Pragmatics and Meaning Formation: Contextual Distinctiveness of Religious Automobiles Messages in Kano State

Religious symbolism has been a major feature of messages featured on public, private and official vehicles in Africa and Asian countries where automobiles are not only used as means of transportation but also as channels of socio-cultural communication. This study used Focus Group and In-depth Interview research techniques to examine the meaning/purpose and context of the religious texts and images featured on public transport vehicles in Kano-Nigeria as an aspect of trans-national flow of culture and an evidence of cultural adaptation and appropriation in Africa. Two groups of eight public transport vehicle drivers were purposely selected in five national motor parks for the FGD while eight public transport entrepreneurs were selected for the In-depth Interview. The study found that public transport entrepreneurs and drivers used religious textual and visual messages on their vehicles to construct religious identity, seek divine protection, stability and success. The study concludes that the culture is a deliberate social communication tool aim at promoting and strengthening traditional culture in Kano. The study recommends the use of transport literature by governments, organizations and civil society groups for socio-economic and political communication. Key Words: Automobiles, Religious Messages, Transportation, Kano State. ____________ *Hassan Ya’u, Ph.D. is of the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria. JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 9, No. 1, April 2017, 113 – 126