Photo credit: Daily Trust
The federal government has, through the director general of the National Council for Arts and Culture, banned fetish displays at cultural festivals. To usher in the 2017 African Arts and Craft Expo starting in Abuja today, Olusegun Runsewe was said to have gleefully announced that this would affect subsequent cultural events to be held in the country.
After banning what it described as hate speeches which we think is a move to be politically correct, we think this brand new move is aimed at being culturally correct.
This is a very good move. Even if it goes against the constitutional provision of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. After all, constitutions are made for men and not the other way round.
Of course, constitutions could always be amended and the offending provisions permanently deleted.
The holy communion in Christian churches may soon fall a prey to religious correctness. Even the mantle, as white handkerchiefs are called, and the water which some Aladura churches ask believers to bring to church may be termed fetish.
By the way, among others, the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines the word, Fetish, as an object that some people worship because they believe it has magic powers.
Section 38 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria says,
38 – (1) Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
It has other subsections, but I believe the above is just suitable for our purpose.
We don’t want any magic. Our governments are already performing magical acts of change. So, any other acts of magic might be diversionary. We don’t want our people’s minds to waver.
What’s a cultural event without libations, ish!
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