When mothers' love is eroded, children suffer the consequences

Simbarashe Msasanuri (Bongoblast)

AFRICAN movies are undoubtedly taking Africa by storm, gaining popularity and winning the hearts of many viewers, especially women. Most of them are so touching to an extent that viewers are left without a choice but to follow them up to the end.

These movies have offered an alternative for viewers who for a long time had been exposed to high-budget films that are full of fiction and violence. In fact, many fingers were beginning to point at these Hollywood-made films as the major cause of moral disintegration, cultural imperialism and the ever increasing cases of deviance within our society.

These are the same movies that are also blamed for having our women walk along the streets half naked in the name of fashion. As if this was not enough, the films have also been blamed for the increase in teenage pregnancies as they are said to encourage sex among youth because they show the act live in some of the scenes. The list is endless.

So, that is why the coming in of these African movies was a relief as most of them observe African traditions, norms and values. Most of them can be viewed by the whole family without someone feeling uncomfortable.

I have watched an ad-infinitum number of these movies, most of them with respectable people, but I don’t remember feeling out of place because of an uncomfortable scene. Don’t get me wrong, not all are perfect as we have some that are just replicas of the western films. Never mind them because today we are not dealing with those.

What made these films so popular are the touching themes that revolve around witchcraft, hatred, love, child abuse, Christianity and riches just but to mention a few. Amongst a barrage of criticisms on these movies is them possessing a predictable ending. If you watch one movie and if you happen to come across another one with the same theme, it is very easy to predict the ending and in most cases your prediction will be correct. The industry seems to be battling to deal with monotony and creativity when it comes to films.

Besides these criticisms, the industry managed to produce a lot of actors who are now famous. I don’t know whether they are rich or not but notable names from Nollywood are Ramsey Noah, Emeka Ike, the notorious midgets Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, Frances Nsokwu and Amaechi Muonagor, just but to mention a few. Forgive me dear reader, these are some of the names that just came into mind, in case I left one of your favourite actors.

Among these actors is one that I like to hate. This woman plays her role so well that you won’t have any option but to hate her. Her real name is Patience Ozokwor, known by her name as Mama Azuka in one of the films. She is always good when it comes to acting as a ruthless, evil and greedy woman.

Mrs Uzokwor is a popular actress who plays the role of a wicked woman so well. In fact, many people find it difficult to separate her role in drama from her actions in real life

She is so popular when it comes to child abuse, especially her step children while pampering her own. Step children are made to suffer and labour by tilling land, doing all the donkey work while her children are enjoying.

To be frank, I am still to come across a film where a mother mistreats her own children. We all know that, even if these films are based on fictitious stories, they reflect the way of life of a society and its people.

It is unfortunate that besides being fed up with these African movies, we continue experiencing and witnessing stranger than fiction scripts that are being written by some of our women today.

I really don’t know what is happening to humanity but what ever it is then we have been bewitched by the dead. Whatever is eroding mother’s love from most women in this country should be too powerful and seems to be irresistible as our media are awash with a lot of awkward and bizarre stories of mothers ill-treating or even killing their own children because of something as little as 1000/-.

A Dar es Salaam woman recently was nabbed by the police for causing grievous bodily harm to her child after accusing him of stealing 1 000/-. The woman thought of the best and deterrent way of punishing the child, grabbed the nearby razor blade and cut the child’s hands.

The cuts were so deep and many that the child’s hands were greatly affected. Asked why she did it, the woman blamed it on anger. The visibly ashamed mother who had to hide her face by covering her head using a khanga said she could not control her anger.

However, after doing the hideous act, the woman failed to atone for her sins by helping the boy get medical treatment. She was dilly-dallying about the case until an alert teacher reported the case to the responsible authorities, leading to the mother’s arrest.

This is not the only case, they are too many to mention. The love for money is fast driving our women into mama Azukas, who stop at nothing as long as they get what they want.

Most people forget that children have rights too. Carrying a child in your womb for nine months does not give a person the right to ill-treat him. Just like in the African movies, the good will always prevail over the evil and the law usually takes it’s course. Woe to those who treat their own children, as if they were forced to have them, as they will face the music.

Whatever happened to the long-held belief that mlee mtoto atakulea kesho? How do today’s parents expect their children to look after them in their old age when they are mistreating them now. Children are gifts from God and they need love and protection.

Parents should know that there is always a better way of disciplining a child. If we over do it, then we will be merely digging our own graves as that will have a negative impact on our children, who in most cases are left without choice but become thugs.

Though the law usually takes its own course, with the perpetrators facing the music, it remains sad, however, that by ill-treating a child, we are inflicting permanent scars that usually will have a direct bearing to their characters and behaviours.

The society should not fold hands and watch children being abused. They should confront those devious parents and rescue these innocent and defenseless children. It is everyone’s duty to make a better Tanzania by protecting children, who are leaders of tomorrow. God bless you.

bongoblast@thisday.co.tz