The last couple of years have seen the proliferation of video clubs as an increasingly influential phenomenon, especially among our school-going children and the youth.
In point of fact, they have virtually eclipsed the existence of cinemas that used to be the craze of the 70s and 80s. Consequently, the obsession with video clubs among our children is all too apparent.
Almost on a daily basis, one sees children trooping by the tens to video clubs to either watch football matches or movie of some sort.
While we are not in any way trying to condemn or discourage the pastime, we want to sound a note of caution that there is need for monitoring what type of videos or movies these video clubs play.
This is because the mind of the young is such that certain undesirable movies can negatively impinge on it, so that children consequently take to certain reprehensible behaviour as a result of what they watch at video clubs.
We recall that there was a government film censor board, and we recommend that this board be revived to vet all video films coming into the country, and being shown in our video clubs.
The customs also have a role in monitoring the videos that are brought into the country, and could work with the film censors and police to protect our people from undesirable images and ideas purveyed through the now ubiquitous videos.
We must remember also that the very fact that most of these children are going to school makes it an obligation on parents and guardians to strike a balance between their retreat to video clubs, and studying well at home to make progress in school.
We, therefore, appeal to parents and security officers to be on the alert, and be prepared to clamp down on video clubs which may be airing films which are bad for our young ones.
“Morality comes with sad wisdom of age. When the sense of curiosity has withered.”
Graham Greene
