‘’Among the wonderful technological discoveries which men of talent,
especially in the current era have made with God’s help, the church welcomes
and promotes with special interest those which have a more direct relation with
man’s minds and which have uncovered new avenues on communicating readily news,
views and teaching of every sort’’ The
decree on the media of social communications (Inter Mirifica no.1)
The unity and advancement of men living in society are the chief aim of
social communication. The means it uses includes the press, cinema radio and
television. The way men think is affected by theit means of communication. Pastoral instruction on the means of cocial
communication (Communio et Progressio
no.1)
The entertainment industry is a whole institute which aims at bringing
the nation to the doorsteps, educating,
informing and also leading a flock which
places it leisure, pleasure and visual feature
on the screen and prints on the entertainers to value for their time and wealth
spent on the products of the entertainers. These products includes; Newspapers,
Magazines, video clips/films/documentaries, internet amongst others.
Many parents with children at home today, grew up on broadcast network
programs like Tales by moon light, Things fall apart, Laughing Jackers, Sweet
and Sour, Omoba, Super Story, Izozo amongst others. Cinematography which means
the deliberate act of capturing photographic images following a certain plan,
gives me a certain thought about the nature of deliberate photography
represented in our time on the media of entertainment, placing a searchlight on
visual medium of information. Nudity in the entertainment industry.........
A very striking word in the definition of cinematography is the word
‘’DELIBERATE’’. At this point, certain
questions run through my mind. They include: How can nudity be deliberate? Is
creativity the hallmark of cinematography?
The media in every age gives a defining feature of that age, through the
media there is a creation of a level playing ground for conveying and
interpretation on meaning, in matters on relationship with others also in
sharing and exchange of idea. Whenever we communicate we build a family we
build a society. Hence, great care ought to be placed on what we share and sell
through the media. Mass media generally has a large audience it follows
therefore that creation of a society is affected by the media which is used for
communication information, entertainment and education.
As noted that media affects the culture of every age, i have heard it
mentioned that the media defines who a beautiful woman is and also same with a
hunky man. It also defines the kind of cloths to be used and it gives a view of
the parts of the body to be exposed. How bad this is! Since the birth of the 21st
century, there have been certain development in the outlook of people because
of this entertainment industry. There have been increase in the rate of skin surgery,
breast enlargement, hips enlargement all in the name of the usual axiom ( a
rule or principle that many people accept, self evidently without proof) ‘’the
happening thing’’. All the ladies would want to look like Barbie the Island
Princess and also dress like the trending pop and hip hop singers. I have come
to find out that people on this age just consume whatever they see without
strict scrutiny. You can find music videos with the artist wearing skimpy
cloths in the pubs, clubs and bars, their viewers now people of this age, will
in the name of trending things, put on this cloths for classes and religious
activities. We ought to stand up against indecency in the way we live our lives
for the sake of generations unborn.
From the look of things, people especially the youth are engrossed in
nudity as presented by the entertainment industry. Not only do they practice
nudity in terms of dressing, they tend to also make it a way of life. The task
for change first of all lies in the depth of the mind. Psalm 51 notes; a man
with clean hands and pure heart shall see the Lord. . The volition of man
should guide the man. If one builds a strong will, this will enable him stay
away from nude scripts and videos. Secondly, the parents have a great role to
play. As earlier stated, parents who have children at home today have benefited
from the positive representation in the entertainment industry hence they
should be in the best position for inter personal guide. They should guide and
critically scrutinize the media content at the disposal of their children.
Ranging from the content of their phones, laptops, ipads, memory cards,
In the case of countries like Nigeria, this is a call to the Nigerian
Film and Video Censors Board NFVCB, the body in charge of screens and cinema to
tighten their belts on the production of films at the disposal on the general
public. The censor age rates is a welcome idea but this is defeated by the
nature of most Nigerian homes where there in only one television that servers
the whole family. These policies made by the censor house are defeated because
there in on one placed to checkmate the uses of these tools in the Nigerian
home. At this point parents come in again, there have been notable reports of
parents who click forward button on the remote control of their DVD at any
scene that is X-rated on the movies, and this is not enough. These X-rated films
should not be bought. Clicking forward button at these scenes gives the
child/children the impression of feeling deprived and would do anything to see
those pieces on a later date.
The Nigerian union of Journalist have a significant role in this fight,
for a long while i have enjoyed Lanre’s Terror Muda, Kaptain Africa and also Mr
and Mrs amongst others as a child i grew up learning how to read and enjoying
cartoons in our National Daily’s. Today, nudity is becoming rampart in their
publications. This is reflected in the kind if pictures on the prints, this can
encourage destruction of young minds who surf the pages enjoying pictures and
as in my case learning how to read and enjoy cartoons.
The World Wide Web holding twofold of communication audio and visual, no
doubt today has a great outreach. Findings show that there are millions of
sites having nude content; this does not give a go ahead for access to these
sites. People need the power of their will to control their use of the web for
out of sight is out of mind.
Since media in every age creates a singular factor which prevails in
culture of that age, we would be thinking what our fate would be in the
interplay between our minds and the media.
The church comes in here; the church recognizes that these media, if
properly utilized can be of great service to mankind, since they greatly
contribute to men’s entertainment and instruction as well as to the spread and
support to the kingdom of God (Inter Mirifica 2)
Since the church is significant in the formation of the mind and as it
was in the medieval era controllers of the media. Through her preaching and
vocational seminars she should intimate the people on the mature use of the
media.
GBORU ANDREW OYINKEPREYE
andrusen.rekpete.blogspot.com
gboruandrew@yahoo.com