I wonder if the censorship laws still exist in Zimbabwe
When I was working at ZBC and Radio Matopos, many of the L.P. Sleeves (known as vinyl records to the young) were marked 'restricted' and the Library Ladies who logged our playlists, knew better than to schedule them. Woe betide any D.J. who tried to slip a 'restricted' song into an evening shift!! My dear friend of many years, Delvine Allen was in charge of the Library Girls and kept an eagle eye on proceedings.
I was always perplexed at the songs that were restricted, for example the beautiful song 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters' was banned because of the inference that it might allude to drug taking. Goodness knows there are songs today that are just too shocking, explicit and down-right disgusting, that are played at all times with impunity.
The banning of some Children's books has always confused me.
'Where the Wild Things Are' is a favourite in our house.Where the Wild Things Are is one of those truly rare books that can be enjoyed equally by a child and a grown-up. The book was banned in most southern US states immediately following its publication (in 1963), due to the fact that it promotes 'witchcraft and supernatural events.' For us, the 'wild things' - with their mismatched parts and giant eyes - manage somehow to be scary-looking without ever really being scary. In fact, at times they're downright hilarious.
'Brown Bear Brown Bear - what do you see' - I must have read this 'despicable' banned book twenty times to my Wee Grandson !
Dr Seuss 'Green Eggs and Ham' - why do they love banning dear old Dr Seuss His much loved book 'Hop on Pop' was also banned for 'homosexual seduction' in the USA and 'early Marxism' in China!!
Kids love 'Green eggs and ham' for the rhymes, the silliness and the repetition, there are just 55 words in this book...very subversive!!
'Alice in Wonderland' was written in 1865 and countries have delighted in banning this book ever since. Among the reasons are 'sexual fantasies', 'promoting drug use', and that it is 'objectionable to show animals talking'!!
'Charlotte's Web' is a tender novel of friendship, love, life and death and again it's the old 'animals talking issue!!' - inappropriate subject matter for children's books'
Roald Dahl of course is a master at oddball fantasies, and in his delightful book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory his description of the Oompa Loompa's was deemed racist...a sad tale for Charlie- a boy who is honest, kind, brave and true!!
'The Wonderful World of Oz' was also banned in 1957 for its 'ungodly influence' and 'for depicting women in strong leadership roles'..
Even J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' is a fine addition to any list of banned children's books. The reason 'For promoting godless witchcraft!!'
Then last but not least - A.A. Milne's 'Winnie the Pooh' banned throughout random parts of the world saying Piglet is offensive and that the book revolves around Nazism. I must have read a different book to my children
My dear friend Dacia Marie, told me that that wonderful chain of bookshops in the USA 'Barnes and Nobel' have a special display of 'Banned Books' in the Children's section, with the quote from Isaac Asimov - 'Any book worth banning, is a book worth reading'.