Advocacy is defined as a type of problem solving designed to protect personal, and legal rights, and to insure a dignified existence.

From the definition itself, it is clear that the following advocacies are prevalent: those that look at the system, legal, legislative, individual and self. In this work, advocating for teen pregnancy prevention using visual images will be discussed in some detail.

Words are repressive while pictures are fascinating, easily understood within a particular culture and can be made mediums of expression.

In advocacy skills, particularly on teen pregnancy prevention, we oftentimes focus on providing teens with information and skills while using words as a medium of instruction. This is aimed at reducing teens’ own sexual risk taking behavior. With words alone as a medium of instruction, do we achieve our goals as advocates?

This oversight whereby advocates resort to use of words alone neglecting the integration of visual aids associated with the same has cost advocates their precious time, energy  and resources.

Teens being in a rebellious age group cling to visual images more than words because they look at words as being associated with old ways of communicating and old ways of establishing social order.

No wonder, you will see that once you embark on advocating for teens pregnancy prevention, either they pay a deaf ear to whatever you say or will attend to your public address once and thereafter avoid you. This is so because to them words are not fascinating. They look at your messages with a rebellious mind though you are equipping them with life skills that are essential in their sexual life.

Consequently, we experience more and more teenage pregnancies because most teens do not pay heed to our messages communicated through words.

This trend can be reversed with the use of visual images. Visual images are more fascinating, easily understood and they communicate information better than words.

Visual images carry rich information on teen pregnancy prevention as such they in no uncertain terms communicate very loud and clear messages to teens. These same visual images can help them pass on the messages to their peers thereby reaching out to many youths.

Posters, banners, billboards which have been professionally produced on teen pregnancy prevention can communicate life changing messages to youths than a million words coded in an enticing manner by the best Shakespearians of this world. Our communities will experience less and less teen pregnancy cases if visual images are used effectively to communicate the consequences of teen pregnancies.

In Malawi, there are a number of daily and weekend newspapers but in the present work focus will be on some of the cartoons found in The Daily Times Newspaper, Malawi News, The Weekend Nation and The Nation Newspaper. Visual literacy which plays a vital role in coming up with works of this nature is essential to understanding a visually-intensive world we live in and if we can learn to be more observant, we will see, learn, and remember more.

CARTOON SERIES VISUAL COMMUNICATION

The Nation newspaper and The Weekend Nation carry Amtchona, Dobadoba and Zabweka cartoon Series. Such cartoons communicate different ideas through combination of pictures/visual designs and words.

The word Zabweka derives from a Tumbuka language. It means immoral habits, unaccepted behaviour or things that are not condoned in societies. In others words acts that are against what is regarded as societal norms.

Zabweka cartoon series communicate ideas on what deviant behaviour, some humans portray. It depicts different tactics that such personalities use in order to achieve their goals. The Nation newspaper of 25^th September, 2007 carried a Zabweka cartoon as shown here.

The text in this visual image communicates some of the common cunning introductory remarks made by most decadent males. The creator of Zabweka visual images professionally points out immoral acts and satirically rebukes the society of such dishonesty.

In short Zabweka cartoon series satisfies the idea that Lester alluded to on images. Lester 2001 contends that images have three major constituencies-educational, entertainment, and persuasive. They have the intent of the image creator and the not-so-blank canvas of the image consumer.

The second cartoon series in one of the newspapers in Malawi is called Amtchona. Amtchona as word derives from Shona language. It means someone who has stayed away from his/her homeland most part of his/her life.

Oftentimes such people when they happen to go back to their homeland, they spend most of their time socializing, playing tricks on local people etc. The visual design below has been taken from The Weekend Nation Newspaper of 25-26 August, 2007.

This visual image depicts some of the common habits of some of the people who happen to stay away from their homeland. They do socialize more to an extent that they may have multiple partners as evidently illustrated by the conversation above. This is done to compliment whatever they were experiencing in a far away land where they were.

JOURNALISM AND ADVERTISING IMAGES

Take journalism and advertising images, for example-these give individuals two types of pictures that are often considered to be at opposite poles on a continuum. Although most journalists would argue that journalism images most often satisfy an educational constituency, these types of pictures also contain elements of persuasion or entertainment.

For example in most Malawi journalistic articles on Zimbabwe crisis, an ugly Mugabe’s visual image is used to help readers visualize the scenario in the crisis stricken Zimbabwe. One would argue that this has achieved its purpose. The message has been communicated far and wide thereby making every Malawian get concerned with the Zimbabwe woes.

Likewise, pictures used in advertising contexts are largely persuasive, and yet it can be argued that they have entertainment and educational functions as well. The mixing of constituencies in various contexts is what makes finding a foundational ethical theory that covers all mass media visual messages so challenging.

There are strong indications that the status of images is improving. We live in a mediated blitz of images. They fill our newspapers, magazines, books, clothing, billboards, computer monitors and television screens as never before in the history of mass communications. Something is happening.

We are becoming a visually mediated society. We could easily recall the content of Amtchona cartoon series in The Weekend Nation than what was discussed about section 65 or national budget. One is easily reminded of what information Dobadoba cartoon series carried in the editions of last months The Nation Newspaper than what was discussed on drug shortages in Malawian hospitals. For many, understanding of the world is being accomplished, not through reading words, but by reading images.

Dobadoba cartoons in The Nation newspaper are particularly useful to communicate what is happening in the sports circles. The visual design above communicates of what happened to Malawian soccer players who went for trials in India.

Shortly, words will be reserved for only bureaucratic transactions through business forms and in books that will only be read by a few individuals. Reading is losing to watching because viewing requires little mental processing. As a result writing skills are being adversely affected.

Critics blame everything from the rise in the crime rate to the deterioration of educational institutions on the concurrent rise in the number of mediated images that can be seen daily. Rebellious youth cling to visual symbols because words are associated with old ways of communicating and old ways of establishing social order.

Words are repressive while pictures are fascinating, easily understood within a particular culture and can be made personal mediums of expression.

Rebels do understand the importance of controlling pictures that are shown to the viewers of a particular nation. As such one of the first tasks of a rebellious force is to capture the television station. All rebellions understand that to control a country, the pictures must also be controlled.

IMPACT OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION ON TODAY’S UNIVERSITY GRADUATES

In Malawi today, the puzzling statements that come from employers is why is it that our university graduates fail to perform when employed. A headline alarmed many around the country: Why university graduates can’t write a proposal or a report?

The question is often asked by employers who worry about the thinking and writing capabilities of their new employees. Besides other reasons attributed to this, part of the problem come from: Too many pictures and not enough words.

Other factors would be, there is little written that persons want to read. Maybe persons feel there is no point in reading when there are no jobs that require reading. Maybe lecturers, tutors or parents do not do enough reading and do not support that habit in their children or students.

Or maybe individuals are reading, but what they read is not understood by those from employers’ point of view because of gradual change in social conventions. Maybe those holding managerial positions are sticking to very old ways of doing things. Maybe university libraries do not have necessary materials.

May be the learners spend most of their time on images that have few words in them. John Scullery, the former CEO of Apple Computers, Inc. is not afraid of the world’s dependence on images for communication. “We live in a visually intensive society,” he asserts.

Educational psychologist Jerome Bruner of New York University cites studies that show persons only remember10% of what they hear, 30 percent of what they read, but about 80 percent of what they see and do.

When all members of society whether at home, in school and on the job learn to use computers for word and picture processing, the switch will be made from passive watching to active using. There will no longer be the barrier between the two symbolic structures. Words and pictures will become one, powerful and memorable mode of communication.

Visual aids can be anything from the way one dresses, to writings on any flat surface, party colours, party emblems, to items brought in to show what you are talking about. They support the expressive and receptive communicative needs of presenters, teachers, politicians, or individuals in general. In other words, they are nonverbal symbols that reach the audience via the eyes thereby helping them decode meaning from a particular context. As such, they carry meaning whether positively or negatively. It is the purpose of the present work to discuss visual aids or messages communicated by political parties in Malawi.

In order to understand how visual aids carry meaning, there’s a need to understand the basic vocabulary of visual language. By visual language one refers to the idea that communication occurs through visual symbols, as opposed to verbal symbols, or words.

Presenters, teachers, or politicians who understand nonverbal language, especially visual language can and do manipulate attitudes of their audience to suit their purposes. This is so because naturally humans respond to visual messages unconsciously, preferring to believe that their opinions are formed by their own judgment and personal taste.

For example, the body language, party colours, party emblems, dress, and expressions of politicians in the modern age of democratic Malawi seem to be as crucial to the success of a particular party’s programme. This also plays a role towards the policies and ideas particular political parties hold. Once the politicians send wrong nonverbal signals, the populace simply does not trust them on whatever platform they may be presenting their ideals.

Visual messages sent through the emblem or colour associated with a particular political party also play a vital role to either build or destroy political groupings.

On the other hand, effective use of visual aids (party colours, party emblems etc) can make listeners overlook a great deal in a politician’s or political party’s background.

To exemplify this, an experience from Malawi would suffice. Evidently the Malawi’s transformation from one party state to multiparty government portrayed a clear example of this situation. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) which was then the only ruling party in Malawi’s one party system of government was using a Black Cock as an emblem for the party. Furthermore a slogan ‘kwacha’ was used in whatever activities the party was conducting.

During the transitional period, new political groupings were formed to advocate for multiparty democracy. These new groupings were known as Political Pressure Groups. They used a lighted lamp as their visual aid (emblem). Therefore two emblems were at play, black cock vs lighted lamp.

VISUAL MESSAGES CARRIED BY THE BLACK COCK AND THE LIGHTED LAMP.

In most cases black is associated with attire used during times of bereavement. Satanism acts are also associated with black colour. The black cock emblem for Malawi Congress Party was the target by underground pressure groups to champion the fight for introduction of multiparty politics in a country which was under one-party authoritarian rule since its independence from the British colonial rule in 1964 under Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda and his Malawi Congress Party (MCP). This was done to effectively sell the idea of multiparty system of government.

The party was associated with evil acts such as murdering its people once they happen to oppose bad policies, throw its critics into Shire River so that they become feed for crocodiles. Simply put, the black cock visual image carried negative messages which to most Malawians was very clear. There was correlation between the black cock and the bad things that were happening during the one rule.

As a result Malawi Congress Party lost during a referendum. The Political Pressure Groups showed and told Malawians about the hidden bad meanings /messages of the black cock.

On the other hand, the lighted lamp emblem for the Political Pressure Groups communicated messages of hope or light at the end of the tunnel. Light is associated with good things. As such a ‘brighter future’ was talked of by the Pressure Groups.

Showing and telling has been discussed by researchers that it leads to higher retention after some considerable time period. People retain information longer when they receive it both through their eyes and through their ears. Visual aids of the black cock did not require to be carried around. Black cock emblem was in each and every place in Malawi. All the Political Pressure Groups had to do was to ask Malawians to check for it in their party member cards or national flag by then which previously had black cock on it. Audiences that remember a message because the visual aids helped their comprehension or understanding, are more persuaded to take action for change. That is why countrywide they voted for change.

All paraphernalia for MCP had black cock and were likened to satanic worship which demand for use of black attire or black everything everywhere. These negative relationships made Malawians dissociate themselves from Malawi Congress Party. And it lost its massive countrywide support. Black cock was correlated to cruelty, oppression, nepotism, murder and monopoly.

The black cock visual image destroyed Malawi Congress Party. Who would be happy to be associated with negative visual images? MCP’s visual symbols turned into its visual distractions or destructions.

MALAWI CONGRESS PARTY DURING THE DEMOCRATIC MALAWI.

After a successful transition into multiparty democracy, MCP confessed to the whole nation that it has now changed. It has become a new MCP.

The nation has been trying to look for that rebirth in MCP. One wonders whether MCP is portraying that new self which has been talked of quite often.

As I have indicated at the beginning that for a very long time visual language has been used to encode meaning. Wikipedia contends that vision gives humans inexhaustibly rich information about the objects, events, political parties or people’s behaviour in the world.

Simple language a picture is worth a thousand words. The body language, dress and expressions of any MCP political leader inside or outside parliament speaks to viewers louder beyond mere words in the multiparty era of government.

What is in an individual’s mind may be manifested through his/her actions, utterances and body language thereby sending visual messages.

During 2007 budget sitting, the leader of opposition in parliament who happens to be MCP leader has communicated to the entire nation his self image. Standing on a point of order ‘Section 65 first, budget second.’ This expressed and communicated a visual message that as a leader John Tembo considers political struggles or power very important above the needs of Malawians. These needs are met by availability of the national budget.

Only that time when the leader of opposition rose up and said “no to budget, till injunction on Section 65 is vacated”- did he destroy most his reputation and dignity in the eyes of Malawians thereby minimizing his chances of testing the fruits of the highest office on the land.

The tone in this leader’s response communicated more bitterness, anger and uncontrollable ambitions by the leader of opposition to Malawians.

My simple message to opposition leaders is ‘Malawians have been observing, read the writings on the walls. Otherwise your visual messages will be eating you out and it will be difficult to regain any lost glories.

VISUAL MESSAGES THE UNITED DEMOCRATIC FRONT COMMUNICATED.

It is believed that the United Democratic Front (UDF), Malawi’s former ruling party which is seeking to extend its mandate in the 2009 presidential and parliamentary elections, was founded by Brown Mpinganjira, now not very vocal as he used to be when he formed his defunct NDP. Mpinganjira himself has never at any time confirmed or denied the assertion. Under this, visual messages of unclear genesis is evidently communicated.

While the beginnings of the party are scanty, its President and National Chairman Bakili Muluzi claims he is its founder, saying he formed it as a pressure group in 1989.

The UDF and Alliance For Democracy (AFORD) emerged from underground and started campaigning vehemently for change after the Catholic bishops issued an epic pastoral letter in March 1992, criticizing the MCP government of human rights abuse and bad governance, the first ever open challenge Dr. Banda’s one-party rule ever faced since independence.

The pastoral letter opened the way for more debate on whether or not the country should remain a dictatorship or embrace multiparty democracy. As pressure piled up, Banda cracked and later ordered that a referendum take place in June 1993.

When the referendum finally did take place, Malawians overwhelmingly voted for change. That spelt the beginning of the end for Dr. Banda and his MCP.

When the first multiparty general elections were held a year later, in 1994, the UDF scored a landslide victory and wrested power from the MCP’s 30-year stranglehold.

Under Muluzi, the party started well with a lot of promises such as free primary education, poverty alleviation, better social services, good roads, respect for human rights and the rule of law. This sound beginning sent a very upright visual message to Malawians. A ‘bright future’ that Malawians were anticipating seemed eminent. But later it was evident that instead of bright things, yellowing of everything was coming out.

Ten years down the line, Malawians got disillusioned that they are poorer than they were 10 years ago, according to a UNDP report.

The party with its yellow colours started to lose its grip on the reins when in 2001 its President Bakili Muluzi wanted to manipulate the constitution of the land allowing for open terms rather than the mandatory two five-year terms to give him a chance to continue ruling the country.

After facing strong resistance from the opposition and some rebel UDF MPs, the open-terms bill finally collapsed in parliament in July 2002. Not admitting defeat, the government side drafted another bill to allow the president a third term. This, too, received massive resistance from the opposition and civil society. Sensing another eminent defeat, the government withdrew the bill before it was debated in parliament.

Knowing he would not be given another mandate to rule, Muluzi then handpicked economist Bingu Mutharika in 2003 to his successor,a move which many view as undemocratic. This led to some heavyweights in the party resigning to join the opposition. Simply put, these painted a different visual image for the UDF party. Party officials felt betrayed thereby leading to massive exodus.

Among them are First Vice President Aleke Banda, senior cabinet minister Harry Thomson, former deputy finance minister Jan Jaap Sonke, former deputy agriculture minister Joe Manduwa and most recently Justin Malewezi, vice-president of UDF and state.

With all these defections, the UDF party surely lost the popular support it used to in its heady days.

The yellow colour was associated with leaves of plants during wilting stages. Plant leaves are green but when they turn yellow, it means that they will fall off the plant to later die and decompose. This analogy was likened to UDF. A party that has matured and is now wilting or dying- waiting for regeneration of new leaves. The new growths are the new political parties that have emerged out of UDF.

DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY’S VISUAL LANGUAGE.

The new government in Malawi, democratically elected in May 2004, is pursuing an agenda that focuses on growth, wealth creation, and poverty reduction. It recognizes that corruption is a widespread and endemic problem that must be addressed in order for Malawi to realize sustainable economic growth.

After taking office, Mutharika came into conflict with Muluzi, head of the UDF, over Mutharika’s campaign against corruption. The dispute between them has characterized Mutharika’s time in office thus far, and it has been claimed that political conflict is interfering with the country’s governance.

On February 5, 2005, Mutharika announced his resignation from the UDF, saying that he had no support in the party because of his stand against corruption. There had previously been talk of expelling him from the party, and there had also been an alleged assassination plot against him by party members in early January 2005. Those accused were later pardoned by Mutharika, but he maintained the existence of the plot. Mutharika subsequently formed his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). In April 2005, Muluzi apologized to the country for choosing Mutharika as his successor “and imposing him on the country”. This communicated an affirmation of Muluzi’s failure to rule from behind as was previously reported.

Mutharika has upheld the memory of Hastings Banda as a national hero; in May 2006, he was present at the unveiling of a mausoleum for Banda that cost US$620,000. This has earned him high repute and esteem amongst Malawians but mostly people from Central Region.

Through the DPP led government, Malawi has attained debt cancellation, food security, single digit inflation rate, and some sound economic growth. These have communicated a good and sound visual message to the people of Malawi. Message of trust, security, development in most fronts, brighter Malawi and hope.

Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika administration does not practice favouratism in terms of distribution of development activities. For example, each and every constituency is treated with equal measures when it comes to project distribution. Dedza central , a constituency of Honourable John Tembo-leader of opposition in parliament has benefited from these development projects. Mangochi has seen establishment of new food silos though being a stronghold of UDF an opposition political party.

Neno district is a constituency under an opposition MP but it has received development projects. Unlike during UDF’s rule where Bakili Muluzi would openly say during his public rallies that where there is an opposition MP, there shall be no development activities.

The stand of DPP on development for all regardless of political parties dominant in that area is a clear visual message for a political party that puts every Malawian at heart. A party whose central focus is on Malawians. This visual aid has helped to build DPP into a strong political party as it enjoys support nationwide though being very new on the scene as compared to other political parties which have failed to penetrate Malawi in all the three regions such AFORD, RP, PETRA, UDF, MCP and PPM .

DPP is doing everything it can to protect this visual language that it has already communicated to the entire Malawi nation. For example, when Regional Governor for the South Nyakamera was quoted as saying ‘no coupons for traditional authorities who support opposition political parties’the DPP came on the scene instantly with a refutation. The party’s secretary general Honourable Hetherwick Ntaba came up with a press statement to refute media reports on the same.

It is very essential to jealously guard the visual message a political party sends out. DPP is aware of this that is why it resorts to every means and ways to protect and safeguard it.

From this discussion, it is evident that visual aids that a particular political party uses may build it or destroy it. A Malawi case has it image to the public.

In Malawi, design of road network ranges from tarmac roads, through secondary roads, dry weather roads to footpaths. In the urbanized sectors transportation is made ease with the availability of minibuses as public transport.

However, minibus operators favour the destinations where there are good tarmac roads or where it is densely populated. Sometimes such places may have road networks that are poor in state, yet you find more minibuses commuting to and fro these densely populated areas.

You find some places where the road network is very good but you hardly find minibus operators prioritizing such places. They would rather scramble for customers to a specific densely populated area than areas where they can freely get passengers.

In the long run such areas face transportation problems. As a result, bicycles have taken the place of public means of transport. A traveler finds himself or herself in a position where he/she cannot get to the destination without using this second mode of public transport.
During other occasions a traveler finds himself or herself squeezed in an old wrecked overloaded pickup standing all the way to his/her destination. This design cannot promote tourism. As such development of better transportation modes to some attractive places must be looked into seriously.
Where bicycles are used, transportation is very expensive. For example, on a bicycle a distance of 3km may be worth more than what bus fares can demand to cover a similar distance.
Good transportation design will not only help tourists but also local Malawians in their desire to have better means of transportation to their respective destinations.

     I THINK IN PICTURES. Words are like a second language to me. I translate both spoken and written words into full-color movies, complete with sound, which run like a VCR tape or DVD/VCD in my head. When somebody speaks to me, his words are instantly translated into pictures. Language-based thinkers often find this phenomenon difficult to understand, but in my job as a VISUAL designer or Digital Artist, visual thinking is a tremendous advantage. Visual thinking has enabled me to design entire systems in my imagination Every design problem I’ve ever solved started with my ability to visualize and see the world in pictures. I started designing things as a child, when I was always experimenting with new kinds of kites and model airplanes. I visualize my designs being appreciated in every possible situation, with different sizes and colour patterns and in different weather conditions. Doing this enables me to correct mistakes prior to my next design work.  My design ability keeps improving as I add more visual images to my library. I add video-like images from either actual experiences or translations of written information into pictures. Dr. Temple Grandin argues that ‘Another indicator of visual thinking as the primary method of processing information is the remarkable ability many autistic people exhibit in solving jigsaw puzzles, finding their way around a city, or memorizing enormous amounts of information at a glance.’ My own thought patterns are similar to those described by A. R. Luria in The Mind of a Mnemonist. This book describes a man who worked as a newspaper reporter and could perform amazing feats of memory. Like me, the mnemonist had a visual image for everything he had heard or read. Luria writes, “For when he heard or read a word, it was at once converted into a visual image corresponding with the object the word signified for him.” The great inventor Nikola Tesla was also a visual thinker. When he designed electric turbines for power generation, he built each turbine in his head. He operated it in his imagination and corrected faults. He said it did not matter whether the turbine was tested in his thoughts or in his shop; the results would be the same. Think in pictures and have a vision.

Parental rebuke on a different note is not formally structured. Orally done to help learners attain learning goals as defined by a people’s culture.  None does any note making etc. It comes your way free of charge. It is up to an individual to get it or not.

It is presented by elders in our societies. It does not require the instructor to go through the rigorous classroom learning for him or her to become one.