The Role of New Media to Promote the Folklore in Jaffna Fisherfolk Communities: Special Reference to Jaffna Christian Fisherfolk Communities

Abstract

Jaffna Christian fisherfolk communities are ardent Christians, and they have many folklore within them related to their work, religion and culture. The Jaffna Christian fisher folk have a long history with their traditional folk forms which are incorporated with unique dance, song and theatre settings. The main objective of this study is to identify the role of new media in promoting the unique culture of Jaffna Christian fisherfolk communities. This research hypothesises that fishing communities are poor in finance and education. But, they are rich in their culture. They are unpopular around the world. Five villages have been chosen from the coastal areas of the Jaffna peninsula. The researcher has used recipient analysis for this study. Interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires have been used as research tools for this study. Findings suggest that the old generations of fisherfolk communities have their own identities and they used manuscripts for the documentation of folklore. Only a few aged artists are competent in the documentation of this fork lore. But, due to the lack of patronage resulting from three decades of war, and economical barriers, they are unable to reach the mass audience. New media are doing its part to realize the vitalization of folklore culture. But there are both positive and negative sides. New media lead to the loss of unique identities of this particular community to some extent. So, the purpose of this research is to probe the ways in which media can expose the folklore of Jaffna Christian fisherfolk communities to the globe without diminishing its unique identity.