International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 04 Issue: 11 | Nov -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 Ideology in Political Campaigns: Explicating the Digital-Analogue Metaphor Used in the 2013 Election Campaigns by the Jubilee Coalition in Kenya Habakkuk Nakiboli1; Josephine Khaemba2; Vicky Khasandi3 1, 2 Egerton University, Kenya 3 Laikipia University, Kenya ---------------------------------------------------------------------***--------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract - The digital-analogue metaphor in the 2013 leadership into the pre-existing ideological templates of elections was a way of explaining the different ideologies world ideologies like Marxism and Capitalism [1]. At the between Jubilee and CORD coalition as the two major dawn of post-colonialism, the founding president of Kenya, competing parties. The study set out to demonstrate the Jomo Kenyatta, perpetuated the values of the imperialist and ideological import of the digital-analogue metaphorical played reconciliatory role between the whites and the catch-phrase by the Jubilee Coalition of political parties. This blacks. In fact, he reassured the white settlers of integration paper maps out the conceptual bearings of the digital- without dispossessing them the fertile land they had analogue metaphor. The study sidestepped other metaphors occupied. Kenyatta’s leadership was receptive to western used at the election time and located itself within a time- civilization even as he pushed for fundamental change in frame of between 24th December 2012 and 1st March 2013. political economic and social relations [2]. Kenyatta’s Lakoff’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory was the guiding successor, Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, adopted the Nyayo principle to the study since it hoists metaphor above its philosophy, which was an upfront prescription of his politics. linguistic value to consider the conceptual property on which the study was founded. The study adopted an The study singled out the 2013 elections in Kenya, conscious interpretative research design targeting all the telecast of certain peculiarities. First, the 2013 elections were campaigns coverage between 24th December 2012 and 1st arguably the most fiercely contested in Kenya’s political March 2013. This period stipulated for the video data fitted history. The elections also came at a critical time, being the the study in the sense that the Jubilee Coalition of political first under the new constitution enacted in 2010. Moreover, parties was inaugurated on the said date in December 2012 these elections came under close international and local and the 1st of March 2013 marked the end of campaigns. The scrutiny following the 2007 electoral dysfunction that sample was purposively sampled in terms of specific sparked violence in which over 1500 died, 3000 women relevance to the objectives of the study. The study made use raped and other 3000 displaced [3]. Most importantly, the of video method of data collection as well as FGDs. The video 2013 elections stood out as unmatched contests between clips used in the study were sought from the mainstream TV what was perceived to be the old against the new guard. channels, namely Citizen, Kenya Television Network and Nation Television. The clips were transcribed and then Indeed, the question of generational politics has featured in interpreted for their conceptual relevance to the digital- Kenyan politics for well over two decades, but it was only in analogue metaphor. The research findings showed how the 2002 that President Daniel Moi yielded to public pressure to metaphor harboured conceptual ideologies that step down and oversee a generational change of guard in characterized the Jubilee campaigns of the 2013 polls. The national politics [4]. In his apt response, Moi endorsed Uhuru results provide opportunities to scholars and the society in Kenyatta, the son of Jomo Kenyatta, as his successor. general to understand how metaphors can transmit However, “Project Uhuru” as a strategy of delivering ideologies which shape the socio-political attitudes of the generational change was defeated at elections. The political public. environment in Kenya had drifted from what had been invariably ethnic to generational politics that was marked by Key Words: Political Communication, Conceptual Bearing, the perceived young and old ideologies. The post- Digital-Analogue Metaphor independent politics applies a relational aspect to “youth”; this explains why Raila Odinga found some space in the 1. INTRODUCTION “youthful” political group in Kenya during the 2002 elections, even though he was 57 years old. Every political establishment has got a defining ideology which is a political theory defining a given political practice. At independence, pioneer African leaders fitted their © 2017, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 6.171 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1031 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 04 Issue: 11 | Nov -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 1.1 Ideology in Political Communication environment. The setting of such contests is presented through some ideological screens that Van Dijk [12] calls the Introduced into social science by the French philosopher ideological square. With the rise of democratic societies, Destutt de`Tracy at the end of the 18th century, the concept conferment of political powers seems to have been of ideology describes the science of ideas. However, the commoditized in the public market. Power seekers market concept later acquired a pejorative meaning, particularly in themselves through shared values, ideals and policies that light of Marxist’s who considered it as delusion or false can persuade the voters to elect them. There exists a mystification about the world or, as put by Engels, ‘false functional discrepancy between the world political consciousness’ [5]. Interested scholars who, however, have ideologies in the face of Cold War and the ideological still failed to give a consensual definition of the term as positioning in present democratic societies. At presently applied in social science initiated important shifts independence, traditional political ideologies served to in the meaning of ideology later. This paper treats ideology orient states to the factional dichotomy of polarized world as a system of beliefs of a group and its members [6]. politics of either the West or the East. The founding Ideologies form the basis of social practice of group president of Kenya, for example, perpetuated the values of members. Thus, social discrimination may be informed by the imperialists at independence [13]. racist or sexist ideologies as pacifist ideology informs anti- nuclear weapon campaigns. If Jomo Kenyatta’s regime was organized around any ideology, then it squarely fitted onto the colonial master’s Having affective, cognitive and motivational properties [7], template of capitalism and utter conservatism as opposed to ideology is arguably central in political communication, a change. The end of Cold War saw the emergence of a communication defined by Denton and Woodward [8] as a scholarly debate on the ‘end of ideology’ in political pure discussion about the allocation of public resources, communication and practice and several arguments were official authority and the state sanctions. Political campaign raised in support of this view [14]. Political parties communication seeks the conferment of official authority to competing at election in democratic states define themselves power seekers to allocate the state resources and make state in terms of certain political, social and economic ideals from legislations. In general, political discourse or communication what Van Djik [15] refers to as the socio-political context. is a class of genres with politics as its domain [9]. This paper is antithetical to the ‘end of ideology’ debate as it Accordingly, parliamentary debate and campaign singles out a 21st century case study to demonstrate that communications are examples of specific genres in political shared ideals and values characterize individual political communication largely shaped by political cognition, parties in competitive political activities democratic discourse structures and socio-political contexts. societies. Political communication is a practice of political 2. METHODOLOGY establishments in the form of governments as well as political parties. In putting political parties in perspective, The study adopted an interpretive research design, an McNair [10] identifies the defining aspects of political parties approach that acknowledges human knowledge of reality, as an aggregate of like-minded people coming together including the domain of human action as a social within an agreed organizational and ideological state to construction by human actors [16]. This design fits the study pursue a common goal. In the same vein, McNair proceeds to because it sets out to interpret the campaign content of the suggest, as indeed many other scholars in social science Jubilee coalition of political parties in an attempt to have, that the goals or objectives of a political party or any determine how the digital-analogue metaphor and its such group reflects the underlying value systems or ideology. perception as used in the 2013 general elections campaigns However, from contemporary practice of political in Kenya shaped the coalition’s victory. communication one can ask, with the receding influence of traditional