RHETORIC OF POWER; POWER OF RHETORIC: DISCOURSE IMPLICATION OF MASS MEDIA JINGLES ON HIV/AIDS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Human beings usually employ language for the primary aim of communicating their messages and feelings among themselves. The receivers of the messages are often expected to understand the intentions of the senders through the choices of linguistic form made by the senders. This expectation is a very important facet of communication. Whereas scholars have spent centuries discussing the nature and form of language; very little appear to have been done in analyzing the use of language to be able to bring out the successful or unsuccessful degree of its deployment and the consequences of each outcome. Until Austin (1962), Searle (1969, 1979), and Grice (1975) came to limelight, it would seem that the scrutiny of the pragmatics use to which language is put in communication was simply without any seat not to talk of having a back seat in the journey towards unveiling the complex phenomena of language.

In the ‘Preface’ to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) ‘HIV&AIDS Research Report and Media Guide’, Gabriel Ayite Baglo, IFJ Africa Regional Director, argues that the media have a crucial role to play in the battle against HIV&AIDS in Africa, because in the United States and India, for example, television, radio and newspapers have been key sources of information on HIV&AIDS. The ‘Foreword’ to the Joint United Nations Programme on

HIV&AIDS (UNAIDS, 2005, p. 5), explains the rationale for mobilising the

media in combating the scourge:

Knowledge is power in the struggle to cope with and contain HIV. People who are well informed about the epidemic are able to assess the threat posed by the virus and to know how best to avoid infection, or, if they are HIV positive, how to look after themselves and their partners and families. But for individuals to be able to act effectively on what they know, they need an enlightened environment. The mass media have a huge contribution to make on both fronts.

According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV&AIDS Reports

(UNAIDS, 2005), there are a number of things that the media can do to stem the

tide of HIV&AIDS. They include: talking about it; creating a supportive and

enabling environment; challenging stigma and discrimination; putting HIV&AIDS on the news agenda and encouraging leaders to take action;

promoting HIV&AIDS services; and educating and entertaining (UNAIDS, 2004,

pp. 14-24). It is noteworthy that edutainment programmes on radio and television

in some African countries like Botswana and South Africa have largely served to

inform people about the pandemic.

Efforts have been made by various private bodies, NGOS, Organisations,

etc via adverts on bill boards, photographs, media stations etc. to enlighten people

on the aftermath of casual sex and other forms of transmission. The effectiveness,

efficiency and capability of the media to affect the development of the country

largely lie in its communicative, rhetorical and expressive strategies especially in

relation to the presentation of jingles and other mass media activities. The major ingredient for carrying out this undertaking is language, in the sense of the deployment of linguistic and communicative facilities in projecting the news and jingles.

The mass media (print and electronic) play a very significant role in disseminating HIV/AIDS messages across to the entire public by acting as a primary agent in fostering it in addition to establishing a campaign to improve reproductive health in the country. It is playing an increasing role to promote awareness of HIV/AIDS transmission routes and prevention.

As the watchdog of society, the mass media subtly dictate the pace of the health sector (and other sectors) and development of any society. This attribute of the mass media springs mainly from its mass reach, communicative verve and the persuasiveness of its reports. Essentially, these features, which draw principally from the communicativeness and expressiveness of its language use, largely mark and define the acclaimed power of the mass media.

This fact and stance inform the position of this essay, which is to examine the discourse implications of mass media jingles as a form of social practice and outcome of power relations. Implied here is the fact that the ideological propositions of media language and the expressiveness of its reporting styles have deep social implications for the sustenance of good health services/awareness. The essay adopts such a stance that the media through the manner of couching its

reports and the management of its information dissemination strategies either make or mar a nation, especially a fragile and sensitive democracy such as Nigeria’s.

Considering the centrality of language in human relations, this essay examines language mainly in terms of its functions as a primary device for exercising control and authority i.e. power relations, in other words. This attribute of language enables it to play a more heightened role particularly in media activities. It fundamentally serves as a basic facility of media operations. As such it deserves a prominent place in the examination of media role and effectiveness especially as they relate to its usefulness and effectiveness in the sustenance of health status of the country.

1. AIM AND OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to show the influence of the mass media jingles on

HIV/AIDS awareness, its implication for HIV/AIDS awareness, service delivery and how it is attributable to its creative and ingenious deployment of effective communicative strategies and rhetorical dynamics.

1. JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

Findings of this study and its possible recommendations are expected to contribute at least in giving the general picture of how people perceive mass media jingle on HIV/AIDS.

1. It will also help mass media organisations to understand how audience perceives their message so that they can produce appropriate messages.
2. It will contribute to the available stock of knowledge on media and HIV/AIDS.
3. It can be used as a baseline study to help other researchers on the area.

To  sum  up,  media  campaigns  and  interpersonal  communication

complement each other in the development of communication intervention for HIV/AID prevention and care. The mass media can convey information effectively and thereby by provide effective support for face to face communication. The combination of mass media with interpersonal communication allows for addressing diverse individuals and group concern while honoring the delicate private nature of human sexuality. In addition, Simon-Morton, Donohew, and Crump (1997, pp. 544-554) point out that a one dimensional approach to health promotion , such as reliance on mass media campaigns or other single component communication activities has been shown to be sufficient to achieve programme goals.

Successful health promotion efforts increasingly rely on multi dimensional interventions to reach diverse audience about complex health concerns and communication is integrated from the beginning with other components such as community based program, policy changes and improvements in services and the health delivery system.

1. SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The range of work to be done in data gathering encompasses commercial

advertising media. Hence, radio and television advertisements shall be relevant in the study of communicative strategies and rhetorical dynamics of the language use under study. Radio and television adverts will be used for the study, the following stations are; TVC, AIT, Channels, Raypower, Cool FM e.tc therefore the following adverts “Couch Couple”, “Stigma”, “Peer Pressure” and “Gender Equity Campaign” exploring how the deployment of jingles underlie its communicative essence.

The delimitation of the data to just four jingles is informed by the fact that they are quite representative of the general contents and forms of the discourse in that they have the trappings of the recurring subjects and techniques that have become the defining characteristics of the advertisements. Also, we chose to limit our source of data to the TVC, AIT, Cool Fm and Raypower in view of the fact the jingles are aired on all other radio and television stations, the only difference being that they may not come on air simultaneously. This is constrained by the respective programme schedule for the stations for each week or quarter