Abstract
This paper presents a semiotic analysis of African regalia in the movie Black Panther using Charles Peirce’s Triadic Theory (1860). It attempts to explain how the various semiotic signs in the movie are used to highlight and convey certain meaning contained in it. The movie is obtained from the internet with Screen shots of scenes containing signs from the movie categorised and analysed based on Peirce’s types of signs (icon and symbol) and elements of sign (representamen, object and interpretant).The presentation and analysis of data are carried out simultaneously followed by discussion of results. The analyses reveal that symbols and icons are used to convey information to the audience on different aspects of African regalia. The outfit (regalia) of the Border Tribe resembles the outfit of the Baseto people of Lesotho (South Africa), the River Tribe’s outfit resembles that of the Siri and Mursi Tribes in Ethiopia, the Merchant Tribe’s outfit resembles that of the Duarak of the Saharan region, the Mining Tribe’s outfit resembles the outfit of the Ovahimba Tribe of northern Namibia and the priest’ outfit resembles Nigerian Agbada. It can therefore be concluded that the underlying intent of the movie’s use of these semiotic means can be said to be to showcase the rich African cultural repertoire in the movie’s costumes and props.
Keywords: Semiotics, Regalia, Icon, Symbol, Culture.
DOI: 10.36349/sojolics.2026.v02i01.038
author/Aminu, Sadiq
journal/Sokoto JOLICS 2(1) | June 2026 |
