Banning online porn in Tanzania is the right move

When Mwalimu Nyerere was head of state, pornography was not allowed at all. Those days, of course, we had no internet. There were explicit magazines like Playboy that were readily available across the continent, but which were totally unheard of or unseen in Tanzania.

I remember seeing my first pornographic video in Europe and being totally in shock.

Looking back, I don’t think we young people of 40-plus years ago missed anything. Nor did we go through some of the relationship mountains that our dear kizazi kipya generation is trekking through in 2023.

And so...

It was quite ironic that while we chatted about paedophiles last Friday, and in the same edition of The Citizen, pornography was discussed.

The Citizen: “The government through the Tanzanian Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)...has increased funding in order to further tighten restrictions on the access of content that is considered immoral and against Tanzanian ideals, such as pornography.”

Mr Nape Nnauye, Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology, was pictured addressing Parliament.

According to The Citizen story, Mr Nnauye was answering a question from a legislator “who wanted to know steps being taken to block rampant pornography”.

Some might argue that “immorality” is old fashioned, or question freedom of choice and movement, or that Tanzania is being pulled backwards.

These views are valid, but they are also outnumbered. Anyone who has been following the health of families, couples and sex education will agree we are living through a psychological crisis.

I have been running a channel on YouTube, called “Kwa Simu Toka London”. KSTL aims to show snippets of life in London. Snippets can be translated as “ndogondogo” in Swahili slang. I film whatever interesting things I see with less fuss, and no editing. Since starting off around 2017, I have realised that health is a viewers’ favourite.

In 2018, I posted a clip about dwindling masculinity and discussed the reasons. I was surprised by the 100,000-plus views. Since then many young people (especially males) have contacted asking for solutions. All of them confessed to have been watching too much pornography. Watching online porn has really contributed to family crises, and women have been complaining about broken marriages.

Online entertainment is a lucrative business. However, at what cost?

That is why Mr Nnauye said, “The government will restrict access to pornography and related content.”

What is “related content”?

Let us read what London’s Mirror said on Sunday, February 12. Page 13 discusses a new problem in UK schools. Racism among children. The Mirror (and other tabloids) highlighted an incident whereby a 15-year-old black schoolgirl was physically attacked by two other girls aged 11 through the encouragement of witnessing parents.

The Mirror’s exclusive, filed by Saskia Rowlands, said a total of 7,403 pupils were suspended in 2022. Some of the incidents included “racially motivated assaults, vile language and social media taunts”.

Social media taunts equal online abuse, equal what we are discussing here. Young people spend most of their time starring at phones. It is a song that everyone born before 1980 has chanted. Walking and sitting and exercising and eating and even sleeping with phones.

The same Mirror exclusive said: “Nick Lowles chief at anti-racism pressure group HOPE not hate, warned schools are poorly equipped to tackle the problem. He said, ‘After Covid, some young people are spending more time online where they are exposed to racist or homophobic views. We support teachers, pupils and parents to help them recognise and tackle the signs of hate through education workshops’.”

That paragraph has so many layers. There are the words “exposed to” which Mr Nnauye and TCRA aim to address to combat pornographic viewing in Tanzania. There is the suggestion of workshops, which is all about education and awareness.

How do we educate our children about online material? That is what developed countries say. We in Africa are speaking of restrictions and a possible Nyerere-type total ban.

By the way, Tanzania is not the only country that seeks to outlaw this “exposed to online content” issue.

At least five countries have disallowed social media use (like TikTok), e.g. China, India, Russia, Afghanistan, and parts of the USA. Pornography is said to be illegal in most Middle East countries.

When Mwalimu Nyerere prohibited pornography, it was not missed, and I will hint at why it shall not be missed NOW.

First, because the negative consequences of watching and being addicted to this activity have a profound effect on family health and life more than ever before.

Africans live on fertile soils with enriching foods and a warm healthy climate. There is so much music and dance and absolutely no need to spend time gaping and gawking at foreign actors who not only depress our psyches, but are totally unnecessary. These porn movies are made in countries where it snows, it is cold and sex is often a big deal.