Yoruba Folk Communication and Digital Age: Understanding the Relationship

The umbrella of folklore covers the traditional beliefs, customs, stories, songs, and popular sayings of a particular geographic region or community, which is often passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition. This paper aimed at examining the concept of indigenous communication with a view to bringing up its advancement and relationship with the recent digital phenomenon. It gives a deep exposition of verbal and non-verbal Yoruba traditional means of communication. Verbal means of communication covers verbal arts such as Storytelling, folktale and folk-riddles, proverbs and lineage praise. Non-verbal means of communication includes symbol talking (àrokò) and drum talking. This paper suggests ways in which traditional means of communication can be aided by digital materials. The paper concludes that placing the Yorùbá indigenous system in the digital world will enhance the popularity, preservation and relevance of Yorùbá indigenous folk information.