A Study on Trends and Communicative Potentials of “DAGU” for Hiv/Aids Communication in the Afar Region
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Date
2006-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study sets out to examine trends and communicative potentials of Dagu: a folk communication process as well as a traditional medium of the Afar ethnicity. The research particularly shades light on the essence and attributes of Dagu so as to unveil its communicative potentials as a traditional HIV communication tool in the region. To this end, ethnographic methodology has been adopted to unearth if use of Dagu varies across gender, age group, among clans and across various residential addresses. The study employs interview, focus group discussion and ethnographic observations as tools for generating data from two weredas namely: Awash-Fentale and Dubti. The paper revises a number of HIV/AIDS theories, models and approaches that implicate on justifying communicative potentials of Dagu. The findings of the study show that Dagu is a traditional tool of communication that is immensely embedded in the community’s day-to-day lived reality. The Afar community highly values and invariably employs Dagu as a primary channel of information exchange. The people share every important accounts of life through Dagu. Thus most people consider it more than a mere means of information exchange. They consider it as important social capital and traditional heritage to pay respect to. Various Afar proverbs testify this claim. Dagu enjoys the most frequent use by young Afar men and the most rigorous approach by elder men. Rural men make much use of Dagu compared to town men. Females and children under 15 do not use Dagu as much as others. Almost every Afar clan makes use of Dagu invariably. Given its flexible, trustworthy and liked nature of this medium which is open to synergy with other media like radio, Dagu can be effective tool for HIV/AIDS communication in this dominantly pastoral community. A keen observation skill and uniformity in information curiosity among the people to use Dagu imply its potentials. Moreover, its compatibility with old social establishments and wide acceptance across the region coupled with Dagu’s room for discussion, question, and debate and above all, immediate feedback reasonably makes a potential medium to ponder to.
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Hiv/Aids Communication