out…New media should be utilized properly…if not…e go mess us up..
Opinion is like an a**, everyone is got one, whether gross, insulting, ridiculous and misleading. The power of relativity must be respected. However, sometimes, it’s a burden respecting or accepting some opinions most especially when they are thrown in your face flagrantly and can’t be substantiated with documented facts and figures, as one would have expected in most cases.
Twitter is the worst place tro come across such. You can imagine someone opined, and vehemently at that, that “Ibori is the best thing that has ever happened to the Deltans”. Of course, you know the next line of response when you barrage them to support their (gross) sentiments with fact; they are always quick to say “I have the right to my opinion”. It’s a sad development and for now, I don’t think much can be done to reverse the trend. Linda, in particular, has to slow down with all those sensational stories, albeit at the risk of losing traffic to her blog.
Peace and love.
i think u are a gossiper too,u have time to write all these things for what? u want to hear more gossip from us,abii.
i like the Nigerian’s culture ..great post..
I like this write up about the Nigerianess stuff, but it pays one to keep an open mind. Casting aspertions to the court is prejudicial. ‘Equity aids the deligent and not the insolent’. If Asa’s claim is good let the courts try it out and ‘he that comes to equity must come with clean hands’ whether is going to be an in camera hearing to determine Asa’s sexuality is not your concern.
Well for Bible freaks let them remember the parable of the wheat and the tares, I wouldn’t say ‘the enemy has done this’. I would say wait till harvest. And if those dicey comments are not maid, where is the craze of social media.
Well no opinion is ever objective, you report how you can. It now behoves on who reads to carefully select what he attends to, interpret such as much as he wants and retain what he wants frm dat. A polygamist knows which wife cooks the best mean.
Finally, whatever things are true, whatever is worthy of reverence, whatever is honourable, what ever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of Good report, if there is any virtue, if anything worthy of praise. Fix your mind on them.
Mc Billboard CEO NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS NIG LTD