Dear Father,
You know, last Sunday most of the churches in my village celebrated Mothers’ Day. In some, they crowned women as special mothers and pined all women including potential ones.
But one thing that was shocking to me was the Mothers’ Day celebration in one particular local church where my family and I were invited to play guest to the special mother.
Hmmm, what happened there again?
Don’t get me wrong Father, I don’t know whether it is an obsession or we just don’t like our own, but all the songs the choir sang in that church for the nearly 5-hours service were Nigerian gospel music.
You mean songs from Oga land?
Yes, Father, all their performance besides one or two gospel music from Uncle Sam’s village, the rest came from Oga Land-I mean not one song was sang in that church from our village.
Father, I sat in my seat twisting and turning and wondering where we are headed as a village and people. Funny enough, neither the pastor nor the choir master is from Oga Land, all including the choir members are from our village but they took pride in promoting the songs of foreign artists over their own.
And I asked my wife, do you think, you can go to a church in Oga Land and the entire service in which more than 15 songs are sung are all from our village or a foreign village?
Father the thing has begun so rampant that when you wake up in the morning and tune into the religious stations, Nigerian music will be blaring all over the place for the next one to two hours depending on the duration of that program.
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So when will your own be heard?
Father, this is the one million dollar question, I keep asking myself every day. But it does not just stop at the songs and the movies, even some couples choose to dress like Nigerian king and queen mothers at their weddings.
The Nigerian style of dressing nearly took over my church from its early days during programs and worship services, till I refuse to pine women who had themselves completely attire as Nigerians. Thank God it has completely disappear.
Do you hate Nigerians?
Absolutely not Father. In fact, part of my family, a minute portion is of Nigerian heritage, but the way we have adopted everything Nigerian over our own until you don’t even know what is Liberian anymore is worrisome for our future generation.
Father, even some of the movie producers are asking their stars to speak in Nigerian-tongues or accents, which is so bad. This keeps me asking about the whereabouts of our identity.
As if that was not enough, even some of our leaders who should set an example for all to follow, are all dressed up like Nigerians at our village National Legislature, the highest public building in our land.
You mean the Traditional Council?
Yes, Father.
I remember when I was in Charlie land, the frequent screening of Nigerian movies over locally made film was an issue. One particular television station was in the habit of filming Nigerian movies over Ghanaian movies.
And so when the locals protested, that television station was told that if it wanted to continue screening Nigerian movies, it should screen three local movies before filming just one Nigerian movie. The argument at the time was Ghanaian movies were too inferior to their Nigerian counterparts. The same argument which are being repeated here.
But today, Ghanaian movies are competing head and shoulders with Nigerian movies.
Why can’t we adopt policies that will promote our own rather than flooding our streets, our air waves with Nigerian movies and music? After all not one song or movie from Liberians will ever be played or view in Nigeria.
