Influence of Trado-Modern Media on Health Campaigns in Rural Areas

Abstract

A host of African communication scholars has conducted a lot of studies on conventional media of mass communication, ignoring the indigenous means of information dissemination among African people. Studies have shown that majority of African people still live in the rural areas without access to media of mass communication for information, education, entertainment, mobilisation and enlightenment. Besides, power supply, access roads are still a mirage in most rural areas of Africa, making it difficult for the media of mass communication to tread those terrains. Therefore, development communication experts, UNICEF, extension workers, development agents have resorted to using the traditional media of communication to extend development messages to the rural dwellers. Although, studies have shown that traditional media hardly go beyond human bearers, they offer credibility, inter-personal communication and on-the-spot clarification of issues when compared to media of mass communication which maintain a reasonable distance from the audience. Key words : Trado-Modern Media, Health, Campaigns