NIGERIA IN THE EYES OF MIKE ASUKWO: A SEMIOTIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Humans are placed in a world of symbols which they have created. That pictures are universal is for the most part incontestable. However, much attention has not been given to the analysis of pictorial representations of cartoons in the media. This makes people view cartoons as ordinary pictures. The study sought to explore the inherent meaning potentials contained in the political cartoons; analyse their symbolic representations; categorise them into specific conceptual and source domains; investigate the multimodal resources deployed in creating such cartoons and finally, align the findings with the shared vision of the cartoonist for Nigeria. The population of the study was 124 cartoons from Asukwo’s BusinessDay on-line publications between 2015- 2018. The study provides a qualitative analysis of six cartoons on the themes of corruption and violence. They were purposively sampled due to the high frequency of their occurrence within the period. The study adopted Kress van Leeuwen’s (2006) Social Semiotic framework for its analysis. The findings showed an increasing rate of violence and corruption in the political arena within the period. The cartoonist therefore creatively harnessed the text and cartoon media to humorously communicate serious socio-political issues. He condemned the high rate of corruption and violence in the country while advocating better and responsible governance. These findings align with the ideological stance of the Cartoonist and his overall vision for the country.