The Role of Caricature Art in Portraying Poverty Issues in YEMENI Social Reality A Semiological Analysis of a Collection of Visual Discourses Addressing Poverty Issues in Yemen

Abstract

The aim of the research was to understand the role of caricature art in expressing poverty issues in the social reality of Yemen. The research relied on two methodologies: the descriptive-analytical method and the semiological method. A purposive sample was taken and the research included the analysis of twenty-one caricature drawings (visual discourse) executed by nine Yemeni caricature artists, who were also interviewed in a structured manner. The visual discourses were analyzed using an analysis tool derived from Martin Joly's approach. The research reached a number of conclusions, the most important of which are: poverty was discussed from various aspects. The head of the family was used as a prominent model representing the most affected group by poverty, and on the other hand, as a social model representing all poor Yemenis. The economic indicator is the most discussed factor in the sample images