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Burkina Faso |
SOCIAL CONDIT.
A safeguard for social cohesion
Called a catharsis pact or «sinakuyu» in Dioula (a language of western Burkina) or «rakiré» in Mooré (a language of the central plateau), the Joking Relationship is part of the many safeguards which Africa enjoys to keep the peace and promote pacific coexistence. It is to be found in nearly all ethnic groups in Burkina Faso, but is expressed in different ways. Neither age nor sex nor wealth nor social position is any obstacle to the free use of the prerogatives enjoyed in a Joking Relationship.
One accepts willingly all the insults, even the most ill-timed accusations by somebody with whom one has a Joking Relationship. Called «the hate market» by some ethnic groups in Burkina, the human dimension of a Joking Relationship is extremely important in our society. Could it also contribute something to the building up of our region?
According to tradition, the Joking Relationswhip has its origins in the rules of totemism. Its principal aim is to preserve links between families or groups. It can be used in many circumstances or events, whether happy or tragic. A Joking Relationship is experienced in the first place among groups within the same family or between clans or ethnic groups. It is found everywhere, not just in Africa, and is used in many different ways, often expressed by laughter.
You can laugh about anything but not with everybody. There is a social cohesion dimension which cannot be ignored. This means that national frontiers are not barriers but rather a sign of identity. Living together is always a source of tension, and a Joking Relationship makes it possible to codify a certain number of values which enable people to live in peace.
For Mgr Anselm Sanon (who wrote about Joking Relationships in 1969), a Joking Relationship is a very important cultural activity. According to him, it’s a matter of making the world of relationships available to all. Without being an absolute model, a Joking Relationship can inspire the adoption of social codes which make possible a peoples’ better integration.
The existence of a Joking Relationship should also be taken into consideration in policies for educating children. A Joking Relationship can transcend borders but not suppress them.
Strengthening social relations
Joking Relationships strengthen social relations between ethnic groups. Take for example what happened during a funeral.
One day, I had assumed a fitting facial expression and went to the house of neighbour who had just died. I mixed with the tearful crowd, consisting of more or less distant relations and more or less intimate friends. Not knowing how to behave in this unfamiliar place, I simply followed the crowd. In the courtyard, all conversations were in whispers and even the most banal phrases were uttered. The essential was to show some emotion, or failing that, at least to have a feeling of sadness. Everything was very quiet. The widow was not present, as she had retired to a room with some old ladies to keep her company. People were silently arriving all the time.
Suddenly a gentleman arrived noisily. He walked as if he was in the market place and spoke loudly. Didn’t he know why we were present? Was he drunk? Or perhaps mad. Perhaps he should have been thrown out. However, nobody made a move.
The «madman» continued to shout, addressing the crowd thus: «Ah! It seems that finally he is dead. Well done! All of you present, will die like him. Take him out and let’s bury him. At any rate, it’s good riddance. He’ll join his old father who died last year.»
I felt that I was going to lose my composure. However, I pulled myself together. But not for long. For as we arrived at the graveyard, I felt outraged when «my madman» jumped into the grave and refused to allow them to bury the dead man. After a great deal of negotiations and exchange of gifts, he agreed to get out of the grave. At this moment a relative of the deceased whispered in my ear that he was a Yadga (a tribe from the north of Burkina), a rakiré or a joking relation of the deceased (who was a Gourmanché). What had nearly provoked my anger was really only one of the many facets of Joking Relationship in Burkina Faso. Nevertheless, thanks to this unusual interlude, the atmosphere began to be relaxed. People appeared to be less sad. So should the deceased! At any rate, custom had been respected. That’s the main thing.
Family version
Though existing under various forms in other societies, Joking Relationship, has a special place in inter-tribal relations. There exists a Joking Relationship between every ethnic group and its neighbours, with whom it has had either very good relations or experienced unfortunate incidents. In the course of time, this particular relationship has defied the centuries to remain intact until our days. Joking Relationships have survived because they provide a framework for resolving important problems without raising emotions.
Running side -by-side with the inter-ethnic relationship, a Joking Relationship also exists within families, where cohesion is the support which binds the whole together. Let’s fact it! There’s no lack of rows among family members and a Joking Relationship will act as a kind of regulator to lessen tension. Thus, between a grandson or great-grandson and a grandfather or great-great grandfather, it’s rare to hear voices raised. Often there are funny scenes and as often as not the problem is resolved.
This relationship is often used by grandparents to assess the mood of a sister-in-law towards them, or more often the relationship between a wife and her husband’s younger brothers and sisters. Here again, this relationship aims at preventing misunderstandings getting out of hand. It could happen that an excessively jealous wife tries to isolate her husband and keep him for herself alone. By means of a Joking Relationship, the younger brothers of the husband can set the record straight.
One of the most frequent uses of a Joking Relationship is that which links a man to the brothers and sisters of his wife. In this case the relationship is really useful, for very often it helps in solving marital conflicts, but especially it prevents the wife from being ill-treated. Between a husband and his brothers-in-law, there are really no secrets and the truth can be told bluntly, even if it is said in a joking manner. By extension, the same system exists between families. Also whole villages have a joking relationship with other villages.
Limits
«In all things excess is harmful», is the common saying. While it is difficult to know how this relationship came into being, it is equally difficult to determine the limits which may not be exceeded. As can be seen from practice, the «relationship» covers a whole gamut of individuals and groups. It can exist between members of the same family, between villages and its neighbours, between allies or between tribes, the latter being the most common case in Burkina Faso.
Custom which has this practice at its disposal (the rules not being expressed anywhere), uses Joking Relationship as a form of community outlet, where war is simulated so that it is not really waged. Like all customary laws, interpretation has force of law. Taking each case or person individually, the safeguards are determined. Clearly it is up to each participant in the game to find the limits which may not be overstepped, in order not to break the tacit contract which has been established by custom. Nevertheless, some principles which can be called general have been set forth.
Thus, in Joking Relationships between tribes, some forbid reference to one’s mother. It is, therefore, forbidden to attack an adversary’s mother. Likewise, in interlaced marriages, between collaterals for example, it is understood that the younger brother of the husband and his wife are favourite protagonists.
But the latitude which the two have with regard to each other, should not breach the barrier of sex. Sex is one of the most solid safeguards in Joking Relationships. If the rule means that everything is allowed, the prohibition of sexual relations is the exception which confirms the rule. Likewise a Joking Relationship is forbidden among spouses, whose marriage bond could not be considered a joke.
When all is said and done, in traditional society, in which it is a regulatory element, a Joking Relationship has only some rare prohibitions but no limits. It can range from a simple discourteous remark to outright abuse, and even to what can be considered a profanation, for in spite of the respect shown in our society to death, the corpse of a relation with whom one has a Joking Relationship, can be an object of fun without further ado. The aim is to break the tension and reduce the sorrow of relatives by trivialisation of the proceedings.
If Joking Relations go back to the dawn of time, the slip-ups which it can bring about are extremely rare, if non-existent. On the contrary, it is very highly spoken of and there are countries which envy Burkina. That is why perhaps, people would like to prescribe it for societies which have recurrent ethnic conflicts, such as in the countries of the Great Lakes region. They could content themselves in simulating war by the game of joking, in order to avoid going to war in earnest. Some people suggest that where political dialogue has failed, a Joking Relationship can succeed perfectly in the name of harmony and loyalty which characterise this kind of relationship.
A Joking Relationship is therefore, a precious fall-back in African traditional society. It should endeavour to preserve it carefully, for it is an instrument for the resolution of conflicts. Unfortunately, it must be admitted that nowadays, people confronted with many problems, tend to neglect Joking Relationships and even consider it as an anachronism.
- Sarah Tanou, Burkina Faso, December 2002 — © Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment
Editor’s note: The translator of this article recalls with pleasure that during his time in Africa, he experienced the kind of relationship described above. He was, on occasion, inflicted with insults but it was all a joke.