CENSORSHIP OF INFORMATION AND THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY

by Dafiaghor Kose Famous[33]

Censorship is seen as the control of the information and ideas circulated within a society. Reichman (1988) sees censorship as "the removal, suppression or restricted circulation of literary, artistic or educational materials on the grounds that they are morally or otherwise objectionable in the light of standards applied by the censor”. Yet, as he points out, "virtually any decision made by school board members concerning what is taught, used and learned in school can be viewed as censorship”. It could also be seen as the examination of books, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other forms of communication for the purpose of altering or suppressing ideas found to be objectionable, harmful, or offensive. Censorship can be prior or post.

Censorship and the ideology supporting it could be traced back to ancient times, and to the fact that every society has customs, taboos, or laws by which speech, dress, religious observance, and sexual expression are regulated. In Athens for instance, where democracy first emerged, censorship was well known as a means of enforcing the prevailing orthodoxy (orthodoxy means a generally accepted way of life). Indeed, Plato was the first recorded thinker to formulate a rationale for intellectual, religious, and artistic censorship. In his ideal state outlined in “The Republic”, official censors would prohibit mothers and nurses from relating tales deemed bad or evil. Plato also proposed that unorthodox notions about God or the hereafter be treated as crimes and that formal procedures be established to suppress heresy. Freedom of speech in Ancient Rome was reserved for those in positions of authority. The poets Ovid and Juvenal were both banished, and authors of seditious writings were punished severely. The emperor Nero deported his critics and burned their books. Unique historical considerations, beliefs, culture, religion and other related factors have originated the idea of censorship in any society. Perhaps the best example is the "Haßsprache" (hate speech) law in Germany. It states that it is illegal, under German law, to depict any kind of glorification of the Nazis or even to display the emblem of the swastika. The law is enforced to the point where even historical battle simulations may not use the actual emblems that were used during World War II.Significantly, almost all of Germany's close neighbors and allies have similar laws.