Nigeria, Ghana ban music and video for ‘indecency’

GhOne TV and a few other stations are among stations that have rejected the video for ‘Budum Budum’, which features close-up shots of the chest of a buxom lady. The decision taken against the station has since attracted comments from the Vybrant Faya camp, with the head of the singer’s record label Mel Kwasi Davis condemning the development and saying that the situation could have been handled better.

“The station should have checked what time they could show the video,” said Davis. “To say the video was wrong, I disagree. I think they should have told Mr Logic that because of programming, they cannot play in the morning but after 10pm. To say you are rejecting the video is not fair.”

Meanwhile in Nigeria, the National Broadcasting Commission has placed a ban on a song which was deemed too racy for air. Titled, ‘Don’t Stop,’ the song was recorded by Olamide and released as a single from his Eyan Mayweather album. According to the commission, the song was banned for "obscenity, being indecent, vulgar languages," and using "lewd and profane expressions." This follows a previous list of offending songs released by the NBC last year. The earlier list included songs from Wizkid, Phyno, Reminisce, Davido, Iyanya and US rapper Nicki Minaj.

In banning the Olamide song and the Vybrant Faya video, the west African authorities have partly followed a simliar action in east Africa, where in February, the Kenyan government banned a video for featuring images showing a same-sex couple. These decisions affect terrestial television mostly. All of these songs can be accessed via cable television or on the internet.