Nigerian Popular Culture and the Moral Question

Abstract

This paper investigates how the Nigerian Popular Culture (NPC) has fared in contributing to the moral development of the Nigerian society. The social and mass media are filled with instances of NPC which include dance, music, and fashion that are patronized by many. This paper concentrates on dance and music to highlight how Nigerians have been influenced or affected by NPC. The bulk of the data for this study was collected through listening to musical lyrics and watching dancing acts on social and mass media. The author discovered that the lyrics of many of the songs and the dancing patterns are disturbing and can subvert the moral sensibilities of the populace. The researcher is of the view that the Nigerian family is morally endangered by these morally debased lyrics and dance styles. There is implicit violence in the lyrics and dance acts, and this could be linked to the rising cases of murder, rape, domestic violence and other acts of violence in the Nigerian society. The paper posits that while life is not static, NPC has failed in managing its success and is actually causing great anxiety among the Nigerian populace. The author suggests that to have a healthier society, there should be intense and appropriate censorship of musical lyrics and dancing styles, including lyrics of advertorials and the dancing therein.