Nature and Characteristics of Traditional Communication

2.2.3Nature and Characteristics of Traditional Communication

Traditional media of communication is a complex system of communication which pervades all aspects of rural and urban life in Africa. It is complex in the sense that it is not only one system but a network of media systems, which operates at various levels of society. In reality, it is simple in its operation and it depends on trust for its credibility.
It displays different types of characteristics which makes it unique. These characteristics include; its dynamism and it is also a multimedia with multichannel system. It is authoritative, culture bound, credible, definitive time, time honoured, transactional, customary, ubiquitous, integrative, low cost, non-alienating, adoptable and invariably popular.
They are usually unvalued and marginalized by those who do not know them. They share many things in common, some are verbal others are symbolic communication in forms. They are utilitarian in nature. Some are purely for leisure and they utilized by a fixed number of people in a hamlet, village and small segment of people. Many of them are used for teaching while some are used for initiation into age groups (Ogbuoshi, 2010).

2.2.4 Role of Traditional system of communication

Traditional system of communication plays vital roles in the traditional societies. Some of the roles include the followings:
It is used in mobilizing people: Traditional media are used in mobilizing people at the grassroots level, towards community development and national consciousness. Through mobilization, people contribute their quota in community development.
It helps to preserve culture: It helps for cultural identity in a community and also to preserve and promote cultural heritage of a community. Traditional communication is rooted in the culture of the people concerned. So, it helps to maintain cultural identity as well as preservation and promotion.
It promotes peace and unity: Traditional communication promotes peace and unity in the community. Through communication, people understand each other better and this promote healthy understanding in the community, which will in turn promote peace and unity.
It encourages social interaction: Traditional communication encourages social interaction among the community residents. Through communication, people participate in social functions and ceremonies.
It is used for entertainment: Traditional media of communication through various cultural programmes entertain people in the community, thereby making appreciate their culture. These culture programmes include; art and cultural festivals/musical shows, dramatic performance by choral and masquerade groups, and the musical and theatrical groups.
Belief and trust: The traditional societies are trusted, and the majority of the people seem to believe in what comes out of them and supplement them with whatever additional information that may filter through opinion levels about events and occasion.
It is also a source of cultural, political, health and other educational and enlightenment programmes for the masses, leading them towards self actualization and national development.
It is equally used for intracultural, intercultural and communication purposes, leading to group and national unity. Yam festival is a typical example of large traditional communication setups, which brings about intercultural and mass communication (Ogbuoshi, 2010).

2.2.5 Problems of Traditional System of Communication

There are numerous problems facing the traditional system of communication in Nigeria such as:
There are no universal appropriate languages that can be applied to all similar and identical concepts at the rural setting. This problem as its origin in the diversity of languages in Nigeria, and contributes to the scanty audience we find in many rural settings. There is absence of appropriate language which can be universally applied in the description analysis, and conceptualization of the media.
The traditional society’s technology cannot transcend space and other barriers as we find in the western communication system. This apparently results in problem of time value of information between the western and the traditional media of communication system.
The diversity which exists in the traditional political system, and the relative conflict between it and the adopted system which usually requires the use of certain media structures, polices and facilities. It should be noted that what affects the political systems invariably affects the communication process.
The socio-economic problem:

The socio-economic development in a country, influences the communication activities of each society but does not support the limited reach and effectiveness. The traditional society suffers from poor economic and social conditions, and they have to be improved so as to promote their systems of communication.
Scientific and technological problem: The present level of development of the media and channels of communication in the society is low because of the technical hardware are not easily preserved even though they can be produced cheaply. Also, there is low level of scientific explanations. There is no logical analysis.
High level of acceptance on the credibility is limited to the area of operation. In traditional communication, the channels of communication are usually peculiar to a particular community and as such may not have the same influence and functions in another community (Ogbuoshi, 2010).

2.2.5Communication and Community Development

The study of human existence and his environment cannot be achieved in absence of all encompassing imperative in human life known as communication. Communication and development have existed side by side since the drawn of civilization. Different scholars have defined these concepts in various ways, but for our operational purpose, development and communication are defined in such a way to reflect our situational relevance.
According to Okunna (2002), to communicate basically means to share ideas, information, opinions or experiences between people. On the other hand, Berelson (1978) defines communication as the “transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills, etc, by the use of symbols, words, pictures, figures and gestures”. Going by this definition, communication is not restricted to the use of coded language (word alone, it involves instrument, symbolic, non-verbal communication as well).
Communication is the convergence belt in which all development machinery involves. Community development cannot be achieved without effective traditional communication. Dixon (1990) sees community development as the process that involves extending the benefit of development to the poorest among those seeking a livelihood in the rural area. In the third world country like Nigeria, it is correct to say that rural development is synonymous with national development. Edrani (1993) makes this clear when pointed out that community development holds the key to national development. He gave the following reasons:
Because of the enormous size of the rural population compared to the small percentage living in cities;
Because of the very large share of the country’s natural resources located in the rural areas;
Because of the disproportionate role which the rural population plays in the economic social and political life of the nation. This goes to point out that much emphasis in such government programmes like the poverty Alleviation programme.
And traditional media of communication can be effectively used to enlighten the rural dwellers about such benefiting government policies.

2.3Empirical Review
2.3.1Situational Assessment of Traditional Media in Community Development

Development according to Rogers (1975), is all “widely participating process of social change and material advancement including greater equality, freedom and other value qualities for the majority of the people through their gaining control over their environment”. Moemeka (1989) sees it as a change for the community.