Tanzania government has banned a popular series of children’s books from schools claiming they violate local cultural norms.
Education Minister Adolf Mkenda announced Monday an immediate ban on The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.
He added that the government will keep an eye on libraries in both public and private schools to make sure they were not stocked as reported by Nation.
The government said any book content that is immoral; cultivating cruel, abuse, violence or immoral habits in schools is not allowed thus introducing children to educational materials or information that promote such conduct will not be tolerated.
“We are banning these books from schools and other education institutions because they contradict Tanzanian cultural norms and morals,” Mkenda told reporters in the political capital Dodoma.
“The books also violate the good practices of bringing up our children,” he said, calling on parents to inspect their children’s bags to make sure they did not have the books.
It was not immediately clear what content in the series of illustrated books by US author Jeff Kinney that follow the life of a schoolboy had offended the authorities.
The minister also listed other banned books, including “Sex Education: A Guide to Life”. However, the names he gave for two books actually appeared to be pages from “An ABC of Equality” which included the terms transgender and LGBTQIA.
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