CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Communication is a variety of behaviours, processes and
Technologies by which meaning is transmitted or derived
from information. The team is used to describe diverse activities.
Communication is at the core of our humanness. How we communicate with each other shapes our
lives and our world. Human beings rely on their communicative skills as they
confront events that challenge their flexibility, integrity, expressiveness,
and critical thinking skills.
Communication
involves different forms which includes the intrapersonal, interpersonal,
group, public, mass communication etc all these are different ways/means
through which we interact, associate, communicate, relate, share ideas, views,
opinion, information, norms and values with ourselves and others. Communication
is regarded as the life blood of human existence which rapidly enhances unity
that leads to the development of our society at large.
Communication
both modern and Traditional means has promoted peaceful co-existence,
understanding and self-awareness among human beings. Both modern and
traditional means of communication have certain common elements that together
help define the communication process. These elements includes the following
people. In communication there must be individuals who are involved in the
dissemination of the message and at the same time receiving the message inorder
to make it lively and effective. In communication things are done
simultaneously (sending and receiving] if we were just receivers, we would be
no more than receptacles for signals from others, never having an opportunity
to let anyone know how we were being affected, if we were just senders, we
would simply emit signals without ever stopping to consider whom, if anyone is
being affected. But, if we were able to achieve our goals of communicating it
simply signifies that there is an effective communication between the sender
and the receiver at the same level.
Messages- in communication, the message is the
communication itself. A message is the content of a communicative act.
Everything one does with his/her body, or with other medium such as what we
talk about, the words we use to express the thoughts and feelings, the sounds
you make, your gestures, our facial expressions and perhaps even our touch or
smell all communicate information, this is to tell you how effective
communication can be, it involves our every second activity/actions. There is
no communication without a message being passed across.
Channels- In communication, these channels means the medium/means
through which the communication is being passed/disseminated. We are regarded to
be multi channels communicators. We have different channels through which we
communicate both in the urban and rural areas (settings) which helps to proffer
a better result of what is being sent.
Noise – in the context of communication, noise is anything
that interferes with or distorts our ability to send or receive messages. Noise
could be semantic factors such as uncertainty about what another person’s words
are supposed to mean.
Context – Communication always takes place IN some context or
setting. Every communication starts from somewhere, there must be a setting
that helps to make it real and natural and even acceptable.
Feedback - In
communication, whenever we interact, communicate with one or more persons, we
receive information in return. In communication we have positive feed back and
negative feedback.
Positive feed back which could come from the heterogeneous
audience or rural dwellers as the case may be enhances whatever behaviour is in
progress. It encourages us to continue with our information/attitude. In
contrast, negative feedback extinguishes a behaviour; it serves as corrective
rather than a reinforcing behaviours.
Effect – In communication, as people communicate, they are changed
in some way by the interaction, which in turn influences what follows. These
effects could be as a result of exchange of influence. Communication always has
some effect on you and on the person or people with whom you are interacting
with. An effect can be emotional, physical, cognitive or any combination of the
three. Without all of these elements communication can never be complete and its
effectiveness is withdrawn.
Communication
has variety functions in our lives based on our daily activities, communication
helps us to create an understanding and insight. It allows us to understand
ourselves and others at the same time. Creating an insight into ourselves and
others. This is because when you get to know another person you get to know
yourself , you learn how others affect you. Communication also helps us to create
a meaningful relationships between ourselves and others, the level of
communication between us and others determines the level of our relationship
with them. Just as we need water, food and shelter, when we do not communicate
we become disoriented and maladjusted, and our life itself may be placed in
Jeopardy.
Communication
also helps to influence and to persuade others, making the people around us to
be able to do things the way we do, believe in what we do, Exchange the same
culture with us. And whenever people are being influenced by our idea and belief it means that our goals has
been achieve.
According to
Gamble and Gamble (2002) communication works, seventh edition, Remarks that………
“Communication gives us the chance to share
our personal reality with persons from our culture, as well as people from
different cultures”.
Communication takes the same shape whether we live in an
East Coast Urban area, a southern city, a desert community, in rural area, a
home in sunny California, a village in Asia, a plain in African or a town in
the middle East, we all engage in Similar activities when we communicate. We
may use different symbols rely on different strategies, and desire different outcomes but the processes we use and the
motivations we have are strikingly alike.
However in a
bid to promote communication, various government of the world have among other
things been constructing roads, purchasing equipment and training personnel for
any meaningful development to occur in Nigeria and Africa in general. There
should be equal participation of both urban and rural settings of the society.
One way of
achieving this is through the utilization of traditional communication media in
conjunction with the modern mass media.
Therefore, revival of our communication media is one of
the steps in bringing about economic and social development in the rural
setting of our country Nigeria.
The desires
of information about people and events, the satisfaction of news hunger
stimulated by war or rumour of war, the necessity to spread information about
political and religions decisions as well as threats to security, the need to
stimulate and strengthen the sense of identification with values and objectives
of the society, need of awareness of the authority structure and to generate
and identify loyalty to those in power, all these were answered by the indigenous
media form of communication.
Anthropologists,
looking at human communication and development tend to focus on it’s central
roles in continuation of a society through the communication and development of
significant symbols. The concept of honour, bravery, Love, co-operation and
honesty, for example are embodied in language and other symbolic behaviors that
create and sustain belief in ways of acting because they function as names
signifying proper, obvious ways of expressing relationships.
During the
late 1900’s and early 2000’s the concept of culture became a focus of study in
many academic disciplines including that of communication and development. To
social scientists, culture means people’s beliefs, customs, inventions and
technology. Cultural studies of communication began attracting interest in Europe in the 1960’s and 1990s soon gained supports
worldwide. Cultural critics like Raymond Williams and Stuart Hall and other
scholars in the united
Kingdom developed this approach that focuses
on how the contemporary communication media shape people’s understanding and
action.
Revival of
our culture as a whole is necessarily because it will enhance overall national
development of our Traditional Artifacts as channels of communication.
Communication is the exchange of ideas and each society has it’s own
communication culture to reach it’s people. Every culture should not be by
passed, hence the interest in studying Iwollo oghe community to see their
communication development systems became imperative.
When
co-ordinated with modern ways of communication, news becomes more effective
those various assertions are challenging and inspiring and the social sciences
researchers in this area stood up for the challenges and inspirations. They
have at least come up with various studies in African traditional media of
communication which were unfortunately treated at the periphery in the past.
The negligence was caused by lack of foresight, lack of fund, man power and
interest. Such studies are now necessary because of the need to diffuse current
international and national development program in rural areas, which
accommodate more than 70 percent of Africa’s
population. Such programs include family planning, oral dehydration, war
against indiscipline, and corruption, operation feed the Nation of Obasanjo’s
previous government, Directorate for food, Roads and Rural infrastructure
(DFRR), Better life for Rural Women, MAMSER, WOTCLEF and other innovative
ideas. The need for traditional communication institution in most African
countries including Nigeria by the United Nations Education Scientific and
cultural organization (UNESCO) and the government of different countries.
The World
Bank Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) various festivals of Art are
Epitomes of cultural reformation.
The
Traditional media of communication should be elevated by every citizen of this
country both the government, individuals and more especially the Journalists
who only pay mush interest in the foreign means neglecting the fact that the
traditional media of our communication in this country is the grass root of
their profession.
They should endeavour to promote these various traditional
media of communication without emphasizing so much in the modern means by
visiting various villages, communities etc more especially their own community
to know how the various traditional media of communication are being co-ordinated for the promotion of
our cultural belief which enhance unity in the rural area that leads to the
development of our communities and country at large.
Notwithstanding the
modern means of communication, since the dawn of civilization for millions of
years ago, every society’s growth, survi val
and continuity depends on, among other things a system of communication,
through which people could exchange ideas and feelings; an economic system for
the production of goods and services; a health system to counteract disease and
ensure human reproduction; a socio – political system to maintain control and
order and a defense system to protect their territories against external
aggression of all these essential requirements of society, the system of
communication formed the mainstay of all the other systems, which came to
depend on it for effectiveness.
These various
traditional media of communication basically includes the following;
Oral Tradition- Oral Tradition is one of the most important media through
which Nigerians interact/communicate with their people/to themselves.
Okam (1987) notes that long before the introduction of
Roman, Arabic, Amharic letters and scripts in Africa, tradition in the form of
history, cultural values and heritages were handled down by word of mouth in the form of songs,
proverbs legends, religious liturgy, ballads and invocations. They are passed
on from people to people to people, from generation to generation, from area to
area and become legendary and immortalized with the passing of time. Oral
tradition dominated all other sources of information exchange in pre-colonial Nigeria.
Oral tradition helps in sharing knowledge of environment, interpretation,
explication of events occurring in society from a cultural looking glass,
Transmission of social heritage from one generation to another, socializing new
members and also entertaining the community/society at large.
The Town Crier- This is another
traditional media of communication. The voice of the town crier or village Gong
man is usually heard in the early hours of the morning preceded by the sound of
a gong. He announces important meetings, ceremonies, messages and imminent
troubles. Ugboajah (1985) sees the town criers as “a significant village
“broadcaster’ who summons the elders for decision and policy making for the
progress of the society. They relays their decisions to the village masses for
implementation: The town crier is always loaded with news, serve as traditional
communication link between the legal head and the villagers. He is being
regarded as the society’s journalist. The effectiveness of the town crier
usually lies in his oratory skills and thorough knowledge of the community
norms, values and heritages.
Among the
Igbos he is natively called “Onye
Ogene”. Among the Hausa, he is the “Mai Shela”; he is usually selected by the
Sarki or the village head, the “Mai Shela” is being revered as a holy man whose
announcements are never doubted. One of his major duties is the announcement of
the date and time for the new moon, which signifies the beginning of the
Ramadan Festivities.
Among the
Yorubas, he is also the “gbohun-gbohun” whose duty among others includes
announcements of the celebration days for the Egungun and sango religious festivals
and Among the other various ethnic groups in Nigeria, he occupies no less
credible and authoritative position. This relevance exists in today’s Nigeria.
The Talking Drum- The talking drum is
another traditional media of communication which helps in developing the rural
communities the talking drum is an extension of oral tradition. This talking
drum is also regarded as the “Ekwe Ikoro” in the Igbo communities, the Talking
drum reproduce the tonal pattern of a sentence in the proper sequence and can
be heard over a very long distance. The talking drum serves for two-pronged
communicative functions: Official and social functions.
Officially- they
are used to call meetings, for making some official announcements, at
sacrificial ceremonies and also for pumping the Adrenaline during wars. Socially - They provide gaiety during festivities and
ceremonies like new-Yam festivals, weddings, and chieftaincy title taking; they
also provide the atmosphere of suspense and tension during war and wrestling
matches.
Age Goups- Age Groups are old institutions that comprise mostly males
within the same age-brackets-usually those born within one to five years age
range. The Age Groups helps in getting things in order in the society in which
why belong. The name of age groups are derived either from the name of their
patron or father. The Age groups carry out community development project which
according to Ifemesia (1979) include
the cleaning of the
source of water supply the building and maintenance of roads and bridges,
village squares. Assembly houses and deity shrine; the execution of laws and
decision of the council of elders and the linage or village assembly, including
the collection of dues and fines, the punishment of crime and the burial of the
dead.
The age groups also helps in educating the young groups
about the traditions and needs for the maintenance of their culture.
Ivory Horns
and Long Brass- These produce notes that can vary in length and tone. these are
used to communicate long messages and herald important events. The long brass horn
are mainly found in Northern states of Nigeria while the Ivory horns are found
in the south East states of the country where they have also becomes states
symbols of titled men.
Smoke Signals – Smoke Signals are almost nonexistent in modern Nigeria.
Previously, one of the earliest communication patterns between distant
communities, they were used to exchange information based on agreed codes. The
essence of smoke signals is underscored by an Igbo proverb that says, “any
message sent through smoke must reach to the heavens surely and clearly.
The Open Market- The open market always
remains one of the most powerful and important institution in Nigeria. It is
mostly located in or near a village/town. The village markets have a cycle,
which may be every Four-Five–days intervals; town markets are open daily.
Notwithstanding the fact that the market functions as the economic nerve
center, it has become a beehive of all sorts of communication activities. The
open market serves as a natural infrastructure for multi directional dissemination
of news, opinions and rumours and is important for agitation, it provides a
forum for “adherents of synergetic religions to propagate their faith,
politicians to solicit the votes of the common people, the open market also
offers one of the few opportunities for communication to move from community to
another”. Ike S. Ndolo (2005) stated, that in many Nigerian villages, murderers
and thieves are paraded and humiliated on market days where also one can see
newly weds, new fashions, newly born babies, new products and new traditional
dances, new products and masquerades.
Finally,
MCBride et al (1980) advised,
“policy makers and communication practitioners
should find a formula to preserve the relationship between traditional and
modern forms of communication without damaging the necessary march towards
modernity”.
These
are to signify how effective the various traditional media of communication
works for the development of our society.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In the
Communication processes especially as regards to modern mass media such as the
print and the electronic media, the rural people seem to be marginalized due to
several factors. In spite of these factors, traditional Artifacts could be
positively exploited and utilized to meet the needs of rural populace. How far
the harnessing and utilization of these traditional means would get to solve
the problem of the rural tiesils the primary concern of this research.
The
importance of traditional Artifacts where it will enhance rural
based on communication
and development, how effective are the
traditional
communication media, what similarities and
dissimilarities exist
between these media and traditional communication
systems of Iwollo
communities are all some of the problems this
study is set out to
look into. The problem therefore is to find how
effective traditional
media of communication are as a means of rural
based communication.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE
STUDY OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
This study is
aimed at Identifying the role of traditional communication in the development
of Iwollo town in ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State and other rural
communities. . This study intends
to discover the Usefulness and limitation of any of those media in the
community. The effectiveness of the traditional media will be determined and
will serve as a base for comprising traditional communication in Iwollo Oghe
community.
1.4
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study will be a humble contribution towards the
development of traditional media of communication in Iwollo oghe community as a
whole. It will also serve as a source of encouragement to marriage of
traditional and modern mass media of the community and others in Nigeria.
This study will also encourage other cultural studies in
African indigenous communication pattern and finally will guide others who want
to know and understand the traditional media of communication and development.
SCOPE OF THE
STUDY/DELIMITATION
As stated in the introduction the study is in Iwollo
community in Ezeagu North Local Government Area of Enugu state. The study gives
a brief background history of the community. The study also identifies the
traditional communication tools mostly used by the people of the community in
the past and this present day. The usefulness and limitations of these
Artifacts in serving the communication in the entire Igbo Land
is as a result of the short period of time.
Due to possible lack of maximum co-operation. This study
might be limited to information collected from population figure of the community
under study, the low literacy rate, the non-availability of previous study
on the topic and scarcity of previous study on the topic and scarcity of the
text books are all part of the
limitations.
1.5
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.
Do Iwollo people have
traditional means of communication?
2.
What are these
traditional means of communication in Iwollo oghe community?
3.
Are traditional means
of communication in Iwollo oghe community more credible than the modern mass
media?
4.
Is there any
complimentary role played by the traditional means of communication with
respect to the modern mass media?
5.
Can the traditional
means of communication enhance rural based communication more than the modern
mass media?
6.
Can traditional means
of communication play a vital role in rural development?
1.6
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
HO; Iwollo oghe
people do not have traditional means of communication.
HI: Iwollo oghe people
have traditional means of communication.
HO: The traditional means of communication are not in existence in
Iwollo oghe community
H2: There are
traditional means of communication in Iwollo oghe community.
HO: The traditional means of communication are not credible than the
modern mass media.
H3: These traditional means of communication are
credible than the modern mass media.
1.8 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY
(1)
I assume that after
this research work on the Need for the various traditional media of
communication in developing our rural communities, that the people of Iwollo
Oghe community and other rural communities will understand the basic needs for
using their various Traditional media of communication for the development of
their society.
(2)
I also assume that
this research work will enlighten the people more and educate them widely in
the need for the maintenance of their various means of communication especially
the traditional means.
I assume that this work will put to an end, the problems
of traditional media of communication
in our society.
1.9 CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
A – CONCEPTUAL - TRADITIONAL – According to the
Oxford Advanced LEARNERS dictionary, it is being part of the beliefs, customs
or way of life of a particular group
of people.
B -
OPERATIONAL - TRADITIONAL – IT means the people’s way of life; the
common belief of the people living in a particular geographical area.
A -
CONCEPTUAL – MEDIA - According to Longman dictionary media are all the
organization such as television, newspaper, Magazines or all other forms
through which people interact and get
information for the public.
B - OPERATIONAL - MEDIA- It could also be
referred to as any medium through
which information is being passed across to the people both Traditional and
Modern means.
A- CONCEPTUAL – COMUNICATION – According
to Longman dictionary. It is the process by which people exchange information
or express their thoughts and feelings.
B – OPERATIONAL - COMMUNICATION – It is also
the process by which we exchange
our ideas, views, opinion, norms, values, traditions, beliefs etc. from one
person to another through a medium.
A – CONCEPTUAL - TOOLS – According to Longman
dictionary it is defined as skill that is useful for doing your job.
B - OPERATIONAL –
TOOLS – A useful means through which goals can be achieved.
A – CONCEPTUAL - EFFECTIVE – According to Oxford
Advanced learner’s dictionary, it is producing the result that is wanted or intended,
producing the result that is wanted or intended, and producing a successful
result.
B –OPERATIONAL
–EFFECTIVE –Producing a successful result.
A – CONCEPTUAL
-RURAL –A remote area to the country side,
out of the city where people are dwelling with their common belief.
B – OPERATIONAL –
RURAL –An under developed area, where people are living with a common norm
A- CONCEPTUAL –DEVELOPMENT –According to oxford advanced learners dictionary, it is the gradual growth of something so it becomes more advanced , stronger and acceptable.
A- CONCEPTUAL –DEVELOPMENT –According to oxford advanced learners dictionary, it is the gradual growth of something so it becomes more advanced , stronger and acceptable.
B – OPERATIONAL
–DEVELOPMENT - An advancement of something, people, community.
1.10 – LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY –
The study is limited to the rural communities in Nigeria but Precisely Iwollo Oghe community.
The study is limited to the rural communities in Nigeria but Precisely Iwollo Oghe community.
