Digitalization of Folklore among the Tiv of Central Nigeria

Abstract

The importance of documenting Tiv folklore for generations yet unborn cannot be over-emphasized.Folklore is a repository of Tiv world view and values that clarify social attitudes, promote national pride, group cohesion and cultural continuity. It also reflects the people’s fears, hopes and aspirations.As a result of this thematic amplitude, these lores are common stocks of each community’s oral memory.Though, these forms of folklore are seemingly endangered. Thus, it is imperative to collect, collate,analyze and document various aspects of our cultural heritage. This is not merely a return to the past,however, it embodies the attitude of a people to the future of their cultural values and when faced bythe demands of modern technology as an essential factor of development and progress. This study,therefore, explores digitalization of folklore among the Tiv in Central Nigeria as an academicendeavour in order to document these lores and prevent them from further extinction. The participantobservation method is used in this study. The paper concludes that digitalization is important in thearts, because it unlocks new thinking and approaches in how oral art forms perceive their roles withinits ecosystem and its opportunity for increased profitability. The paper recommends that resistance tochange will require cooperation between local communities, government, cultural institutions, anddigital platforms