INTRODUCTION
DEFINITION
ORIGINS OF JOKING RELATIONSHIPS
EXAMPLES OF JOKING RELATIONSHIPS GROUPS
JOKING RELATIONSHIPS AROUND THE WORLD
IMPACT AND IMPORTANCE OF JOKING RELATIONSHIPS
TESTIMONIES
SURVIVAL OF JOKING RELATIONSHIPS
PHOTOS

Joking relationships do not  exist only in Burkina Faso. This practice is widespread in West Africa in particular, and for sure, in other places of the world. In this part of our work, we will just mention two examples: in Mali and in Europe

In Mali: In this country, Joking relationships or Sinankuya are said to be an “institution” that involves the whole population, young and adults, rich and poor, employers and employees. It is just said to be a factor of social balance.

The most famous example of joking relationship is between the Dogon 

( farmers) and the Bozo.( fishermen). Both ethnic groups joke with each other, but must assist each other in case of need.

According to the legend, a Dogon and a Bozo were travelling together, when they run out of food. Then, the Bozo cut a piece of his thigh and gave it to the Dogon. It is since then, that both men swore not to hurt each other, and this “blood oath” is still respected by their descendants. In their joking relationships, the Bozo and the Dogon must never be angry, that’s why members of both ethnic groups don’t get married, the aim being to avoid any risk of conflict!

The Dogon and the Bozo must give  each other mutual assistance in all circumstances but during funerals, because a Dogon must not see a Bozo’s corpse and vice versa. During harvests, the Dogon must give  a share of his crops to the Bozo, and the Bozo must give some fish to the Dogon.

In Europe

The French and the English are doing nothing but joking when the former say “ Filer à l’Anglaise”, while the latter would say “To take French leave” to express the act of fleeing in a "coward" way.

But the best example of joking relationship is the one existing between the French and the Belgians. We would rather talk of humour, each group creating or inventing jokes to tease the other group. In general, the French and the Belgians consider each other to be “stupid" and to have an aversion for showers.  The following  jokes illustrate this fact:

1. 1-     “Why do ghosts not exist in France ? Because we’ve never seen a French man with a spirit”

2. 2-     A Belgian goes to the cinema, buys a ticket and enters the room. One minute later, he comes back and buys another ticket. Then a few minutes later, he comes back and asks for another ticket.

3.       I don’t understand, says the cashier.

         I know, answers the man, but any time I get inside the room, there is man there who  tears my ticket.

4. 3-     “ What is the best place to hide one’s money?” Under a French man’s soap!!!

5. 4-     « Why do we say « to go to the toilets », while our friends in Belgium say  « I’m going to the toilet » ? Because in our nice country France, we visit several toilets before choosing one. 

6.         Note that the French "toilets" has a final S