A concerned parent and radio personality, Stephen Mensah, has appealed to the government to prioritise the creation of Ghanaian-made animated content for children.
According to him, foreign cartoons and nursery rhymes have dominated the minds of young Ghanaians at a critical developmental stage.
In a Facebook post directed at Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, on May 3, 2025, Mensah highlighted how popular foreign shows like Cocomelon, Peppa Pig, and Paw Patrol are shaping children’s languages, values, and worldviews, often at the expense of local traditions.
“They sing nursery rhymes in American and British accents. They learn about snow, Halloween, pumpkins, and Santa Claus, while many have never heard of Homowo, Aboakyer, Adae, or even our rich Ananse stories. They’re learning confidence and kindness from characters that don’t look, sound, or live like them.
“But this isn’t just entertainment — it’s education. And it’s some of the most powerful education they receive during their most formative years,” he wrote.
Mensah urged the government to fund and lead a national initiative to produce high-quality, culturally-relevant animated content for children aged 0 to 7.
According to him, these shows must reflect Ghanaian values, culture, and environment, be easily accessible on platforms like YouTube, YouTube Kids, and on national TV.
He added that these contents should involve teachers, psychologists, animators, musicians, and cultural experts as well as be available in both English and major local languages,
“Our children deserve to see themselves on screen. They need to hear their mother tongue, see their culture celebrated, and learn foundational values like respect, honesty, teamwork, and responsibility, through stories they understand.
“Right now, external cultures dominate their mental world. If we don’t step in, we risk raising a generation emotionally connected to everywhere but home,” he added.
The appeal has sparked reactions online, with many parents and educators echoing concerns about foreign media’s influence.
Some have pointed to America’s efforts in local children’s programming as a model Ghana could follow.
See the post below:
Dear Abla Dzifa Gomashie
I write as a parent and a concerned citizen who has witnessed an overlooked but powerful force shaping the minds of our children: animated content.
Every day across Ghana, children as young as 6 months to 7 years old spend hours watching animated videos — mostly on YouTube, YouTube Kids, and TV. But the content they consume is almost entirely foreign.
Cocomelon, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Blippi, Baby Shark, Little Angel are the characters and voices shaping our children’s habits, language, worldview, and identity.
They sing nursery rhymes in American and British accents.
They learn about snow, Halloween, pumpkins, and Santa Claus, while many have never heard of Homowo, Aboakyer, Adae, or even our rich Ananse stories.
They’re learning confidence and kindness from characters that don’t look, sound, or live like them.
But this isn’t just entertainment — it’s education. And it’s some of the most powerful education they receive during their most formative years.
Ghana must act now.
I am respectfully appealing to the Government of Ghana to lead and fund a national initiative to develop high-quality Ghanaian animation and educational content for children aged 0 to 7.
This content must:
✅ Reflect our values, languages, culture, and environment
✅ Be available on YouTube, YouTube Kids, and other platforms where children already spend time
✅ Be distributed freely on national TV, regional stations, and educational portals
✅ Be created with input from teachers, psychologists, animators, musicians, and cultural experts
✅ Be adopted into preschools and lower primary classrooms as part of formal education
✅ Be accessible in both English and major local languages: Twi, Ga, Ewe, Dagbani, Nzema, Fante
Our children deserve to see themselves on screen.
They need to hear their mother tongue, see their culture celebrated, and learn foundational values like respect, honesty, teamwork, and responsibility, through stories they understand.
Right now, external cultures dominate their mental world. If we don’t step in, we risk raising a generation emotionally connected to everywhere but home.
Let us learn from the USA, UK, and even Nigeria — all countries investing heavily in children’s media. Ghana already has the creative talent, music, wisdom, folklore, and potential. What we need is vision, funding, and national support.
This is not a luxury. This is a strategic investment in:
🌍 Language retention
🎓 Early childhood education
🧠 Mental and emotional development
🪞 Cultural identity
💡 Moral values and character-building
Let us not leave it to others to define our children’s heroes. Let Ghanaian children grow up seeing characters that sound like them, look like them, live like them, and teach values grounded in our context. The future is digital, but our influence starts with the content they see first. Ghana must be present early, boldly, and intentionally.
Respectfully,
ID/AE
