6.1 THE FIRST IMPRESSIONS
6.1.5 MIXED MESSAGES
167 to the HIV and AIDS related publications. The next section demonstrates examples of these mixed messages that contributed to some of the confusion.
168 It was, therefore, not surprising to hear responses such as this one that follows:
F3: To me this does not say anything, because we’re assuming that this is what is happening and yet it may not be that way. If the people who developed this poster were to stand here and explain what it means, you may find that we are all lost (NUL:
1741-1745)
However, some responses provided useful illustrations of how the picture can be misinterpreted:
F3: After all these arrows maybe meant to show that these people are talking to each other, not sleeping with each other. This one may even be insulting this one, who knows? (NUL: 1755-1758)
Or interpreted differently, as stated earlier by F4:
F4: Yahh, because it does not point out exactly what is happening especially if it refers to every one of them. For instance it says: u kena baneng? Meaning she likes or is going out for nice time? As we’ve just agreed that this person for instance looks like she’s a student, it may be that she is on her way to the library meaning she’s not going there for socialization and may even not be having time for such things. She does not represent what this title is referring to. The same applies to these two whom we said look like they are at work; in the offices, people don’t go to work for socialization.
They go to the bars and stuff like that (NUL: 1790-1801)
Similarly, one of the respondents in Quthing indicated a completely different interpretation of the picture. He showed that he did not approve of the poster because some people may take it to mean that it is a good thing to like nice times and thus encourage them to have multiple partners:
M2: On the other hand I don’t like it because it’s like it is encouraging people to go out with many people at the same time (TIL: 458-460)
Even though the concern was projected at the general public, it exposed the learner’s state of confusion towards understanding the relationship between the pictures and the text. Likewise, the use of celebrities in the poster appeared to encourage misinterpretation of the message:
F6: We would think that maybe their station has organised something, a social function you see, so I’d look at it because I’d think it’s an advert not because of AIDS (NUL:
1895-1898)
Responses again indicated that text and images that formed the poster did not have a uniform effect on the mind of learners, and for this reason it was apparent that communication through
169 posters that are used to curtail the spread of HIV are not necessarily effective without dialogue to ensure that viewers clearly understand the meaning. For instance, some responses indicated an insufficient text anchorage of the meaning, hence the poster did not appeal to some
learners:
F3: I don’t like it because there are no arrows indicating what people say. It is quiet.
Maybe it would be interesting if there was some indication of a dialogue R: You want them to write what these people are saying to each other?
F3: Not literally talking, but it should have something like an explanation. It is kind of quiet; it doesn’t say anything (NUL: 1957-1963)
Even though the poster did not offend learners in any way, their responses made it clear that there is no ‘one size fits all’ communication, even when it is targeted at a particular age group.
This is especially so because some of the people who form this targeted audience may come from areas where the metaphor; na u kena baneng? can form part of the youth slang that is used in certain places in the country while not in others. This, therefore, made it difficult for the respondents to interpret what is implied in this phrase because this type of slang may not be used in the areas where they live.
Again, even if people live in these areas where this type of slang is used, they are usually at different levels of education, because of different levels of literacy, some would not be familiar with it. Only people with high levels of literacy can be expected to generate meaning out of such metaphors as “ho kena baneng” that formed part of the poster.
F1: …especially because they’re not being distributed at learning institutions only. So I can foresee somebody looking at them and saying: Hi, what this is? How do I enter into the children? (ke kena baneng joang?) Thinking that this enter (kena) literally means to enter especially because he or she’ll be seeing neither children nor any door here. In some places I honestly think it would be a waste of time, they won’t get the message. Don’t forget environment plays a crucial role in our life my dear (NUL:
2176-2185)
Respondents appeared to be less worried about the implication that HIV may occur as a result of such relationships; rather, the intention to attract “lovers” seemed to be in the forefront of their minds:
F4: It wants you to look or I can say it wants me to look for somebody I can love or somebody whom I feel I can match with
170 F6: Your role model?
F4: Yes. To me this one looks like she has got the style that I like R: Meaning you would want to lead the same kind of life she’s leading?
F1: Yes, but since there are no lines underneath, indicating who she is or what she does, I can sometimes get carried away by the kind of clothes she’s wearing and think that we’re being encouraged to do as she does, to become like her. Like this one, she looks smart (NUL: 2067-2079)
However, by building on their previous existing knowledge and experiences, respondents were able to make some meaningful deliberations out of the poster. These deliberations are described in the next section on meaning making.