Slogans and mottos on commercial vehicles: a reflection of Liberian philosophy and culture

Abstract

Liberia, like many other developing countries, follows the common custom of writing slogans and mottos on commercial vehicles. While studies have been conducted on such slogans and mottos in other countries, very little analysis of the ones in Liberia has been conducted. The purpose of this study therefore is to conduct such an analysis to determine what the slogans and mottos reveal about Liberian philosophy, culture, and history. A sample of 250 slogans and mottos were collected in 2005 and 2006.Overall, the slogans and mottos reveal a strong emphasis on God and religion in Liberia, indicating that Liberians believe in God or a Supreme Being. They also suggest that traditional culture is very important in Liberia. A part of this culture is the practice of giving advice. Liberians are fond of giving unsolicited advice, which may be a manifestation of the kindness and goodwill of Liberians and the belief in Africa that 'it takes a village to raise a child.' Trends in Liberia's political and social developments and the global popular culture are also reflected. The trends show the changing political environment from one in which political freedom was proscribed to one in which such freedom is permitted.The slogans and mottos on commercial vehicles are an important source of information and education on Liberian philosophy, culture, and history. The Liberian Government could use commercial vehicles as a means of informing and educating the people or communities on important public policy issues.

Reading into Riding Culture: Messages and Sayings on Daladala Vehicles in Usa River, Tanzania

“…Similar private transportation, oftentimes unregulated, has also arisen in other countries on the African continent. Consequently, we have considered here the previous studies that describe variously the types of or purposes for certain messages in Ghana (Lewis, 1998; van der Geest, 2009), Kenya (Kayi, 2016), Liberia (Guseh, 2008), and Nigeria (Lawuyi, 1988). Additionally, we have discussed the singular study of such messages on vehicles in Tanzania (Kipacha, 2014), albeit with the caveat that this scholar’s goals were different, namely, in that he utilized a theoretical framework to describe messages generally on a variety of vehicle types and the transformation from sayings on clothing and natural elements to vehicles.…”

“…Previous studies have considered the function of messages written on minibuses in numerous countries on the African continent. The five studies to be discussed here identify the frequency, role, and types of messages employed on vehicles in Ghana (Lewis, 1998 and van der Geest, 2009), Liberia (Guseh, 2008), Nigeria (Lawuyi, 1988), and Kenya (Kayi, 2016). Finally, Kipacha (2014) is recognized as contributing greatly to the present study, despite having a quite different set of goals and motivations and reaching different conclusions.…”

“…Guseh (2008), on the other hand, contains a much smaller sample size (250 messages). Beginning with a discussion of the historical context surrounding the Liberian Civil War and the subsequent devastation, he argues that many flocked to the city and effected a drastic increase in the need for public transportation.…”

“…After organizing and analyzing the messages he gathered, he determined that most of them conformed to the same genres witnessed in Lewis (1998), in particular a strong emphasis upon religious and traditional values. Nonetheless, Guseh (2008) analyzed these messages within the framework of Lewis (1998), that is, within pre-established categories.…”

‘The politics of things’: digital media, urban space, and the materiality of publics

“…Here, it draws on research on publics in the African context, which has examined the role of urban space in political deliberation and sociality through radio trottoir ('pavement radio') or 'street parliaments' (Ellis, 1989;Banégas, Brisset-Foucault and Cutolo, 2012) and has focused attention on the communicative role of objects such as bodies during political rallies and in politicized dance performances (Mbembe, 1992;Gilman, 2009), popular slogans on public transport vehicles (Lawuyi, 1997;Guseh, 2008;Agbiboa, 2017) and messages conveyed through colorful kanga cloths worn by women (Linneburh, 1997). While political communication scholars have neglected the importance of physical space, scholars examining African contexts have not as yet fully addressed the role of digital technology in its intersection with physical space.…”