ONJORO VERONICA: Let cartoons pass appropriate messages in newspapers

A glance at every newspaper in Kenya, there is a cartoon.

Cartoons are a form of expression and are used to convey messages either current or past. They convey a lot of information in very few words.

It is a  visual medium that engages the audience, helps them understand and interpret the political and social spheres.

lt is believed that one can influence behaviour by appealing to the subconscious mind with words, sounds and images.

The subliminal is generally said to be below the threshold of conscious perception.

It has been scientifically proven that visual subliminal messages can be perceived by the human brain, without consciously being aware of them.

The debate arises when it comes to exploring to what extent messages, which are received below the conscious level implicitly affect behaviour.

In Kenya there have been many cartoonists and to name just a few include Patrick Gathara, lgah, John Nyagah, Victor Ndula, Gammz, Maddo, Munene and Ozone.

Wahome Mutahi also known as Whispers, Son of the Soil, was committed to what he called liberation journalism.

This allowed him to challenge political and social power in his writings and performances.

My late mother liked the cartoons accompanying his writings and checked them first in the Sunday newspaper and the whole household would be left in stitches.

Such effects portrayed in cartoons are images, hidden in the texture of bigger images, objects, which could have double meaning or images embedded within or overlapping with other images.

Hidden messages in the cartoons influence us on the emotional, rather than on the intellectual level, where communication is devious, subtle, complex, contradictory, and lies chaotically above and below the thresholds of consciousness.

By playing with our emotions on the subconscious level, they create some kind of unexplainable close connection between us and the cartoon.

There is a  feeling of  an inexplicable desire and association with this product.

They trigger emotions by using universal symbols and signifiers.

Therefore with the campaign in high gear it is a high time newspapers become careful not to be seen to support any side with the cartoons the post daily.

Cartoons add special value to newspapers.

That is why, despite advances in photography and animation technologies, cartoons still command their own place in newspapers.

It is a visual medium that engages the audience, helps them understand and interpret the political, social cartoons that can help them understand the mood of the country benefit people.

Political cartooning is inspired by the situations around the cartoonist, what he sees and believes are portrayed through the sketch he creates.

Apart from a great sense of humour, a cartoonist is required to understand the political scene and make a commentary on the situation, but to refrain from making it of bad taste.  

Cartoons have everlasting impact on the minds of readers. They are visual strategies to make a point in small spaces.

Cartoons are a reflection of society and provide for a point of view to the people reading it. They are considered as harmless, while in reality they can unleash a revolution.

They are such effective communicators that in a few lines, they describe the most important event of the day.

An ideal cartoon should conceal more than it reveals and it should give new meanings every time someone looks at it.

Cartoonists were creative people with exceptional courage.

They comment on politics, corruption and other sensitive issues and twist it to give it a witty look.

That calls for integrity and bravery.

Therefore newspapers need to check the cartoons they post because recently the cartoons which have been posted in the newspapers did not convey educational or social  message like humour, politics but some bordered on abuses or depicting naked individuals or disrespect to political leaders.

This cannot be a good lesson for children who read the newspapers and adults.

Let cartoonist go by the country's mood and post cartoons which are political but humorous.

Director, Career Organisation

Edited by Kiilu Damaris