Written by Precious Nwosu
“My mother has NEVER discussed sex with me except to tell me that ‘boys don’t get pregnant’ or to ask about the state of my hymen. Everything I know about sex, I learnt from conversations with women and personal research.” Elohor, a Nigerian woman, shares.
Elohor’s story isn’t unique. In Nigeria—and much of Africa—sex education isn’t just ignored; it’s actively avoided. But what happens when silence becomes dangerous?
The Problem: Taboo & Consequences
In many Nigerian families, discussions about sex are often muted and shrouded in secrecy, deemed too sensitive for open dialogue. This well-intentioned silence often leads to unintended consequences, leaving children uninformed and vulnerable to misinformation. As a result, these curious minds seek answers everywhere, frequently encountering distorted or harmful ideas that can lead to irrevocable mistakes.
Cynthia’s reality proves this to be true. “I was raised by a religious mom who saw no need to educate me about sex. I really wish my mother had not hidden behind religion, because when I entered university, I discovered a different world and made an irreversible choice. I think many people try to paint sex, sexuality, and sex education as demonic, but hiding your children behind religion will cause you a lot of problems.”
Light At The End Of The Tunnel: Cartoons And Rhymes As Sex Ed Tools
Many Millennial mothers and Gen Z elder sisters are refusing to be part of such a stereotypical and detrimental society of hush-hush sex discussions. They are therefore adopting cartoons and nursery rhymes to teach their growing children and nosy teenage siblings about sex.
But why Cartoons?
“Because that’s a language kids already understand,” explains Certified Holistic Sex Educator Elizabeth Adewale. “Rhymes, music, stories, and animation capture attention, simplify complex ideas, and make learning fun. Teaching sex through fear is counterproductive, but when you sing about body boundaries the same way you teach ABCs or numbers, it sticks.”
This philosophy comes to life in homes across Africa:
Odufa, a big auntie, notices, “I was watching a cartoon titled ‘Akili and Me’ with my niblings the other day, and it featured an episode about consent—specifically, what to do when an adult touches you. The episode included a theme song, and the children danced to it.”
Odufa was impressed. “This is very huge progress. We didn’t have those in our day. Gen Alpha will be alright; it’s looking good.”
While Odufa celebrates how cartoons have come, mothers like Cynthia aren’t waiting for schools or societies to catch up—they’re turning rhymes into armour.
“Nigeria is not safe for children, and so we use songs on the internet to learn about consent, boundaries, and appropriate and inappropriate touches,” Cynthia says. “There is this song on YouTube with dinosaurs about how ‘my body is mine and no one is allowed to touch me because my body belongs to me.’ I search for more of such songs with animated characters on YouTube and we sing them every morning before I drop her off at school. One can never be so careful; so lullabies, cartoons, and chants,” she concluded.
Research supports this approach: A 2-year repeated intervention of animation-based comprehensive sexuality education research was carried out on children, aged 9 to 12 years, from eight schools in Anhui, China. The result indicated that repeated intervention with animation can be an effective strategy for promoting preadolescent health development regarding comprehensive sexuality education.
Another educational cartoon is Tak Rak & Kar Kar: the Little Warriors”. This Cantonese cartoon with English subtitles teaches children to learn about their body, including their private parts, distinguish between good and bad contact, trust their feelings, and know how to refuse unwanted contact and seek help.
Parental Strategies (Current Reorientation): Age-by-Age Sex Ed in African Homes
Ages 0-5: Normalising Bodies, Building Foundations
Ebele, mother to a 23-month-old, started early:
“I’ve taught him that a penis is a penis, not a pee-pee or any other name. Breast is breast, just like we do with other body parts. Nobody calls eyes anything but eyes, so why should a penis be any different?”
Her approach mirrors expert guidance: Use accurate terms from diapers to puberty. This prevents shame and arms toddlers with language to report abuse.
Cynthia, mother of a 5-year-old, moans quietly:
“It’s painful to explain to a child that people harm kids, to tell her that all her life she will be prey to a predator;
I mean, she’s just five. Who would want to harm a five-year-old? But then, there are people out there who do. So, I’m doing my best and that’s what we all have to do as mothers. She knows how to use pepper spray, and she knows that if anyone touches her, she screams for an adult. I’ve taught her that her vagina is hers, and her breasts, her chest, and even her arms belong to her.”
Ages 6-12: Rhymes As An Armour
Doyin recalls her niece’s (primary 2) school rhyme, ‘What do you do with your private part? (2x) I don’t let a man touch my private part. I don’t let a woman touch my private part.’ She would sing it at home to friends and everyone who cares to listen. It sounded fun, yet educational.” But then, Doyin’s voice cracks as she recalls her own experience. “I never had that kind of upbringing. Not in school, not in church, not even at home. Maybe if I had, I would have been able to process my abuse sooner.”
Teenagers (13-19): No Filters, No Fear
Angel:
“My mother and I are very blunt while teaching my sisters (and even my brother) about sex. I’m learning not to take them as “children.” Because one thing about children nowadays is that they’re light years ahead of what you think they know. We talk about contraception options and abortions in front of both of them, so they know our opinions on all that. What I’ve discovered is filtering the information based on their age/level. There are some things we explain to the 14-year-old that the 10-year-old can’t grasp yet, so we just give her basic information she can understand (potential dangers of being in unsafe areas). When they request a cup full of information, don’t necessarily give them a tank full of it.
Elohor (guardian to younger sister):
“I tell her that when a stranger compliments your beauty, say nothing. That’s like ground zero sex ed. Furthermore, keep communication lines open because perverts thrive on silence. As a rule of thumb, I say if you can’t discuss sex freely, you shouldn’t be having sex.” She credits a JW book—Questions Young People Ask: Answers That Work—for her own sex education.
Conclusion
Elizabeth Adewale reframes the goal: “This isn’t about teaching sex; it’s about safety, boundaries, and respect. Curious kids need guidance, not guesswork.”
The result: Kids who speak up sooner, delay sex, use protection, and build healthier relationships as adults.
The goal isn’t to rush adulthood; it’s to protect it. And for a generation raised on cartoons and rhymes, these tools might just be the key.
1 comments On How Moms Are Using Cartoons and Nursery Rhymes To Break Sex Ed Taboos
This is extremely good and educative.