Frank Tietie, the Executive Director of Abuja-based Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), has voiced his concern that African leaders are failing to prioritize the crucial battle for control over their children’s minds.
This oversight, he argues, is vital for safeguarding their future liberty and shielding them from external manipulation.
Tietie expressed dismay at what he perceives as a general apathy among Nigerians during discussions about whether popular children’s shows like Teletubbies or Peppa Pig were promoting LGBT values.
He believed that this disregard for the potential long-term impact on children is problematic.
The Abuja-based lawyer further lamented the recent trend of dressing Sesame Street characters in Pride (LGBTQ+) colors for June’s Pride Month.
He contended that children should not be targeted for any form of indoctrination by stereotypes alien to their natural innocence.
Persecondnews recalls that Michio Kaku, a distinguished American professor of theoretical physics, science communicator, and popular science writer, once astutely observed that whoever controls the media indeed has the power to shape the minds of the public.
Tietie warned that children’s television programming and production must be a matter of public concern, and governments and parents cannot leave it entirely to ideologically driven groups in society.
He asserted that it is not good enough for them not to take an interest in the popular programmes their children consume in large quantities, especially when they are readily available on the internet or through cultural exchange programmes.
Tietie observed that children’s brains are akin to sponges, absorbing everything around them, and television can shape their perceptions, values, and behaviours in lasting ways.
He stated that cable television, including paid subscription services, must also undergo rigorous examination and scrutiny to safeguard young minds from potentially harmful or inappropriate content.
Tietie lamented that even religious groups, whose primary objective is to promote high ethical and moral standards among citizens, have neglected this vital struggle.
Instead, they have focused on constructing buildings and monuments, leaving vulnerable individuals exposed to the influence of radical and neo-liberal ideologies that undermine the very fabric of faith.
According to him, the solution lies in targeted investments by the government and like-minded organisations, particularly churches and mosques, in funding producers of children’s programmes that uphold conservative values.
Such programmes, Tietie said, would aim to nurture future generations of well-rounded and well-adjusted citizens, thereby contributing to national development and the preservation of societal values.
He said: “In a free world where indoctrination is permitted within the bounds of the law, African governments, through their ministries of education and culture, should collaborate with conservative religious groups to make concerted investments in ensuring that they do not cede the pop culture war to liberals who appear to disregard the ethics, culture, and traditions unique to African peoples.
“It is high time we safeguard children’s media programmes from the subtle yet pervasive influence of gay and LGBTQI values, ensuring our young ones are nurtured on content that aligns with our cultural heritage and traditional values.”
Tietie noted that, historically, the development of television programmes for children in African countries, including Nigeria, lagged behind the rest of the world due to the high costs associated with animation and character modelling.
He said: “Even makeshift attempts, such as the Nigerian Television Authority’s (NTA) “Tortoise’s Wonderful Store”, could not be sustained or improved upon.
“Governments of countries like the United States were deliberate about television programming for children; hence, initiatives like the Children’s Television Workshop(CTW) received government funding to produce programmes such as Sesame Street, aimed at achieving specific social outcomes among children who would become the adults of society.
“Thus, American children’s programmes like _321-Contact_ and _The Great Space Coaster_ were designed to inspire children in science, technology, and space engineering, with the goal of sustaining the arms race and competition to dominate space during the Cold War era. This strategic approach yielded benefits for the Americans, and its influence extended to Africa as well.
“In contrast, African countries did not invest significantly in developing media programmes for children during the Cold War, understandably due to various constraints.
“However, they can no longer afford to allow their children to be indoctrinated by foreign cultural agendas that challenge traditional African values.”
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