Show like MTV Shuga show why it is better to educate and inform that force abstinence down their throats.
Of all the physical activitie that can swing either way, sex is different for one simple reason. It is a natural urge that one feels as soon as the body begins to hit puberty. Unlike drug abuse or the craving for adrenaline, it takes very little; two partners can make it happen with little more than themselves.
Young or old, all two people need to have sex is really just the desire to do it and mutual consent.
This poses a number of very delicate possibilities.
Sexual molestation is very rife in our society, mostly perpetrated by adults with a deranged desire for young nubile bodies.
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Teens are having sex too
The body usually reaches sexual capacity around the later years of adolescence, towards the beginnings of adulthood.
But the truth is that young bodies develop at varying rates and in a hypersexualised world, young people tend to develop the desire for coitus at a relatively early age.
Bombarded with references to nudity and sexual relations, sex loses whatever element of novelty it has very quickly.
The result is that young people are having sex with alarming frequency nowadays. Beyond statistics and the relative certainty of numbers, it is there to see.
Young mothers, barely out of their teens, dot the streets, children on their backs and hunger in their eyes.
Besides the obvious issues asssociated with this, there are also a bevvy of risk factors.
Adolescents and teens barely ever have any idea what sex entails so besides being prone to unwanted preganncies, they are often at the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, exposing themselves to infections due to this naive unfamiliarity with their bodies.
It is why, in Nigeria and around the world, the population and the government are making serious attempts to curb this trend and reduce the incidence of the isues associated with it. Some of them are not the smartest.
Initiatives abound. One of them is Shuga, a television series helmed by MTV Base which focuses on sexual relationships between young Africans and highlights the consequences of inaction and recklessness.
Through its five season run, the show has addressed HIV/AIDS, unplanned pregnancy, sexual and emotional predation, promiscuity and numerous other topics.
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One thing that stands out from the show's brilliantly-woven plots is that whether they are in South Africa, Kenya or Nigeria, young people will always have sex.
Educate and Inform
It is why, in addressing the problems that Shuga does, forcing abstinence that their throats is not the best option.
As mentioned earlier, all it takes to have sex is two willing, consenting bodies and a craving for physical pleasure of that variety.
As such, the model adopted by Shuga shows the most promise and likelihood of making a difference.
Aricans love our stories and Shuga is filled with many interesting examples with memorable characters that stay with you long after the credits are done rolling.
This combo allows the ethos and the lessons in the show seep into your consciousnes in a deliberate yet beguiled manner.
It is why after the previous season of Shuga, where a young girl was abused by a predatory lover, many young girls responded with similar stories and assertions of their intent to stay away from such relationships.
Season 6 of Shuga Naija returns on the 6th of March 2018, and if the premiere is anything to go by, young people should have a lot to learn before they decide to give in to those cravings one more time.