CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1. 1 Background of Study

Culture is a very broad concept in sociology, Clyde Kluchohn (1905-1960: 98), an American anthropologist defines culture as the total way of life commonly followed by the members of a society. He added that culture is a social legacy the individual acquired from his group. According to him culture includes values, belief s, customs, religion, technology etc. Edwards B. Taylor (2001: 67) describe culture as “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, moral, law, custom, and any capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of the society” Culture possess an obvious continuity that extend beyond the lifetime of those who passes create and utilize it, and the structure of a society persist despite the continual replacement of its members.

Moemaka (2007: 33) observes that culture and communication have a symbolic relationship. Culture determines the code, context and meaning of communication and communication is the life wire of any culture without communication, no culture can survive. Also,communication is man most ubiquitous and life-long activity. It is also the most significant. It has added to its transactional value a nexus or communal and group cohesion.

For instance, numerous studies have confirmed that an individual, in his entire life spend75percent of each day communicating. One of such studies cited by Berio (2000: 3) says “each of us spends 10 or 11 hours a day, everyday performing verbal communication behave “Man cannot communicate”. According to Ugoboajah (2005: 105),

“To be, is to communicate, without communication, man is not different from lower animals, our ability to carry symbols around with us, to interpret them and relate them around makes us distinct (from the lower animals) without communication, man will cease to exist as social creature because communication is social affair”.

Communication is the sharing of idea, concept, message, or feelings with one another to include cultural value of a society. Keyton (2011: 98) says communication can be defined as ‘the process of transferring information and common understanding from one person to another’ To Nsude and Nwosu et al (2006:78) “Communication is the art through which pieces of information are related from one person to another in the process of interaction”.

Eziechine (2009:5) says that communication involves the exchange of information, and ideas. In the words of Jayaeere (2001:9) communication is “An interactive process through which persons or group of people relate to each other, share information experiences, culture and lots more.

For communication to get to its targeted audience it must pass through a channel which may be radio, television, print media, etc.

According to O’Shaughnessy (2009: 90) the mass media are technologically developed and economically profitable forms of human communication, held in public or private ownership which can transmit information, ideas, entertainment, etc across time and space to diverse group of people.

Therefore through the broadcast media roles are played in education members of the society and enlightening the people on the need to uphold their cultural values. Lassell (2008: 56) says “the foremost functions of the media in any society is to provide surveillance of the environment, disclosing threats and opportunity affecting the valued parts of the community and component parts within it. A reasonable media should therefore be used to position the citizenry in a way that enhances the importance of their culture, there-by promoting their cultural beliefs.

The media is believed to have the capacity to cut through the barriers of illiteracy and thus essential for the overall development of the society. This perspective has been accepted by different authorities in mass communication. The mass media are significant part of the society mostly in the modern day were and hen communication, information, technology has made the world a global village. To this effect a diverse and heterogenous group of people are dependent, upon regular contacts with the media for education, information, entertainment, ideas sensitization mobilization, integration among others, which is one way or the other connected to our attempt to define who and what are.

The media transmits ideas, information to the targeted audience, this show that they are responsible for the most adjustments in the behavioural pattern of the people in the society. Sometimes these adjustments take the target audience awareness and they find themselves trapped in the manifestation of the acquired behaviour, for instance “African youths who are faced with the relegation of African values to the background” (Odetola and Ademola 2005). Whichever way it is considered, the radio has used in research work tends to show how they affect the lives of the people in promoting culture.

The generally learned and shared ways of doing things are peculiar to our society come under the shield of culture and this culture is transmitted from one generation to another.

1.1     An over view of the (Kalabari) Iya marriage

Traditionally marriage in Ijaw land, especially in Kalabari, Okrika, Okoloba, and Nembe chans, occur in three major forms. They are the Iya, Igwa, and Waribiobesime. The Iya is however, the most lawful and highest form of kalabari marriages, in this marriage divorce is not permitted and the offspring belongs to the man’s house, while in Igwa, a small dowry marriage and a lesser form of marriage than the Iya,the Iya marriage is not complete until the BIBIFE ceremony (buying the mouth) is undertaking. The BIBIFE signifies three (3) things. First, a stage in a lawful marriage which gives the bride the right to eat in her husband’s house. Second, it signifies the man’s responsibility towards the wifeand his willingness to feed her for the rest of her life. Finally, it signifies and crowns the new communion between the two families. The BIBIFE ceremony involves serving the bride with innumerable courses of food, usually done in the evenings. Thus, the bride is dress with coral accessories, crown and chunky coral beads.

For whom the BIBIFE has not been done can cook for the husband, but will have to take her meals and snacks to her parent’s house or a house other than her husband’s or his relatives to eat.Whereas in the Igwa marriage divorce is permitted, and an Igwa marriage canbe converted into an Iya marriage, reverse is not permissible. Waribiobesime is the marriage between members of the same house who are not blood relations. With the Iya marriage, which is a large dowry marriage, the children belong to the father’s family.

With the Iya marriage, the wife automatically assimilated into the husband’s family. In her husband’s house, she is equal to his sisters, and in her fathers-in-law’s house, she has more powers than her husband’s sisters do.This is because she has become a member of the family, while the sisters they are expected to be married out.

“She automatically is entitled to anything every female member of the family is entitled to. Even in the case of death of her husband, she can continue to live in the compound and any child she may have in the case of her husband’s demise, such child is also seen as a member of a family”.

Much as men regard the chieftaincy title as the crowning glory of the man’s achievement, their female counterpart consider the Iya marriage the apex of a woman’s success, especially if she is an Iya marriage wife of a chief. (Tuale 2007).

Apart from the child bearing and upbringing of the children, Iya women are practically idle and carry themselves with great deal of pride, behaving like the aristocratic ladies of Victorian England. They exercise a lot of influence in their husband’s houses, controlling servants, adopted children, and lesser wives of their husbands. They occupy an acknowledged superior in the society, conferred on them by their husband’s wealth and their conspicuous idleness. In a society where everybody has to work, much distinction is gained by conspicuous idleness, which is evidence of leisure. This does not matter whether the wifeis Kalabari or not.

1.2     Statement of Problem

The inability of the mass media to be able to cut through barriers of illiteracy and enlighten the people more on better ways of living is alarming (Orji 2003). The mass media disseminates information to the public. It can impact positively or negatively but for the media to be able to carry out its roles effectively and successfully it has to overcome various challenges, ranking from illiteracy to poor viewership or listenership to educational and enlightening programs from the masses.

Moreover the positive aspect of the Nigerian cultural values is not projected. The effect is that newer generations and foreigners do not have good knowledge and understanding of Nigerian and African culture. This is because the media has not efficiently performed its esteemed role in this direction. The problem confronting this research therefore is to appraise the role of the media a tool for propagating cultural values with a case study of the (Kalabari) Iya marriage.

1.3     Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to examine the Media as a Tool for Propagating Cultural Values: The Kalabari Iya marriage as case study. The objectives of this study are:-

1. To appraise the nature of the media
2. To determine the nature of culture and cultural values
3. To appraise the nature of the (Kalabari) Iya marriage
4. To examine the role of the media in propagating cultural values.

1.4     Research Questions

RQ1. What is the nature of the media?

RQ2. What is culture and the nature of cultural values?

RQ3. What is the nature of the (Kalabari) Iya marriage?

RQ4. What roles has the media played in propagating cultural values?

1.5     Statement of Hypothesis

With respect to the statement of the study, the hypothesis below can be deducted

H1:    The effect of cultural values is low

H0:    The effect of cultural values is high

H1:    The role of the media in propagating cultural values is low

H0:    The role of the media in propagating cultural value is high

H1:    The effect of the media on(Kalabari) Iya marriage is low

H0:    The effect of the media on (Kalabari)Iya marriage is high

1.6     Significance of the study

1. The research shall provide a conceptual and theoretical framework of the nature of culture and cultural values.
2. The research shall appraise the role of the media in the propagating cultural values.
3. The research shall project the significance of Nigerian cultural values
4. It shall provide a veritable source of information on culture and cultural values

1.7      Scope of the Study / Delimitation

The research focuses on the media as a tool for propagating cultural values a case study of the(Kalabari) Iya marriage.

1.8     Limitation of the study

Due to geographical and logistics constraint the research case study was limited to the (Kalabari) Iya marriage

1.9     Definition of Terms

Media:-is the collective communication outlets or tools that are used to store and deliver information or data.

It is either associated with communication media or thee specialized communication businesses such as: print media and press media, photography, advertising, cinema, broadcasting, (radio and television) publishing

Culture Defined: culture can be defined as factual expression of people’s beliefs, values, traditions, world views relationship etc.

Communication Defined: Communication can be defined as the transmission of information from one person to another with the intent that the message so transmitted is received and understood by the recipient.

Cultural value: It is the commonly held standards of what is acceptable or unacceptable, etc.,in a community or society.