An Investigation into the representation of Nigerian headloading Narratives using semiotic analysis and creative transmediation=Uphenyo Lokwethulwa Kwezindaba Zokuthwala (ekhanda) ZaseNigeria Kusetshenziswa Uhlaziyo Isemiotic Netransmeridian Yezokusungula.

Abstract

On Facebook, images of Nigerian people carrying loads on their heads became the subject of a narrative, in protest against a politician’s statement that youth were lazy. This study is an exploration of the visual representation of headloading to investigate its socio-political meaning, and the communication of this through creative practice. The key focus is on the making of meaning and the interpretation of various images of the phenomenon and, therefrom, interrogating several social, political and humanistic issues in Nigeria. It derives from Facebook conversations. Considering the socio-political nature of the conversations, my interest was drawn to the potential of an expansive exploration of headloading. The idea of linking a social media narrative to a creative practice of visual art occasioned the idea of transmediation. The study examines how the motif and theme of headloading has been used in Facebook narratives and in the works of contemporary artists, especially in Nigeria. Secondly, it explores my own visual practice of representation through a transmediatory process towards advancing the possibilities of interpreting the headloading concept. Lastly, the focus was to engage a semiotic analysis of my creative visual explorations to provide a deeper understanding of headloading in relation to socio-humanistic and political conditions in Nigeria. Facebook was the reference point, and the images were the data. Transmediation was the practice process and semiotics became the analytical tool. In exploring the potential of this transmediation to produce semiotic extensions, the analysis focused on the denotation and connotations of the images from Facebook. This deciphered the semiotic gaps that would be extended or made distinct through creative practice. In the creative works, both traditional and digital means were used in moving my understanding of the visual data from Facebook narratives into visual art practice. Resulting works were analysed and interpreted to interrogate the social, political and humanistic issues reflected in headloading. Although Nigeria is at the centre of the discourse, the implications, issues and themes which I explore around headloading representations such as poverty, migration, foreign aid and so on, touch on many other developing countries. The creative works were virtually distributed, to complete the hermeneutic cycle of the narrative.

IQOQA Izithombe zabantu baseNigeria kuFacebook, bethwele imithwalo emakhanda abo zaba ngundabizekwayo, emzabalazweni wabo owawuphikisa isitatimende sikasombusazwe esasithi intsha (yakhona) iyavilapha. Lolu cwaningo lungukuhlola ukwethulwa kwemifanekiso yokuthwala (ekhanda) ukuhlola incazelo yakho yezehlalobantu-nezombusazwe, nokuxhumana ngalokhu ngokwenziwa ngokobuciko. Okumqoka ngukugxila ekwakheni umqondo nokuhumusha kwemifanekiso yesenzeko eyahlukene, kuthi uma kusukela lapho, kuhlolwe izindaba ezahlukene ezimayelana nenhlalobantu, ezombusazwe nezobuntu eNigeria. Lusukela ezingxoxweni zakuFacebook. Uma kubhekwa uhlobo lwezindaba eziyinhlalabantu nezombusazwe, uthando lwami lwadonseleka kulokho okungenzeka ekuhlolweni okubanzi ngokuthwala (ekhanda). Umcabango wokuxhumanisa ingxoxo yezinkundla zenhlalobantu kokwenziwa kwezokusungula kobuciko obubukwayo, yikho okwabangela umcabango wokulwenza ngetransmeridian. Ucwaningo luhlola ukuthi isu nendikimba yokuthwala bekusetshenziswa kanjani ezingxoxweni zakuFacebook nasemisebenzini yamaciko amanje, ikakhulu eNigeria. Okwesibili, luhlola engikwenzayo kokubuka ngokufanekisa ngohlelokwenza olunobu-transmedian ukwenzela ukuthuthukisa okungenziwa kokuhumusha umqondomsuka wokuthwala (ekhanda). Okokugcina-ke, kwagxilwa ekusebenziseni uhlaziyo lwesemiyothikhi ekuhlinzekeni ukuhlola kwami kokusungulwa nokubukwayo ukwenzela ukuqonda ngokujulile mayelana nokuthwala nenhlalobantu nobuntu nesimo sezombusazwe eNigeria. UFacebook uyena okwakugxilwe kuye, imifanekiso iyimininingo. Ubu-transmeridian kwakuyindlela yohlelokwenza, nesemiotic yaba yithuluzi lokuhlaziya. Ekuhloleni okungenzeka kwalobu bu-transmeridian ekukhiqizeni izengezo zezimpawu, uhlaziyo lwagxila emcabangweni wemifanekiso eqondisayo negudliselayo yeFacebook. Lokhu kwasombulula amagebe esimiyothikhi ayengelulelwa noma enziwe angabonakali ngenxa yokwenza okusunguliwe. Emisebenzini enokusungulwa, kwasetshenziswa kokubili ukwenza kwendabuko nokudijithali ukuhambisa ukuqonda kwami imininingo ebonakalayo isuke ezingxoxweni zakuFacebook ziye kokwenziwa ebucikweni obubonakalayo. Imisebenzi eyaba ngumphumela walokho yahlaziywa yaphinda yahunyushwa kwenzelwa ukuhlola izindaba zenhlalobantu, zezombusazwe nezobuntu eziphethwe ngukuthwala. Nakuba iNigeria iphakathi nendawo yale ngxoxo, okuzishoyo, izindaba nezindikimba engikuhlolayo mayelana nemifanekiso yokuthwala efana nobubha, ukufuduka, usizo lwangaphandle, njalonjalo, kuthinta amanye amazwe asathuthuka amaningi. Imisebenzi yokuziqambela yasatshalaliswa ngezobuchwepheshe ukwenzela ukuphelelisa umjikelezo wezindaba wezokutolika.