Masking as a Metaphor for Leadership Crisis in Mike Asukwo’s Opaque Style and Oracle on Lockdown

Abstract

The presence of metaphors in political cartoons offers insightful pathways for communicating information about societal experiences. This article examines how masking is used as a metaphor to critique Nigeria's leadership crisis using a semiotic analysis of the verbal-visual messages contained in two political cartoons, Opaque Style and Oracle on Lockdown, by prominent Nigerian cartoonist Mike Asukwo. Operating within the contextual frames of opacity and oracular silence, masking is metaphorically applied in the cartoons to show the apparent disconnect between the ruling class and the masses. A connotative reading of the verbal and visual messages employed in the cartoons constructs images that portray political leaders in Nigeria as people who are secretive, deceptive, indifferent, and lacking in empathy. While a comparative view of fashion styles is used to humorously anchor the message and satire in Opaque Style, in Oracle on Lockdown, these are expressed through the use of the oracular practice.