TikTok, “Makaranta”and our futile war against online contents.

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By Aliyu Dahiru Aliyu

I’ve read numerous scathing comments against a new Hausa film titled Makaranta, that attempted to open another gateway to finish destroying our centuries-old most treasured culture. I understand the points of those wielding their weapons against the yet-to-be-uploaded online series, and as someone who is very conscious of our history, culture, and the ongoing waning of our religiosity, I join them in condemning the film’s repulsive scenes, as shown in the film’s short trailer.

Despite being aimed at Hausa audiences, the film offends their cultural and moral sensibilities. The short trailer is nothing more than a depiction of soft-core debauchery, and it has exposed vividly what has been going on on the main pages of TikTok and Instagram. These platforms, particularly YouTube, which has primarily become a new platform for the convergence of shameless young women creating explicit contents and competing in various forms of debauchery in the name of selling aphrodisiacs, have become lewd and vulgar.

Hisbah moral police has already sent an invitation letter to the director of the new film, requesting that he defend himself or face legal action for producing what will undoubtedly be a gateway to many contents that may encourage disrobing and dissipation. The director has already stated that he has nothing to do with Hisbah because he did not produce his film through Kannywood or Kano state where Hisbah operates, and his film is not about sex education but about various social ills such as female genital mutilation.

I disagree with the film’s and its director’s contention that the film was targeting social ills. A film intended to send a message to a specific group of people must not be completely antithetical to their religion and culture. However, one thing is certain: Hisbah has never known, and appears to be unwilling to learn, that its operations are limited to Kano state, and internet content, even if intended for Kano residents, is only illegal according to the laws of the state if produced or distributed within the state. This is true if we consider that Kano state has access to thousands, if not millions, of phonographic contents, but Hisbah has never stated that it will arrest the porn stars or producers. You could argue that “Makaranta” is in Hausa (it’s director said it’s in 16 different languages), but is the Hausa language a monopoly of Kano state? Last time I know, Hausa is spoken in some countries as far away as Sudan.

I’ll say it again: I don’t support the film or anything like it. I simply want to highlight a flaw in the way its issues are addressed, which is more about emotional sentiment than a direct solution. If Hisbah or any censorship board in Kano state wants to ban a film that is currently being uploaded online, it must either work with social media companies to request regulatory action against any content that deviates from our community standards, or it must directly request regulatory action against any content that deviates from our community standards. This includes reporting the content or working with social media company as a trusted partner whose actions will be given a priority. Otherwise, Hisbah must arrest only Kano residents or producers of Kano-based content, excluding an indigene of the state who produced his film in other states. This will be a temporary measure before people find their way out of the state to places where Shari’a does not work.

I also find many of the criticisms levelled at the film to be hypocritical. When you go to YouTube or some Facebook pages where vulgarity is disguised as selling aphrodisiac, you will see hundreds of thousands of views – more than any educational content on the same platform. This shows that the same people who say they dislike the film are also the ones enjoying its contents! If you go to YouTube, you’ll see young and unintelligent Hausa female creators covering their faces with “niqab” and making explicit speeches receiving thousands of views. Their main goal is to get views and monetise their content, and that is what the viewers give them. Isn’t it hypocritical to criticise what you enjoy?

For parents and anyone concerned about the development of our morality, the internet has become a major source of concern. Many Hausa people use the internet solely to search for sexual content and pornography. On TikTok, young girls and “independent” women are sending an open message that they lack home training. Some of them are doing it in a hedonistic manner in order to gain likes and followers, oblivious to the fact that the internet never forgets. People used to be afraid of someone checking their browser history after they die; now, people aren’t even afraid of uploading a video that will be played after their deaths.

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