FOLK MEDIA:

The word ‘FOLK’ has been derived from a German word ‘YOLKS’ which means the people. Folk Media
is media of the people. Though closely linked, both folk media and folklore are very different from each
other. Folklore include formats like legends, folk tales, jokes, proverbs, riddles, chants, costumes, dances,
drama, songs, folk medicines and writing on the walls.
On the other hand, folk media is the different means of communications available to rural and tribal
people. Folk media is also known by various names like traditional media, indigenous communication
system, alternative media, group media and low cost media etc.

Folk, traditional and media

Folk
• The great proportion of the members of a people that determines the group character and that tends
to preserve its characteristic form of civilization and its customs, arts and crafts, legends, and
traditions from generation to generation.
Tradition
• Cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions
• an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious
practice or a social custom)
Media
Channels used for Mass Communication are called Media

Folk Media
Folk Media are the traditional media based on sound, image and sign language. These exist in the form of
traditional music, drama, dance and puppetry, with unique features in every society, race and region.
Folk media are the traditional media of a particular community or nation used from the times immemorial
for communication, and sharing joys and worries. Various religious, cast and linguistic groups have
different folk media.

Different forms of folk media

Riddles
• A riddle is a form of word puzzle designed to test someone's ingenuity and lateral thinking in
arriving at a solution.
• Each culture builds its own riddles on common practices and objects.
Puppetry
• Puppetry is the art of designing, constructing and operating puppets.
Street Theatre
• Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without
a specific
paying audience.
• These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centers, car parks, recreational reserves and street
corners.

Traditional Approaches

• Drum
• Prayer Places
• Fairs and Festivals
• Exhibition