The ugly side of telenovelas

Gone are the days when owners of Black and White television sets were demigods in their vicinity.

In the past, most people would come from afar and camp at neighbour’s houses to watch interesting programmes on GBC.

The likes of Inspector Bediako, Taxi Driver, By the FireSide, Cantata, and Key Soap Concert Party were the source of entertainment for viewers.

The representation of Ghanaian cultural elements were recognised by viewers.

At the time, our traditional customs and taboos were cherished and it reflected in our way of life.

The current generation, however, doesn’t value our culture because it is believed to be barbaric and outmoded.

Unfortunately, these critics have blindly copied the “civilised” Western culture to the detriment of our own.

Surprisingly, with the will to embrace anything ‘white’, the craze for foreign telenovelas has been on the rise and interestingly, our local television stations have been the major partakers.

These fictional stories have dominated primetime programming on most of the television stations in Ghana because they are designed to attract a wide viewing audience of men, women and children.

The story lines of these soap operas have undoubtedly shaped viewers’ outlook.

From interviews I’ve had with ardent followers of these foreign telenovelas- Rosalinda, Veera, Curse by the Sea, Abyss of Passion, Rafaela, Destiny of Power, Juana the Virgin, Marie Cruz (Wild at Heart), La Gata, La Patrona, Daniella, Unforgivable, What Life Took from Me, Shadows of the Past, Simply Maria, Kumkum Bhagya et al, they get addicted to them and don’t ever want to miss any showing because of their interesting story lines.

The trend is killing the local movie industry because its patrons have shifted attention to these foreign series which are even transcribed in some local languages.

As if that isn’t enough, it has affected the poor patronage of our local movies.

Hence, this piece will analyse the negative effects of these telenovelas on relationships, morality and education in our Ghanaian socio-cultural setting.

Faithfulness in marriage is less appreciated now, couples part ways without trying to settle their differences, relationships and friendships are losing their relevance in these telenovelas which are contradictory to the Ghanaian culture.

Again, relationships are suffering because of the very high expectations.

For instance, ladies expect their boyfriends to be perfect and have a fairy tale relationship which is close to what they see in these foreign series.

Perhaps, they forget there is a huge difference between fiction and real life.

Even married women aren’t left out of this fantasy world.

They skip duties to watch these telenovelas when they're on repeat.

Smartly enough, these local stations have adopted the Twi dialogue to attract patronage.

We must know and appreciate that every society is developed by its cultural heritage and setting.

Therefore, adopting a foreign culture which is alien to us will do more harm than good.

The setting, costumes and beliefs projected in these foreign telenovelas are entirely different from our established customs which I call “modern satanic civilisation”.

These telenovelas project unfaithfulness as a supposed virtue when both partners cheat on each other and in the name of love, forgive themselves and come back together. Interesting, isn’t it?

And oh, the little children who have become ardent followers of these telenovelas.

They watch these series in the evenings at the expense of their books and nothing upsets me more than hearing them narrate and discuss the romantic scenes.

It may sound weird but that is the reality we are facing now.

Our local stations are subjecting us to a foreign culture with the influx of foreign soap operas on our screens.

Education is said to be the key to success but it is obvious the priority of our children has shifted to having updates on running foreign telenovelas.

Personally, I believe the rate at which children of school-going-age have become addicted to these telenovelas without parental control is a major threat to Ghana’s mission to improve poor standards of education at the basic and senior high schools.

It's absolutely wrong and irresponsible for parents to gleefully watch them with their kids when they have a lot to study.

If we expose our children to such lifestyles at an early age, what generation will we be grooming?

It is prudent to call on parents, the Ministry Of Education, Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Communication, the National Communication Authority and other stakeholders to pay attention to these telenovelas, which pose a serious threat to quality education, by adopting strict measures which will ensure that students do not spend time on them.

This article was first published on Modern Ghana.