CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF FOLK MEDIA

FOLK MEDIA :
Folk media is a follow-chart of a social & cultural aesthetics. it is directly related to cultural
beliefs ,morals ,values and customs that reflect the traditional & cultural outlook of a society. As we
know each place, society or a population has its own distinct customs ,beliefs ,cultures and
traditions which are gradually passed on from predecessor to descendants ,we believe that there
must be some specific means of communication existing as well and to describe that ,we use the
term folk media. It is a visual & audio display of performing arts which are socio-politically &
religiously intertwined.

From the word folk, we understand that it is a talk of common or tribal communities of our society
aka the rural folks. Folk media therefore refers to the vehicle the rural folk employ for the delivery of
their messages. Folk dances ,folk music ,folklore are an important tool of communication & is
collectively referred as the folk media. Hence, folk media is a term used to denote 'people's
performances'. This term refers to the performing arts which can be described as the cultural
symbols of the people. Folk dance, rural drama and musical variety of the village people, all falls
under a familiar yet broader term the traditional media.

NATURE AND SCOPE OF FOLK TRADITIONAL MEDIA :

 Tradition plays an important and critical role in the creative artistic process of a particular
area. It have an effect on the cognitive thinking & living patterns of each individual of each
community. inhibiting a particular society. The traditional folk art forms are indigenous
means of communication. They’re not merely outdated forms of entertainment but at the
same time they can amuse their audiences with their different elements of dramatics in it.

 Folk performing arts is practical, functional, natural and spontaneous in nature. The folk art is
a changing structure, continuously modifying itself over time according to the need of the
hour, making itself functionally relevant to the society. In traditional societies arts is the
integeral part of people’s life and there’s no distinction between art & life. Folk arts is
considered as part & parcel of their daily lives, completely anchored in their beings.

 There is no language bounderies or rules of literature when it comes to folklore and cultural
script. The stories are fostered through both oral and functional sources.
  The nature of folk traditional media is that they’re personal, familiar and more credible ,so
that they could easily be recognized as folk art

WHY FOLK MEDIA IS NEEDED ?

Traditional folk media endowed with the channels for expressing socio-ritual ,moral and emotional
needs of the language-culture groups to which they belong.The subcontinent society is a hub for
various cultures and civilizations. It is a complex social system with diverse classes, castes,
doctrines and tribes. But because of high illiteracy rate , the modern mass with al its extensions and
complexities has not yet reached the folk population, who are indeed the most needy ones. So, in
that case folk media is the basic and only means of communication among them.

 The basic quality of folk media is that it is universally approached and is popular regardless
of the educational, social, and financial standing of any community. Therefore, flexibility in
accommodation of new themes is the biggest advantage of folk media.

 The impact of folk media on people is at a deep level. They make colloquial dialects, which
are familiar to people and makes the communication more clear and distinct.

 The folk media satisfies the inner need for self-expression.

 Folk arts preserve wisdom, tradition and culture of ancestors.

 Major social and political issues can be expressed through different folk performing arts (i.e
the theatre and puppet shows) to create an awareness among the rural people.

FOLK MEDIA IN DEVELOPMENTAL COMMUNICATION :

Many developmental planners in the Third World now appreciate the use of folk media as a
mode of communication to explain development programes. This many be because of thye
ineffectiveness of the mass media in reaching those at whom the messages are targeted.
Therefore, decision makers have started to take a second look at the ue of folk media to
generate local participation in development projects. The UNESCO & UNEP have started to
make different strategies to make the potential use of various folk media in action.

CONCLUSION
Folk arts are used for peace education and conflict resolution on a wide scale. Increasing
number of people are turning theatre into by the people, for the people and of the people to
mobilize people for action to achieve social justice, peace and harmony.