Nursing Integrity at Stake: The Kannywood Menace—A Recipe for Disaster in Nursing Profession
By Ahmad Deedat, RN.
The disparaging impact of Kannywood movies/series on the integrity of nursing profession never ceases to baffle me. The distorted lens upon which nursing is portrayed in these movies/series often blurred the true value and depth of the profession. Wittingly or unwittingly, Kannywood has consistently fueled the decline of the nursing profession, capitalized a devastating portrayal that dismantle the integrity of the profession in the mainstream media and public domain.
The partnership between nursing and Kannywood industry comes across a the tenuous one. Nursing is shackled by the industry, denied the helm, and forced to navigate dangerous landscapes in otherwise a blind pursuit, ultimately misleading the public about the profession’s true nature.
Therefore, the portrayal of nurses and nursing in Kannywood movies/series makes me feel diminished, because I’m involved in nursing. It’s ill-advised to demonstrate the ways of a profession without seeking informed knowledge of its modus-operandi.
It is worth noting that nursing, unlike how it’s often disparagingly displayed in TV shows—Labarina, Da Na Sani, etc., is a profession in its own right. Nurses are not working for, but working with other healthcare professionals. Nurses are indispensable in the hospital settings. They invest largely in protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning—prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, and alleviation of suffering through their distinctive and compassionate presence and interventions. These make nurses unique, and certainly, deserving of recognition and appreciation—not a caricatured mockery in popular media that tars their reputation and reduces their value.
I for all nurses, strongly condemn the stereotypical demeaning depiction of nursing that perpetuates negative perceptions about the profession. We are calling on the right authorities—nursing leaders, unions, and certainly, the censorship board to take decisive actions against the looming danger that is casting a dark spell on the integrity of our noble profession. The situation has reached a critical juncture; failure to act will spark a fierce backlash.
Deedat wrote this piece from Kano. He was the former SUG president of College of Nursing Sciences, Kano. He is the Chairman of Kano Nurses and Midwives’ Connect.
