Abstract
This
study attempts a multimodal discourse analysis of Mustapha Bulama’s political
cartoons to uncover how visual semiotics is deployed to articulate and critique
socio-political issues, with particular emphasis on armed banditry in northern
Nigeria and other socio-political issues. Although multimodal discourse
analysis has attracted considerable scholarly interest, Bulama’s cartoons,
despite their prominence in northern Nigerian public discourse, have received
limited academic attention. This is a gap that the research seeks to address.
Using a purposive sampling technique, six cartoons were selected and examined
through the lens of Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar,
focusing on representational, interactive, and compositional meanings as
analytical categories. Findings reveal that Bulama serves not only as a
cartoonist but also as a social critic and political commentator whose visual
narratives stimulate public engagement with pressing national issues. The
analysis also reveals how Bulama deploys symbolism, contrast, gaze, salience,
framing, satire and spatial arrangement to critique insecurity, corruption,
leadership failure, economic hardship and socio-economic inequality in the
region. The study concludes that visual communication, particularly political
cartoons, constitutes a powerful medium through which Nigerians interpret and
negotiate socio-economic and political realities. By examining Bulama’s nuanced
visual strategies, the research underscores the broader significance of multimodal
texts in shaping public understanding and discourse.
Key words: Cartoons, Context in Multimodality, Mustapha Bulama’s Cartoons, Political Cartoons
DOI: 10.36349/alqajolls.2026.v01i02.005
author/Idris Ishaka Maikwai & Aondover Theophilus Kaan PhD
journal/AL-QALAM JLLS 1(2) | June 2026
