Dodoma — A MEMBER of Parliament has called
for government's intervention against local films and music videos which
were acting as agents of moral decay by significantly displaying
violent and sexual acts against women.
During the questions and answers session, nominated Member of
Parliament James Mbatia (NCCR), said some arts like local films and
music videos show violence against women, abuse and dressing them in
skimpy wear as a way of attracting more business.
"These acts of using women as the biggest 'salespersons' in a manner
that humiliates them is against our moral fabric. The dignity of our
women should not be abused like this as we see in many of our films and
local music videos today," he said Mbatia, in turn, wanted to know what
the government was doing to arrest such a development that uses women as
objects.
Responding, the Deputy Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and
Sports, Amos Makalla, asked film makers to follow their legal obligation
to hand in their films to the film board for review before they enter
the market, against which Makalla warned, they can be held accountable.
He also said the government has been at the forefront to speak and
act against the issue of moral decay that aims at dihumanising a woman
like violence against them, abuse and dressing them in skimpy wear.
Some of the actions the government had taken, he said, included
advising and rejecting films that seem to go against acceptable moral
practices in the country and those that go against the film laws. This,
he said, also included films that seem to dehumanize a woman and denying
her of her dignity.
"Some films were brought for checking before release and we had to
reject them until changes were made to those areas that had immoral
scenes," he said. He said that the Ministry, through the film board, is
ongoing with its strict stance and educating people in that industry
through media so that they follow existing laws and regulations to
advance the industry in the right way acceptable to all.
Makalla said the government had started a programme to formalise the
music and film industry, which it hoped would return discipline and
expand scope of management, control and following the law. He said the
government continues to ask film makers not to make or engage in those
acts that exude moral decadence.
But Mbatia decried the ongoing trend of many films exuding sex acts
as a fashionable thing, thus sending wrong messages to communities that
watch such films. "Why should films be about sex and not messages that
build a moral fabric among Tanzanians?
Even as some film makers are doing a good job, majority of the films,
it is said, are centred around such topics that do not build our
communities," he said. The MP appealed to film makers to ask themselves
why they have not been able to do to stop the moral decay and the rot in
the industry.
"We shall be trapped and we have to seek an intervention through the
government monitoring these films and videos before they enter the local
market. It all starts from these videos," he said.
After hitting major cities in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria with performances from international superstars like Professor as well as top Nigerian acts, 2Face Idibia, Ice Prince Zamani and Davido, the MTV Africa All Stars concert is finally ready for it’s long awaited finale in Durban, South Africa
