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In both Cape Town and Johannesburg, about 150 Christians from a broad spectrum of churches marched to the e.tv studios on Saturday (May 21) to hand over a memorandum calling for the removal of sexually explicit programmes from this free-to-air channel.
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The channel has already received thousands of emails from concerned South Africans, informing them of their decision to boycott e.tv until they cancel Naked News and other pornographic programmes. The following denominations have pledged their support of this campaign: The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa, The Apostolic Faith Mission of SA, The Baptists Union, Full Gospel Church of God, The Assemblies of God of Southern Africa and The Methodist Church of SA.
The introduction to the memorandum states, “As concerned citizens of South Africa, we are alarmed that national broadcasters and e.tv especially, should have so little concern for the negative impact that sexually explicit programming has on children and how women are viewed in society.”
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The memorandum calls for “the immediate cancellation of Naked News on e.tv including the removal of all other sexually explicit programmes portraying women in a negative light on e.tv, the SABC, DSTV and Top TV.”
e.tv’s Group Head, Monde Twala, noted the concerns but said he believed that they were not violating the Broadcasting Code of Conduct and that the programmes were no danger to children as they are screened late at night.
However, the memorandum included a testimony from a children’s counsellor that children were being exposed to e.tv’s sexually explicit content with detrimental effects. e.tv has ignored the very credible research regarding the alarming trend of the sexualisation of girls. Research of the prevalence and consequences of the sexualisation of girls has been well documented in the American Psychological Association Task Force’s Report on the Sexualization of Girls (found at www.apa.org).
Furthermore the memorandum noted the objection of the marchers to women being portrayed as mere sex objects or commodities in the media.
The memorandum will also be sent to SABC, DSTV and Top TV.
Africa Christian Action will be educating the public on the need to protect women from the exploitative abortion and pornography industries this Women’s Day (9 August 2011) through literature tables and displays in shopping malls countrywide.
Where and how can we support this campaign to remove sexually explicit programmes from TV broadcasts
With our social problems in this country we cannot afford this rubbish to be aired. Let those who want it corrupt themselves in their own homes. We cannot sing Nkosi Sikelele – God will not BLESS AFRICA if we carry on with this.