Western Influences on African Youth: A Call for cultural reawakening
Africa, known as the cradle of civilization, has always been rooted in strong morals, discipline, respect for elders, and a deep reverence for the supreme being.
These values have been the cornerstone of our societies for generations. However, the pervasive influence of Western cultures is systematically undermining these foundational principles.
When we were growing up, our grandparents would scare us with the names of teachers in our community when we misbehaved, saying, “I will report you to Mr. Alaketu” or “Mr. Alaketu is coming.” Instantly, we would adjust our behavior. My case was even more intense because my mother was a teacher who was always ready to discipline me. It was impossible for me to misbehave; I was always a calm boy.
When I started my own family, I introduced my mother’s style of discipline to my children, hence I was nicknamed Old Soldier, Major General, etc.
Education
Our educational institutions are no longer what they used to be; teachers now care less about students. According to some teachers I interviewed, irresponsible parents are the cause of teachers’ indifference.
I was told that some irresponsible parents come to school to slap or even beat up teachers for correcting their wards. Some teachers in private schools have been arrested by parents for correcting students.
African families must wake up; our children have started imbibing foreign lifestyles. Shame has disappeared from our society, and secondary school students now bring boyfriends and girlfriends to the house without fear of their parents’ reactions.
Recently, a group of secondary school students was caught on camera celebrating their graduation at a swimming pool, boys and girls naked and happy.
Mobile Phones
Our standard of education is on a downward trend because of the negative effects of mobile phones. Almost all our teenagers now lack concentration. On the road, in the house, in school, you see our children wearing earphones, oblivious to their surroundings and unaware of approaching vehicles.
Everyone, old and young, even married women, now participates in crazy dances on TikTok. A lady even went as far as showing her private parts on a live TikTok show. What is wrong with us, for God’s sake?
How much are you going to get for exposing your human dignity? Some illiterate people don’t even know they need to have millions of followers before they qualify for payment.
Transgender Issues
What is transgender? It is a taboo in African culture for a man to dress in women’s clothing or a woman to dress in men’s clothing. This is also a taboo in the Bible and the Quran.
How can a man propose marriage to another man or a woman to another woman? Apart from being an abominable act in Africa, it has terrible health consequences for those involved. I see both men and women involved in gay and lesbian relationships as people who urgently need mental health expert attention.
Let’s reason together: If all men now marry men and women marry women, what will be the result? The human race would definitely go extinct.
I was watching a TikTok video of some South African schoolchildren who feel so proud to be gay and lesbian. I called the attention of an Irish friend to the clip, telling him to see what his European brothers are introducing to African youths.
He simply laughed and said, “Look, Lai, these are empty heads who do not have minds of their own. They are a group of people who love to copy anything foreign, not concerned about the consequences. Mind you, not all Europeans support same-sex relationships.”
Where is our sense of morals and dignity? What will be the end result of all these foreign or, should I call them, strange ideas?
Greed for Money
The rate at which our young ones are seeking money or craving quick wealth is alarming. Virtually 90% of young boys and girls now are thinking of “yahoo plus” or “yahoo ritual.”
The most worrisome part of our greed for money is the news of mothers helping their children partake in yahoo plus or yahoo ritual training. Some foolish fathers don’t even care about where their undergraduate sons or daughters got the money to buy exotic cars, celebrating criminality that may eventually consume them.
Our religious leaders are even involved in this ugly trend. Tell me, is there any moral justification for any pastor or imam to collect donations worth millions of Naira from someone whose source of income they cannot verify? You don’t know what he or she does for a living, yet you collect donations from them in the name of religion.
Conclusion
Our leaders should reintroduce moral teachings into our education curriculum. I believe we should reintroduce corporal punishment into our school system so that students will show more respect to their teachers and, by extension, regard their parents more.
Community leaders and elders should return to their responsibilities of looking after all children and youth in their community.
Law enforcement agents should shun the craze for money and do their job efficiently by fighting all societal ills to the barest minimum, creating a crime-free society where everyone can go to bed with their two eyes closed.
Lai Gidado is the publisher of Ebony Herald International Magazine and Abuja Herald newspaper. 15th July 2023