Using symbols as political weapons
What you need to know:
Stetsons are the essence of the spirit of the American West, an icon of the cowboy culture and myth.
Gado on Tuesday depicted Uhuru Kenyatta in cowboy gear complete with a hat, boots and a gun belt. The cartoon shows the President beckoning his Cabinet secretaries to a meeting.
Their faces are filled with wonder and amazement as he tells them: “We need to get ready to kick som’ opposition butt on this referendum…” The words end with symbols representing swear words.
Political cartoons mean different things to different people. It all depends on how they decipher the cartoonist’s message, which in turn depend on the context, the activity, the words and symbols. It’s not a laughing matter.
What’s probably unmistakable in the cartoon is that the President has acquired new symbols for political communication. Political communication is defined as the use of the media to influence the public or how political decisions are made.
Symbols can be manipulated to make or unmake politicians, to make or unmake decisions. They can convey different messages to different groups, causing friction and conflict in society.
RAW SKILLS AND CONQUEST
But symbols are important in promoting ideas. James Chesebro, an eminent American professor of telecommunications, says politics is symbolically constructed. “Politics is viewed as the manipulation of signs, signs that change attitudes and actions,” he writes.
A symbol is a form of language. It represents an idea, concept or event such as “referendum” “historical injustice”, “kicking some ass”, or “Baba while you were away.” Or it could be something more tangible like the Kenyan flag, land, or an American flag being waved in an ODM rally.
The Gado cartoon is basically about symbols and symbolisms. It was inspired by President Kenyatta’s visit to the US, where he was given a cowboy hat and boots by a Texas businessman. The hat was a Stetson, the most well known cowboy hat in the world.
Stetsons are the essence of the spirit of the American West, an icon of the cowboy culture and myth. The cowboy gear symbolises toughness, ruggedness, raw skills and conquest. The image of a cowboy is somebody who conquers a hostile environment, and is a quick draw gunslinger.
MUSEVENI THE COWBOY
At least five US presidents, beginning with Harry Truman, wore cowboy hats to boost their image. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, in particular, used the cowboy image effectively to advance their power and popularity.
African presidents who have adopted the cowboy image include South Sudan’s Salva Kiir who wears a black Stetson and Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria also wears a wide-brimmed hat.
But it’s Yoweri Museveni of Uganda who has perfected the cowboy symbolism. He tells voters to simply vote for the man with the big hat.
But if Gado is to be believed, that President Kenyatta is seeking a cowboy image, then I should add a few cowboy wise sayings:
Don’t inquire into a person’s past. Take the measure of a man for what he is today.
Don’t make a threat without expecting dire consequences.
Never miss a good chance to shut up.
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
