How to stop a Masaku orgy

Kenya: Reactions to the wild behaviour of the youth at the recent Masaku Sevens rugby tournament drew varied reactions.

Some members of society felt the youth should be left alone while some leaders in drug and alcohol regulatory agencies want  such events banned.

The older generation is often so intent on enforcing ‘rules’ but  forget to instil a sense of purpose and cultivate moral values that would offer guidance to the youth and possibly produce more responsible youngsters.

The youth are the leaders of tomorrow.

It is imperative to bear this in mind, because as the older generation works at fulfilling its obligations, often they tend to react sharply and disapprove most actions of young people.

I consulted a group of teens on their take on some of the wild behaviour at the tournament that were extensively discussed in the press and on social media.

Our conversation left me wondering what kind of value structures we have passed on to the younger generation. The teenagers told me  such behaviour was common  young people.

The only transgression, they said, was in the blatant display of lewd behaviour and lack of inhibitions. “These things happen. Sex is not such a big deal, it is just that the older generation want to pretend that our society is puritanical and such matters only occur in the matrimonial bedroom,” one youngster said.

One blog  criticised the older folks for being hypocritical.

The blog claimed that such lewd behaviour did not start recently; it noted that in the past, such activities were common  in the darkened corners of agricultural shows  and social functions  but  went largely unreported because technology was not as advanced then as it is now.

Not too long  ago, an image of a  woman without knickers  jumping over a barrier at a concert, exposing her private parts, went viral.

Today such photos can easily be captured by a trigger-sharp person who would then transmit (broadcast) the image to an international audience instantaneously and through  the internet for perpetuity. Does this depiction mean that girls attending concerts do not wear underwear? No. Nevertheless  this image provoked heated discussions on social media.

The youths I have spoken to say there is nothing new in this behaviour. They say it is only being exposed more.

A man in his 40s said that in his village, church services during Christmas and New Year’s eve would be routinely terminated because the youths present would engage in illicit sexual activities.

 

I have also been reliably informed that a good number of churches have banned overnight music concerts to curb bad behaviour.

This behaviour seems, therefore, to pervade all sectors of the society regardless of creed or age. But it is more common among the youth—it appears that whenever the youth congregate in an atmosphere of festivity, some kind of decadent behaviour would manifest itself.

With the introduction of alcohol and other substances, the recipe for disaster is complete. Darkness provides the illusion of privacy and sexual activity is not uncommon. “It is okay, no one can see us,” the youths would say.

I do not think there is  sufficient evidence to state conclusively that society is in a steep  moral decay. In any case, societies comprise individuals. What these individuals believe in and stand for is  reflected by the general morality of that society.

It might futile  to eradicate decadent behaviour if we do not deal with each individual at a personal level.

How do we do this? Where do we stand? Is it possible to correct the wrongs in our society? Or do we have to first define right from wrong?

We need to look into these burning issues and address some of the questions  raised to seek answers to these questions.