Multimodal Discourse Analysis of the Construction of Socio-political Practices in Selected Sub-Saharan African Films

This study sets out to analyze how the audio-visual media, particularly the film industry, reveal Practices of dictatorship, subjugation, violence, and racial segregation in their productions. We consider films produced in sub-Saharan African countries, particularly in Nigeria/Ghana and South Africa, and examine the role language plays in the construction and Manifestation. These practices and meaning in Sarafina (1992) by Darrel Roodt and Somewhere in Africa (2012) by Frank Rajah Arase. This work is instigated by the chaotic situation in which many sub-Saharan African countries find themselves, which seem not to be a major issue to their political leaders. The study applied the multimodality theory, making use of Gunther Kress’ social semiotic approach to analyze the modes used to construct Various practices. A qualitative research design was adopted with a content analysis of the data collected from the selected films. The study reveals that the Practices of dictatorship, violence, and subjugation are revealed through speeches, slogans, allusion, body language, and music. It has equally revealed that words are used to oppress and subjugate the population, and the quest for freedom from coercion is achieved through words. It was also realized that conflicts are intensified by the choice of words used when faced with a crisis due to the chain effect of language use. Thus, this work calls for consciousness and caution when it comes to the use of language.