Editorial
The infiltration and unrestrained broadcast of foreign cultural practices through movies on local television stations has been identified as a huge threat to the preservation of Ghanaian traditional values and cultural heritage.
Ms. Prisca Na’ambome Yenzie, the Upper East Regional Director, Museums and Monuments Office, says storytelling, one of the major ways of passing on Ghanaian cultural values from the older to the younger generations are being abandoned.
Parents and their children are increasingly becoming addicted to foreign movies including telenovelas and this she said was influencing the people to adopt foreign cultures and lifestyles.
She told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the situation had not only made the younger generation lose touch with their roots but had adversely affected the behavior of especially children – their relationship with their parents and the elderly in society.
“It has affected us so much in the sense that children no longer relate with the parents the way it should be at home, that respect and heart to love their parents are no longer there.
Children are now so disrespectful, they go their own way and parents also go their way and this is the effect of the deficiency of storytelling in the system because the foreign programs have just taken over and children are now living their way
The Daily Searchlight is of the view that there are two sides to the debate. Whilst it is acknowledged that foreign movies may be having negative effects, it is also true that some of the movies have positive influences.
We believe that Ghana has moved beyond the era of censorship, where what is shown on television must be pre-approved before it is shown.
That said, however, we also believe that owners of broadcasting rights must ensure that what they show on television is wholesome.
Indeed, we believe that they have the biggest responsibility towards guarding the nation’s values and that they also have an onerous duty to uphold this duty.
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