Abstract
This study “Uses
of radio jingles as a tool in the campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS in
Makurdi” examines the influence of radio jingles on HIV/AIDS campaign on Radio
Benue Makurdi. Using the survey research design, findings from the study
reveals that the use of radio jingles on Radio Benue for HIV/AIDS campaign has contributed
a lot in reducing sexual behaviours amongst Benue people as well as
restructuring health attitudes of Benue people. This study therefore concludes
that, radio jingles though not adequately used, have contributed a lot to the
structuring the health attitudes of Benue people positively through the
provision of information, education and entertainment on issues that directly
or indirectly affect the society. Thus, the study recommends that radio jingles
produced in radio stations should be properly used to enhance massage efficacy.
Media operators and various governments should also introduce a policy that
would take into consideration the potential role of our indigenous languages
for the production of radio jingles for development communication in the eradication
of diseases.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of the Study
One of the primary
preoccupations of every human society
is how to ensure a stale of good health for its members. Health issues have
unarguably taken the centre stage in the international community today. One of
the basic problems of the international community is how to effectively manage
health issues that are threatening man’s existence. Any disease that takes
lives at a very high rate is always excessively worrisome to the managers
(government) of such society.
There exists a number of killer diseases which defy medical interventions
e.g. tuberculosis, cancer etc. Yet there is still another one that does not
have any medical solution (treatment) talk less of defying it. That is no other
disease than HIV/AIDS. According to Oluwabamnide and Jegede (2008: 107) who
stated that right from which it was first identified by medical scientists, HIV/ATDS
has taken several millions of lives and is still taking more on daily basis. It
has no age limit. That it kills children, middle aged person’s older adults and
elderly persons. The only available remedy for the disease is preventing it
from spreading further. Since it spread mostly through sex, indiscriminate
and/or casual sex is being discouraged through massive public enlightenment
campaigns. The present approach to reducing the spread of the disease is
targeted at people’s sexual behaviour hence it is purely a behvioural approach.
Consequently, a number of factors which are derived from media approach are
being advanced in order to succeed in the campaign against the deadly disease. That is the use of radio jingle as for disseminating HIV/AIDS
information.
Radio jingle is a media communication system refers to all
organized processes of productions such as shorts songs tune that is easy to remember aid is used in
advertising on radio or television. Through radio jingles people are made to
understand how to avoid the spread of HIVIAIDS. These jingles have helped in the campaign against
HIV/AIDS by announcing how to
abstain from sex and possibly the use of condom creating awareness on the dangers of HIV/AIDS in
the society.
The Radio jingle is a medium and
a communication vehicle for promoting and improving campaign against diseases which the media operators
employ to deliver their messages. It is
something related to the people
in the past, present and future providing
them with glimpses of reality that results in reality. It is the media for the people. The mass of people most deprived of
specific messages. These messages
embrace a wide range of traditional
communication channels which
include storytelling, folk songs.
A symbiotic relationship exists
between communication and development. It is in realization of the important role of communication in rural development Food
and Agricultural Organization’s(FAO) report cited in Yahaya (2002) recommended that development support
communication should be an Integral
part of any development initiative
so that the appropriate medium or media to effectively reach the
target population could be specified.
Radio jingles have quickly been recognized as one way of the most effective for the spread of Information or ensuring adequate
information in Nigeria. But it is
observed that it has not been adequately used in Benue State. Where they
are used on pilot basis, they have proved
effective, less expensive and are liked
by people.
There is a new dimension on preparing communication strategies
for community development programs from the radio jingle. In the case of using radio jingles, we can therefore
examine the communication features
which can be used in the radio jingles in relation to the
cotemporary health issues prevalent in
the State.
Nigeria is an agrarian economy and the negative impact of these diseases
on agriculture is monumental. Evans (1992), Barnett and Blaikie (1992) and Gillespie (1989) stat that several studies have suggested that HIV/AIDScan impact negatively on the rural household productive capacity through
reduced quality and quantity of
household’s labour and depletion of household’ financial resources.
Health communicators have laid emphasis on the pivotal role of the media in the fastspread
of scientific information related
to the pandemic and viewed the vehicle
of the media, especially the radio as necessary In curtailing the disease. In the developing countries, radio and to some extent, televisionsare the most effective tools of
communication since they cut across literacy boundaries. Supporting this fact, Kuponiyi (2000) says radio is one broadcast medium that almost all experts agree is the most appropriate for rural and urban emancipation programme. That radio
beats distance and thus has immediate
effect Moemeka (1993) states
that radio is also cheap to obtain and
widely owned by people due to the advent of the battery-operated
transistorized sets.
In viewof the above, the concern of this
study is the useof radio jingle in health communication.
Many attempt and efforts have been
made by the government in Nigeria to contend
health development Issue. So many
efforts have been made to promote
rural health development in the
country. Programs such as
National Immunization for Polio
Eradication Initiative, war against HI V/AIDS, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) etc. were
aimed at promoting health
education in Nigeria. While many
development challenges have presented
themselves, both in developed and in
the developing nations of the world, and such have been dealt with and surmounted within the capacity of human Wisdom, humanity
seems to have not had enough of such development issues staring
it in the face, as each decade presents
Its peculiar development challenges. This
has slowed down the pace of development, and in some cases, reversed the gain of previous efforts at advancing the course of humanity. Some of these issues
include HIV/ATDS epidemic, polio and malaria that have devastated even those
countries that in the words of Essex et al(2002) were previously considered model in Africa
At this juncture, it must be emphasized that the dismal performance
of earlier development paradigm
that forces development ideas on
developing nations andits accompanied
communication element that Increases cultural deterioration of developing nations as a result of imbalance in
the flow of information worldwide, led to emergence of more communication
models including the traditional folk media. The model according to Piotrow
(1997), advocates for audience
participation. But as a matter
of fact this too depends on
effective communication.
This calls for the use of mass media as a vital tool for development communication. However, this has
been true for the urban areas. This is supported by Ugande (2008) that, to
some extent, the Nigerian media have
been successful in contributing to the country’s development. This is particularly true of the urban centers where the mass media are
concentrated and where majority
of the audiences are literate. According to Sambe (1998) cited in Ugande (2008), some mass mobilization programs targeted at the generality of the country’s population have indeed achieved some
reasonable measure of success in urban centres. Unfortunately, the mass media
have recorded low level of
achievement in their task of enhancing rural development. This is based on the level of illiteracy which is the major characteristic
of the rural areas.
This therefore calls for the use of radio jingles which allows for audience
understanding of the development
programs. This is what Melkote and Steeve (2004:252) referred to as the emergence of culture as facilitator of development and
the integration of traditional and
modem system. The radio jingles are very wide ranging from storytelling,dances and songs among others.
Ugboajah (1985)111 Ugande (2008)
referred to them as oralmedia. This
means oral communication; they are
not written but spoken; they rely
on what is spoken and heard. The
person under this umbrella term performs various other mutually dependent and self-defining roles. They -are news
reporters, correspondents, news agents,messengers
(emissaries),spokesmen (or
women), envoys (ambassadors), contact men, couriers, postmen,broadcasters,
heraldsand also perform other
related roles.
The Nigerian- traditional folk media employ the use of indigenous languages which are native to them. They are traditional in the sense that they are not
foreign. In this case reliable indigenes of all the villagesin the country, which have a good command of the native languages
should be selected and trained on how to enlighten or educate the people about
the menace of HIV/AIDS or polio depending on die disease at hand.
Radio Benue also produces health jingles using indigenous languages; Radio Nigeria. Enugu also produces such
programs about health education. This
development touched them and they were able to come out for Immunization.
Supporting this view, Ugande (2008) examined the importance
of radio jingles in the process of development
stating thethey can be used to communicate development ideas to
homogenous group of people via
presentation of such ideas in
local popular artistic forms and Idioms. For example, local songs, and
stories can be used to campaign against evils
such as alcoholism, burdensome
bride prices, discrimination against women or for advances in farming, health and agricultural
development. Wilson (1991:23) clearly states that no development program aimed at the rural areas ever succeeded without making use of the
radio.
Despite the existence and
use of radio jingles in promoting health information
dissemination in the rural areas in
Benue State, there is lack of
empirical studies carried out - to
assess, characterized and validates
the effectiveness of radio jingles in promoting public awareness of HIV/AIDS in Benue state. This study sought
to fill this gap. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the effect
of radio jingles in promoting public awareness of NW/AIDS in Benue State.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The failure of the mass
media to enhance development in the developing nations is more worrisome. Thus, communication
scholars have turned to radio. Such scholars express profound gratitude about
the positive contribution of the radio to rural development. Ugaboaja (1985), McBride (1981), Nwosu (1990),
Melkote (1991), Soola (2003),
Wilson (1991) and Ama (2003, 2002) cited in Ugande (2008) contend
that radio is particularly crucial in mobilizing the people of the developing
nations for development programmes in all spheres and for promoting national consciousness and unity.
However, radio jingles are
greatly acknowledged by their strength in rural mobilization and development.
The extents to which radio
jingles influence rural development on their audiences are yet to be
ascertained. Consequently, the effects of radio jingle in campaigning against
Human Immune Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), towards
behavioural change arc still unknown. In addition, the use of radio for health development programmes
remains unknown. Therefore, it is against this backdrop that the study seeks to
examine the uses of radio jingles as a tool in the campaign against the spread
of HI V/AIDS in Benue State.
1.3 Objectives
of the Study
i.
To assess
the information efficiency of the radio jingles towards these HIV/AIDS
campaigns.
ii.
To
ascertain the extent to which radio jingles have been used in the
campaignagainst HIV/AIDS helped to alert people on the imminent dangers on HIV/AIDS.
iii.
To determine
the remedy for the non-challant attitudes of Benue people towards these HIV/AIDS
campaign.
iv.
To find out
if the radio jingles campaigns
about HIV/AIDS have restructured
the attitudes of Bernie people towards sexual behaviour.
1.4 Research
Questions
i.
What is the assessment of the informative efficiency of the radio jingle towards HIV AIDS
campaign in Benue?
ii.
To what
extent have radio jingles campaign
on WV/AIDS helped to alertpeople
on the imminent dangers of HIV/AIDS?
iii.
What is
the remedy for the non-challant attitudes
of Benuepeopletowards these HIV/AIDS
campaign?
iv.
Do the
radio jingles campaigns against
HIV/AIDS restructure the
attitudes of Benue people towards their sexual behaviour?
1.5 Significanceof the Study
i.
Firstly,
the study Is significant in
that, it is a contribution to knowledge about the dangers of HI V/AIDS and
its effects to the general society.
ii.
Secondly,
the study is also significant to
government and non-governmental
and other bodies that are trying to
bring development to the rural areas.
iii.
Thirdly,
to the members of the public, the study will be beneficial in alerting them on the imminent dangers of HIV/AIDS.
iv.
Fourthly,
the study will also help policy makers to affecting the use of radio
jingles for effectivedevelopment and programmes.
v.
Most importantly, the study will serve as a
contribution to the body of existing literature on communication and
development it will serve as a referencematerial for those who may be embarking
on similar study.
1.6 Scope
of the Study
The issue of HWIAIDS has become too alarming in Nigeria and Benue State
in particular. Therefore, the study
seeks to investigate the uses
radio jingles for awareness campaigns In promoting public
awareness of H1V/AIDS In Benue State. However, the study will be limited
to Makurdi metropolis.
1.7 Definition of Terms
Radio Jingles: Radio jingles refer to short songs or tunes
that are used for campaign or advertising purposes. Artser (2004) Radio jingles arc short songs or tune that is easy to remember and it is used in advertising.It is the series of planned
activities by media operators using
short songs that are highly
memorable to achieve special objectives. It is a specified campaignon health programmes by the radio and television.
H1V/AIDS: This is an acronym for Human Immune Virus (HIV) and Acquired ImmuneDeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It is the disease that kills the body
system at a very slow space. Oluwabamide and Jegede (2008) observe
that it is the deadly disease that kills slowly. The
abbreviation stands for Human Infective Virus or Human Immune-Deficiency Virus
while AIDS stands for Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
HIV/AIDS Campaign:this is the process of
communicating messages that aimed at preventing or avoiding the spread of
HIV/A1DS media or even traditional media. Oluwabaniide and Jegedc (2008) state
that it isa series
of information on HIV/AJDS aimed at driving home the appropriate messages to the appropriate public, It is
campaigning HIV/AIDS using the media.
Health
Education: Health education has
to do with the formal and informal
instruction and orientation aimed
at developing individual skills to develop his/her mental and moral as well as the
physical development. Singhal (1990) cited in Yahaa (2008:62) defined education as either a
formal or informal program of instruction
and training that has the potential
to develop an Individual’s skill to achieve
a peculiar end by boosting his or her mental, moral or physical power. On the other hand, health refers to the state of being physically and mentally
fit. Therefore, health education is the process of giving either formal or informal program of instruction and training that has the potential to develop an individual’s
skill to achieve a peculiar end
by boosting his or her
mental, moral or physical power or fitness.
Communication:Communication is the process of passing information from oneperson to another or group
to another. Yahaya (2008) states that communication is the process of transmitting messages or information from one person to another or
group of persons to another; this could be face-to-face radio
or television, newspapers or
magazines.
Sexual
behaviours: This is an act of
conducting oneself in a good or bad
manner towards sexual
relationship.
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