PORTRAYAL OF YORUBA TRADITIONAL RELIGION IN AWARI OMO ODUDUWA PROGRAMME OF MITV

Abstract

African culture intertwined with religion which makes religion permeates into all aspects of life, which made impossible to isolate. This study therefore examined how the television programmes has portrayed the Yoruba traditional belief system, and as well analyzed the controversies in the representation of Yoruba Traditional Religion on television and in tandem to the actual practice of Yoruba Traditional Religion. The study was anchored on Media-Society Theory of Functionalism. It explains that, mass communication can be considered as both a „societal‟ and a „cultural‟ phenomenon and also as part of the structure of society, and its technological infrastructure is part of the economic and power base, while the ideas, images and information disseminated by the media are evidently an important aspect of our culture. The Study also anchored on Culturalist Theory. The study adopted the ethnographic research design with the use of key-informants interview and content analysis to elicit in-depth information needed. A collection of some recorded episodes of the programme and interviews were analyzed to ascertain the extent it has portrayed the belief system of Yoruba traditional religion. The finding revealed that media owners have not seen relevance of promoting such programmes on their stations, the rites and ritual practices of the Yoruba traditional religion on which the belief system is anchored on are not permitted to be broadcast due to NBC law. The findings further revealed that presenters and producers of the Yoruba traditional religion programmes on Television are not core worshipers or traditionalist of the religion which pave way for misrepresentation. The researchers therefore recommend that National Broadcasting Cooperation (NBC) is to make better policies and laws that will make the african religion practices to be aired by media stations, which would have given opportunity to the audience to understand the belief system of Yoruba traditional religion. And also the core practitioners should be core producers and presenters of Yoruba traditional religion programmes.