Ban "Barbie" in Nigeria - Ahmed Muktari

Barbie: How Did An American Cult Movie Promoting Homosexuality Get Approval For Theatrical Release in Nigeria By The National Film and Video Censors Board?

- Ahmed Muktari

In Lebanon, Mohammad Mortada, the Minister of Culture has convinced the Lebanese government to ban the film "Barbie" from cinemas on Wednesday, saying it "promotes homosexuality" and contradicts religious values.

"Barbie" has been banned in 

Kuwait to protect "public ethics and social traditions", the state news agency reported. Other anti-gay countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa are most likely going to do so.

The National Film and Video Censors' Board (NFVCB) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) have questions to answer for the release of "Barbie" in Nigeria.

Homosexuality carries a 10-year jail term in Nigeria.

The act of aiding and abetting anyone in homosexuality is also a crime like aiding and abetting anyone in robbery and other crimes.

Did the NFVCB watch the film before approval or they have compromised their official duties and responsibilities to censor movies violating the ethics and laws of the constitutional policy of the agency and the laws of Nigeria?

OUR POLICY – NFVCB | National Film And Video Censors Board:

The detail of the Guidelines is contained in the following pages. But it is right to set out here the general underlying grounds on which the Board exercises the broad discretion conferred on it. There are four main considerations:

is the film or video work in conflict with the law?

that adults should be free to choose their entertainment, within the law.

is the film or video classified for a particular age group likely to be harmful?

is the material, at the age group concerned, clearly unacceptable to broad public opinion?

https://www.nfvcb.gov.ng/our-policy/

The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which banned gay relationships and entrenched intolerance of sexual minorities in Nigerian society, was signed by Goodluck Jonathan, then president, in January 2014.

Nigeria is a country of almost equal populations of Christians and Muslims who are against homosexuality condemned by both religions of Christianity and Islam. And the minority of traditionalists also condemn homosexuality as demonic and against the native customs and traditions of the tribes in Nigeria.

We must not permit the corruption of our society and the violations of our laws by Western import of homosexuality.

- Ahmed Muktari,

Lagos,Nigeria.

PS:

"Barbie' is a 2023 American fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig from a screenplay she wrote with her partner Noah Baumbach. Based on the Barbie fashion dolls by Mattel, it is the first live-action Barbie film after numerous computer-animated films and specials. 

It is currently the highest grossing movie so far in 2023.

The views of the author of the article are not the opinions of Nigerians Report Online.

Rejoinders will be published.

Pope Benedict Calls Homosexual Behavior a Violation

~ By Adeleke Adeyemi


Pope Bebedict XVI

Pope Bebedict XVI spoke out recently against homosexual behavior, calling it a violation of the natural order. In an address to the Vatican hierarchy, the pope called for an "ecology of man" to protect man from "the destruction of himself."

He added, "The rain forests deserve our protection, but man as a creature indeed deserves no less." The Vatican, in keeping with Bible teaching, opposes same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts sinful.

Pope Benedict said saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.

The Church "should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the pontiff said in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration.
"The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less."

The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes "gay marriage". In October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation [that needs straightening out], an irregularity, a wound [that needs healing]."

The pope said humanity needed to "listen to the language of creation" to understand the intended roles of man and woman. He compared behavior beyond traditional heterosexual relations as "a destruction of God's work."
"The Church is contrary to legislation that criminalises homosexuality," Holy See (Vatican) spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said as debate raged over the Vatican statement.

Fr Lombardi said the Catholic Church is clearly against considering homosexuality a crime, but is wary of international declarations that use the issue to promote a political agenda based on sexual orientation.

In early December, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore drew criticism from "gay" rights groups when he said the Vatican opposed a proposed UN declaration to endorse the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Archbishop Migliore said such a declaration might be used to put pressure on or discriminate against countries that do not recognise same-sex marriage.
Fr Lombardi, in his latest comments to reporters, said the Vatican was not conducting a battle against the United Nations or weakening its opposition to discrimination against homosexuals, which is clearly stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

"There is no question that the Church is contrary to legislation that criminalises homosexuality," Fr Lombardi said.
The Church's position stems from its respect for the rights and dignity of every person and explicitly excludes "any unjust discrimination on the basis of homosexuality," he said.

He noted that Archbishop Migliore's comments were made in response to a question about a draft declaration that had yet to be presented at the United Nations or in any public forum.

He said Archbishop Migliore's point was that it's one thing to argue against discrimination and criminalisation regarding homosexuality, but another to contend that anyone who makes a distinction based on sexual orientation is considered an adversary of human rights.

Specifically, Archbishop Migliore expressed the fear that the draft declaration could lead to a situation in which "states that do not recognise same sex unions as 'marriage' will be pilloried and put under pressure" to do so.