New Media Language Eroding Traditional Values- Otumfuo

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has expressed concern about the adoption of slurry language in Ghana’s media landscape, saying it’s eroding traditional values. His Majesty made the remark at the 29th Ghana Journalists Association media awards dinner at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on November 8, 2025. Drawing parallels with the computer world, the Asantehene noted that “Garbage in, Garbage out” is a principle that applies equally to the human mind, warning that exposure to unwholesome language can shape the brain and ultimately produce undesirable outputs. “Our cherished traditional values have been swept away in a slurry of language unfit for the human mind. Our forefathers knew that just like food shapes the physical man, what we imbibe and communicate defines what shapes our brains. That is why their values placed emphasis on language that uses less than unwholesome,” the King said, lamenting that the current trend has a negative influence on the youth and society at large. “Ironically, this has also emerged as the basic truth of the computer world, exemplified in the famous phrase that defines the merit of the computer: Garbage in, garbage out. It means that when you fill the mind with garbage and filth, the brain can also be shaped in garbage, and the output you can produce is nothing but garbage.” His Majesty, therefore, called for a serious dialogue aimed at finding a pathway to the preservation of the honour and sanctity of the profession. “I can think of no assured professional that would wish to be contaminated with such a slurry, so it must be in the interest of each one of us that efforts are made to clear the slurry and allow the profession to retain its honour.” Story by Hajara Fuseini

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has expressed concern about the adoption of slurry language in Ghana’s media landscape, saying it’s eroding traditional values.

His Majesty made the remark at the 29th Ghana Journalists Association media awards dinner at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on November 8, 2025.

Drawing parallels with the computer world, the Asantehene noted that “Garbage in, Garbage out” is a principle that applies equally to the human mind, warning that exposure to unwholesome language can shape the brain and ultimately produce undesirable outputs.

“Our cherished traditional values have been swept away in a slurry of language unfit for the human mind. Our forefathers knew that just like food shapes the physical man, what we imbibe and communicate defines what shapes our brains. That is why their values placed emphasis on language that uses less than unwholesome,” the King said, lamenting that the current trend has a negative influence on the youth and society at large.

“Ironically, this has also emerged as the basic truth of the computer world, exemplified in the famous phrase that defines the merit of the computer: Garbage in, garbage out. It means that when you fill the mind with garbage and filth, the brain can also be shaped in garbage, and the output you can produce is nothing but garbage.”

His Majesty, therefore, called for a serious dialogue aimed at finding a pathway to the preservation of the honour and sanctity of the profession.

“I can think of no assured professional that would wish to be contaminated with such a slurry, so it must be in the interest of each one of us that efforts are made to clear the slurry and allow the profession to retain its honour.”

Story by Hajara Fuseini