USE OF TELEVISION TO COMBAT CULTURAL IMPERIALISM IN NIGERIA A STUDY OF PÉRÈ ÓDE ON EKITI STATE TELEVISION

USE OF TELEVISION TO COMBAT CULTURAL IMPERIALISM IN NIGERIA A STUDY OF PÉRÈ ÓDE ON EKITI STATE TELEVISION

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 Introduction

Man as a social being cannot live outside his society and other governing agents that conduct the affairs of his existence. One of these governing agents is culture. Every person is born into an existence culture, which must be learned and which shapes his/her life. Thus explains why the social scientist sees culture as the entire way of life within a society. Culture refers to what group share or hold in common. When a thing or a situation is said to be cultural, what is implied is that such development is not only shared but are deeply rooted and stable; it is not easily transitory. To this end, culture could be said to be “the sum total of the learned behavior of a group of people which are generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted from generation to generation” (Sitaram, 1970). Lotman (1973) sees culture as “the aggregate of all nongenetically inherited information, the modes of organizing and preserving information” 

Cultures emerge as shared historical experiences of a given society which of course is continuous and ever changing and developing. Culture is not merely a return to the custom of past, but it embodies the attitudes of people to the future of their traditional values faced with the demands of modern technology which is an essential factor of development and progress. Cultures do not exist in isolation as human groups relate to one another, which result in borrowing and fusion. For example, culture could evolve from that of others who are their immediate neighbors. This could be deduced from the language, religious worship, festive and other cultural element (Ayakoroma, 2011). Culture is often used as a starting point when expressing our identity to others. Yet culture, like identity is complex and it includes characteristics beyond ethnicity and religion. 

Olaide (2000) submits that what many Nigerians refer to as our culture are traces of achievement of our forefathers at various levels of stages of their development and the cumulative knowledge of these various achievements. Culture can then be found in our political institutions, our literature, and our language and even in our moral values. The moral value of a particular group of people is an embodiment of their culture. Morality varies from place to place and what individual learns morally and values he acquires depend on the culture, in which one develops, and the activities and institutions that surround one’s life.

Thus, people across the globe are connected to each other, meeting in different languages, being exposed to different customs, norms and values and indeed, to different cultures. Prior to the increasing cultural content and information technology advancements people hitherto had small-scale interactions, on a day-to-day basis within their proximity and neighbourhood. It was a cultural setting passed on, and formed largely by intimate interaction. The social system was founded on a monocultural pattern of existence. There is common language, behaviour patterns (norms), and values upon which members of the culture exchange meaning with one another in conducting their daily affairs.

These similarities generally allow people to predict the responses of others to certain kinds of messages. Only the rare appearance of strangers briefly interrupted the routine of such hermetic existence. Since the mid 19th century’s we have come to live a culture of mediation. The press, film and cinema, television and radio and more recently, the internet, have developed to supply larger scale means of public link and interaction. So, now, our culture exists within a much wider mediated world. The introduction of the term “global village” in the 1960‟s illustrates how much our world has changed – a change that is facilitated by development in information technology.

Information that once traveled through error-prone and time-consuming methods now appears in the blink of an eye across a wide range of media. People in virtually all locations of the globe are more in touch than ever, and are more likely to traverse into cultures different from their own. The media outlets of television, radio, books, videos, music, magazines more than ever, bring us into contact with various and different peoples of

 the world other than our own, right into our private and public spaces. The media by virtue of its vast coverage widens human horizon and creates the extended possibilities for cross relations and lived experience of mankind, irrespective of race and cultural patterns.

1.2 Background to study

Edward (33) defined culture “as a complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, crafts, law, moral, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”. In line with this definition M. T Akinlade (95) also said “culture in this sense can be seen as a way of life because it permeates all facets of human life from birth to death”. Also, UNESCO defined culture as “set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs”. In the same way, the Cultural Policy of Nigeria in Anyakoroma (1) defines culture as “the totality of way of life evolved by a people in their attempt to meet the challenges of living in their environment which gives order and meaning to their political, economic, aesthetic and religious norms and modes of organization distinguishing a people from their neighbours”. Culture is thus the totality of the way of life of people. Culture entails how people behave generally in their community; that is how they talk, dress, respect elders, greet and above all, culture constitutes the behavioral modes of individuals within the society.

Today, our immediate society is faced with a lot of vices as a result of poor behavioral modes by individuals. One of the major factor that contributes to poor behavioral modes in the society is the fact that people are no longer familiar with or are completely detached from their culture through which they learn about morals and ethics. So, if people are conversant with their culture, they would know how to behave properly and the society will be a better place for everyone. For example if the people cultivate the habit of dressing properly there will be less case of rape and sexual harassment particularly among the youths.

Also culture teaches manners of greetings and how to talk to elders within the society, but most people in the society today have poor manners of addressing people and this usually lead to misunderstanding and chaos within the society.

As a way of looking for ways through which culture can be revived in the society, the television medium becomes the best outlet through which this can be achieved. As a major medium of communication; the television medium gives the needed information that informs and educates people about their culture. This is achieved through programmes such as music shows, talk shows, drama series and documentaries. Many of these programmes promote cultural values, norms and ethics of the society. These television shows also help to promote cultural values as a means to transform Nigerian culture. Furthermore, the need for a better Nigeria informed the choice of this research, as the researcher wishes to examine ways and manners of making the society a better place. So, this researcher embarked on the study of television show in order to showcase ways and manners of ensuring that culture is taught and revived to ensure a better society for all.

1.3 Statement of the problem

Local broadcast content in Nigeria is meant to be a conduit through which the people experience culture. Hence cultural learning can be enhanced by promoting and sustaining the moral and community life of the Nigeria people. Despite the stipulation of the NBC code, television broadcasting in Nigeria (especially private stations) continue to be criticized over the foreign nature of its content, while its local content feature a high level of hybridization- an infusion of western and Nigeria culture- which do not necessarily compliment the culture of its viewers, but which exposes them to modes and values that are contradictory to their own culture. This raises the major concern over the cultural modes and values that would be transmitted to the next generation of Nigerian youths who constitute the majority of television viewers and are at risk of losing the basic thrust of their culture. This research also points to the issue of low level of cultural education and awareness among people in the society. The situation is responsible for the high rate of societal vices. This research aims therefore at identifying causes of cultural illiteracy and imperialism within the society. It explores how television shows have helped to promote norms and values within the society.

1.4 Research Questions

This study shall answer the following questions:

1. To what extent do Ekiti State television broadcast cultural programme? 

2. How does EKTV’s Pere Ode influence the viewers’ behavior?

3. Does EKTV cultural programme create awareness about preservation of indigenous Nigerian culture?

1.5 Aims and objectives of study

Some of the objectives of this study are centered on the need;

1. To determine extent to which Ekiti State television broadcast cultural programme. 

2. To ascertain how exposure to EKTV’S programme help to reduce dependant on foreign television contents?

3. To establish how EKTV cultural programme create awareness about preservation of indigenous Nigerian culture.

1.6 Significance of study

This research work is expected to serve as an eye opener for all categories of people to learn about their culture through television shows. The work is significant because it will explain in details why people need to be conversant with their culture. In this research work, ways and manners by which people can learn about their culture are identified and explained. Also the relevance of television shows will be examined as a medium through which cultural knowledge and awareness can be acquired. A television show promotes cultural norms, values and ethics just as it serves as a means of acquiring cultural education which will aid and promote societal decency. The research becomes significant because it is one of the ways of exposing the television as a means of promoting Nigerians cultural heritage among youths. The study is also expected to benefit diverse sectors of the economy as follows:

- Media house: mass media organizations will benefit from this work because it will enable them to pay more attention to cultural preservation and promotion, aside serving as a veritable agent of socialisation.

-Citizens: Nigerians will through this study know the benefit of mass media in the area of socialization and teach their children what and when to watch television.

- Government: government at all levels will benefit from this study especially by partnering with community media to showcase and boost cultural values of the society. In the light of the above, this research draws attention to the need to assiduously harmonize the cultural elements of the Nigeria people, and in most specific terms examine the working of Ekiti State Television (EKTV) in the area of cultural promotion.

1.7 Scope of study

Obviously, the topic is very wide in its scope, television programme as a tool to combat cultural imperialism in Nigeria which cannot easily be discussed in a given research of this nature with limited time and scope. This researcher, however, limits the scope of this study to Ekiti State Television, Ado due to the problem of fund and time.

Limitations of the study

Geographically, a study of this nature should cut across all the 36 states of the federation but due to the financial and time constraint, one cannot survey respondents from all the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.

Thus, this study concentrates on EKTV in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. The major thrust of the limitations to this study lies in the fact that the amount of information that would have been generated, if the six geo-political zones were to be covered will definitely be voluminous.

1.8 Operational definition of terms

This aspect of study is aimed at explaining the meaning of terms used in this research work in relation to its usage.

Television: This is an audio-visual device that is used for conveying messages from a source to a large and heterogeneous audience

Culture: Culture is a word for people's 'way of life, meaning the way groups do things. Different groups of people may have different cultures. A culture is passed on to the next generation through learning,