SIR: In recent times, the idea of “witch hunt” has been replaced by the cancel culture. In other words, someone can be “cancelled” or blocked from having a prominent public platform just by them making an innocent mistake. The cancel culture, as it is now known, has a pattern: a popular figure does or says something “offensive” or an innocent mistake which is followed by a public backlash, often fueled by social media. After the public figure’s goof comes heavy calls to cancel the person meaning to effectively end their careers or unfollow their social media accounts or boycott their contents or for their employers to institute disciplinary actions against their person.
To many people, “cancelling” is about a call to accountability where other means have failed to achieve that purpose.
Recent examples of the use of cancel culture in Nigeria have shown that it actually has more evil intentions than useful purposes. Like the witch hunt of old, which starts with the intention of disinfecting societies of witches, social media mobs hardly (that’s if they ever do) give fair hearing to the other parties. At times, cancel culture can lead to lawless behavior such as arson and violate civil discussions or conflict resolutions.
One of the cases that demonstrates how cancel culture can lead to chaos came after a disturbing video of a boy Sylvester Oromoni, a pupil of Dowen College, writhing in pain was posted online in December 2021. Sylvester later died just before his 12th birthday.
In what looks like a normal reaction, a certain Perry Oromoni – a relative of the deceased – did series of tweets on Twitter suggesting that Dowen College was culpable being a haven for teenage cult members recruiting other pupils into their gang. No further proof was needed by tweeps with notoriety for passing judgments just after the first accusers make their case. Understandably, the college came under a barrage of criticism on social media. Many people felt the school management did not do enough to curb bullying among its pupils. Some tweeps pushed for burning down the college as a measure to “prevent future occurrence”. Soon, professional activists or protest merchants, in series of emotionally-charged messages, went on marches at the radius of the school.
What were they really protesting after the state government had ordered the school to shut down pending the outcome of the Coroner’s Inquest?
Another example of apparent mob action in recent time happened when Nigerian skit maker, Maryam Apaokagi (better known as Taaooma) and some of her colleagues paid a courtesy visit on the vice president, Professor Yemi Osibanjo (SAN) in November 2021.
According to the comedian, she met the VP and “urged for the ‘actual’ lifting of the Twitter ban and as well, stressed on the issue of police brutality which hasn’t gotten any bit of change even after all the promises.” Even though engagement with elected or appointed government officials is part of activism all over the world, the ever-ready rampaging social media mob do not seem to seem to care. They were hoping either Taaooma or any member of her delegation would have met the VP and rain heaps of insults on him for her to be described as an “activist”. For this lot, “activism” means just insulting or destroying people unprovoked. Not surprisingly, Taaomaa and her team were “dragged” (a favourite word for the apostates of the cancel culture) on social media. She was literally coerced and mobbed into apologizing for what was no offence really.
The cancel culture largely thrives on heavy emotional blackmails, collective rage, double-faced morality, and pure mortal hatred. It’s typical of jungle justice syndrome where the victim’s side of the story is rarely heard or understood. This cancel culture syndrome has the capacity to affect their victims’ mental health. But, really, can one wake persons who are pretending to be asleep?
There is the urgent need to curb this culture which incubates and replenishes evil, encourages destruction of other people’s lives or means of livelihoods just because of some mobs that are antithetic to rational thoughts. If an estimated 50,000 people accused or suspected sorcery could have been killed in the era of witchhunt, let’s imagine the number of people cancel culture might have killed emotionally or physically!
- Olalekan Adigun,
Lagos.