A Little White-Lie

Negotiating the Ethical Dilemma of Truth-Telling and Lying from an African Indigenous Religion Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID13114690
AuthorsGoodluck Layefa (0000-0002-2273-2929, Afe Babalola University, corresponding author), Ngozi Ezenagu (0000-0002-2296-5415, Afe Babalola University), Olumide Olugbemi-Gabriel (0000-0001-5283-0768, Afe Babalola University), Ibikunle Olayiwola Ajisafe (0000-0001-9112-0822, Afe Babalola University), Ife Ajepe (0000-0002-8675-7914, Afe Babalola University), Babatunde M WAHAB (Afe Babalola University)
Year2024
Issue106.1
Publication date2024-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePharos Journal of Theology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2414-3324 • E-ISSN: 2414-3324
PublisherFrIcAjOuRnAlS (PUBLISHER • ZA)
DOI10.46222/pharosjot.106.24
OpenAlexW4405032327
LanguageEN
References cited23

Truth-telling is a cherished religious value in most African societies as opposed to lying. Thus, African indigenous religion upholds the virtue of truth-telling and abhors the vice of lying. This accepted religious virtue is promoted through various means, including film. The film, A Little White-Lie pictures a chaste working-class lady who deceitfully arranges for marriage, a pseudo-spouse under intense parental pressure. As the plot gradually unfolds, the truth is revealed that the fiancé is a true exemplification of ‘a little white lie’. Nevertheless, the film ends in a happy marital union contrary to the punishment for vices from the Afrocentric baseline as the film seems to endorse the vice of lying. The paper examines the art of lying and its verisimilitude in Nigerian society by employing a qualitative survey as the research methodology. Data were collected using focus group discussions. Most participants affirm that any form of lying is wrong and unnecessary from a religious perspective; others contend that lying though wrong is justifiable under some existential conditions. More so, some participants hold that the film reflects the culture and traditions of the Nigerian society. In contrast, a few others view the film as a negation of the religious values of the society it portrays. The study recommends that Nigerian film producers should endeavour to run storylines that align with the normative values of society

Art · Biology · Dilemma · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Ethical dilemma · Indigenous · Lying · Negotiation · Perspective (graphical · Psychoanalysis · Social science · Sociology · Truth telling · White (mutation · African cultural and philosophical studies · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Medicine · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Philosophy · Psychology · Ecology

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