Sex talk on radio disturbing

During the World Cup, many families will have animated debates about what channel should be on TV. These disputes are often sorted out amicably, quite frequently with the man of the house being overruled and gladly rushing off to watch the football at the nearest pub as the others remain behind to catch up with their favourite soaps.

But in Nairobi today there is another form of entertainment that has become almost compulsory listening every morning.

Radio programming across the board in the early hours is uniformly dedicated to one topic: sex.

You have people calling in to discuss the most lurid aspects of their private lives. Some would say that it is easy enough to change channels. It is not that easy. In matatus and hotels, you do not have much choice.

So you have the awkward scenario where mothers taking their daughters to school have to sit in glum silence as all manner of people call in to discuss matters that would be totally unheard of in a typical African social setting.

The presenters do little to moderate the content. In fact, the various radio stations appear to be in a race to be the most outrageous. People calling in to discuss details of their anatomy and others making claims that belong in a Hollywood script about the true parentage of their children are all fair game.

What effect does this have on society? It’s hard to tell because no scientific studies have been done.

Certainly, the stuff is hugely popular. One of the most notorious callers, a certain Waakanai, has a Facebook page with hundreds of fans. There could certainly be a negative effect. A colleague told a story recently of meeting a bright college girl who said she would never get married because of the stuff she heard on the radio the stuff Kenyan men get up to.

She was probably taking it a bit too far. Nailing the effect of these things on society is often difficult. No scientific study on the subject has been attempted so far. But for answers on whether the people calling the stations in the morning really represent the behaviour of the broad mass of society, I decided to reach out to an expert and called up Dr Stephen Wahome, a psychologist with the Psychological Health Services clinic.

Does he believe the people who call in to radio stations represent the typical behaviour of the average man in the streets? His answer was withering.

It is exceedingly unlikely, Dr Wahome said, that a person in the right frame of mind would call to expose themselves to ridicule by discussing details of their private lives.

The overwhelming likelihood, he said, was that most people who call in use assumed names because the stuff they talk about is too embarrassing.

There could be a variety of motives for calling, he said. He pointed to the fact there are numerous campaign groups that have emerged to influence behaviour in society, and they could organise individuals to make calls to portray their behaviour as commonplace and win legitimacy. Others, he argued, might be traumatised by their past actions and would ring the station as a form of therapy to get over their trauma or to try and justify their behaviour.

Whatever the motives of the callers, the issue the Media Council should deal with is whether this type of programming belongs on morning radio, or if, as is the practice in other jurisdictions, it should air at a much later time, possibly after midnight.