The Semiotics of HIV/AIDS Bill-Boards and Their Communication Implications: The Case of Bahir Dar and Gondar Towns in Ethiopia

Cherie Mesfin Gessesse,Lemma Kassaye Sileshi

doi:10.29333/ojcmt/2420

Cherie Mesfin Gessesse, Lemma Kassaye Sileshi

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.29333/ojcmt/2420

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Abstract

The study was designed to identify the types of the visual semiotic signs used by different stakeholders who design and prepare billboards on HIV/ADIS to provide mainly the residents of Bahir Dar and Gondar towns with varied information about the epidemic. Besides, it was conducted to tap on the most commonly used visual semiotic signs and the kernel messages represented by these signs during the representational processes of the realities as regards to HIV/AIDS. Consequently, all the 26 HIV/AIDS visual semiotic signs were collected from 22 working billboards that were put up in the main high ways of Bahir Dar and Gondar towns during March, 2011 and analysed qualitatively using Pierce’s model. The major results of the study showed that it was wholly the visual iconic signs which were used to represent a range of messages as regards to the HIV/AIDS puzzle unlike the indexical and symbolic signs which were the missed opportunities. There also appeared to be some knowledge gap among stakeholders in HIV/ADIS visual semiotic sign communication systems concerning the actual applications of the visual semiotic signs: indexes and symbols were not considered to transfer the intended messages.

Highlights

Like the communication processes in any other endeavors of man, messages about HIV/AIDS have been transmitted to people through both verbal language and visual semiotic signs depending on contexts whereby we employ either verbal signs, or nonverbal, or visual semiotic signs, or both signs systems in combination to construct the reality about the disease
Of which 18 of them contained 24 visual semiotic signs which were found in Bahir Dar town whereas 2 of the billboards with 2 visual semiotic signs were put up in Gondar town
N o List of billboards as indicated in the order of Appendixes (A-I) The visual semiotic sign used to represent the reality about HIV/AIDS The genres of the visual semiotic sign used to represent reality about HIV/ADIS N Visual semiotic signs in number and % Percentage

Summary

Introduction

Background of the StudySemiotics as a study of visual and symbolic representations of language has been in use in the world when designing, for example, bill boards, advertisements, trademarks, and other forms of signposting we attempt to use to get across our message in all our social practises which require both the elaborated and symbolic functions of languages depending on various factors that will compel us to use either the visual diagrammatic or pictorial representations of language where there may exist an arbitrary, or a direct similarity of representations, or causal relationships between the signifiers and the signifieds or its elaborated forms, i.e., both in spoken and written forms of communications (Chandler, 2007).From the pre-civilization to the present age, it has become too much customary to experience when human beings use signs for a variety of purposes to achieve a range of goals in education, health, culture, politics and so on endeavors. Statement of the Problem In a post modern era, the survival of individuals, selves, groups, institutions, organizations, communities, and countries is largely dependent on the proper and effective use of verbal and nonverbal signs of communications where each plays significant roles in making the intended communication a success This is not an exception for individuals and organisations that have been working on anti-HIV/AIDS programs, especially those who work on effective use of semiotic signs to unpack the impact HIV/AIDS obviously brings about on the individual, societal, economic, social, political and on other juxtaposition of human endeavors. The investigations of visual semiotic signs serve as an instrument to develop a relative objective knowledge about those who have been either privileged or suppressed in the representations of the visual semiotic signs

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