ABSTRACT
This work is on the role of the
traditional town crier in mobilizing Adazi-Nnukwu in Anaocha Local Government
Area for community development. Traditional system of communication has been in use in
various ways as folk media and oral media. The town crier as a traditional
communicator is symbolically an organizational media worker, who is appointed
by the king or leader of a village to disseminate information and developments
of all types to the people. Town criers are mostly found in the rural
settlement because of the inability of the rural dwellers to read and write.
They serve as a means of disseminating news to the people. They are appointed by
the king or community leader, and theyare charged with
the responsibility of announcing time for meetings, days of communal labour and
important communication link between the opinion leaders and the people, using
either the wooden gong or the drum. He is seen as the purveyor of news, and an
authoritative messenger. Every message or sentence he makes is usually repeated
for emphasis.This study is born out of the desire to discover the roles played
by the town crier, to see if it is effectively carried out for development
purpose.A critical review to related literature was made. Relevant theory which
was used to gratify the study was the Agenda setting theory.Quantitative
research design was used in which cross-sectional survey method was adopted while
the collection instrument was questionnaire.Findings drawn from the study
revealed that the town crier through his mobilized function has to a large
extent helped the Adazi-Nnukwu towards attaining required and desired
development. The study also revealed that the town crier has contributed to
great developmental changes in Adazi-Nnukwu. The study therefore recommended
that the limitations of the town crier should be properly examined. Also the
government of the state should support the town crier in Adazi-Nnukwu so that
more development will come to the community.
