It’s no
secret that men and women are far from equal in many societies of the
developing world. This inequality is
hardly surprising, especially considering the fact that women only recently
gained protection from discrimination under US law and they continue to
struggle for true economic and social equality.
In Burkina Faso, traditional gender roles exhibit a large amount of
influence over the behaviors of Burkinabe men and women.
Rather than
engage in a sociological examination of gender roles in Burkina Faso, we
thought it would be more enlightening to reveal excerpts from two ancient
Burkinabe codes that illustrate the obligations and expectations of women and
men in Burkinabe society. These codes
have been passed down orally through the generations, typically from father to
son and mother to daughter. There is no
tangible reward for obeying these rarely spoken Articles, but membership in the
village community is contingent on compliance.
It should be mentioned that in the larger cosmopolitan cities of the
country these social norms are gradually disappearing, but at the village level,
they remain highly important and influential.
In our
unique position as culturally integrated, but foreign, individuals, Peace Corps
Volunteers are not strictly bound by the laws dictated in the codes. This invariably leads us to overhear bits of
the conversations that serve as the medium for the ritual passing down of the
code. Thus, we are able to view
expectations and behaviors as they contrast with our own, American, concepts of
gender equality. Our work is largely
inspired by Barney Stinson of How I Met Your Mother fame, the pioneer of
Bro Code transcription. As he eloquently
states:
“Whether we
know it or not, each of us lives a life governed by an internalized code of
conduct. Some call it morality. Others
call it religion. I call it the Bro Code.” -Barney Stinson
Below is the
product of hours of back-breaking observation, tedious translation, and
conference calls often ending in heated argument. It was a test of friendship in the truest
sense. But from the heat of the forge came a bond stronger than steel.
Burkina Bro Code
Article 1: Bros shall never cook,
clean, wash dishes, fetch water from the pump, do laundry, or accomplish any
other daily chores that are better performed by children or women.
Article 17: A proper bro always wishes fellow
bros “bon appetite” while they are eating, but refuses the subsequent invitations
from said bros to eat their food (vous etes invite). To accept such an invitation would reveal to
other bros that one cannot feed himself
Article 23: Bros shall never refuse a calabash of dolo (millet
beer). After accepting said calabash, the proper bro will purchase another,
expressing solidarity with his fellow bros.
However, a bro shall always consume his dolo in a timely fashion. Other bros are waiting for your calabash.
Article 24: Bros shall offer their seat
to any senior bros, by age or importance, in attendance. If there are not enough chairs for all bros, the
youngest bro must find another chair, find another object to sit on, or order
the closest child to find a chair
Article 29: Bros shall ask every
American woman to marry them on the off chance that they will consent
Article 35: Bros shall always hold
hands with other bros when walking places at night
Article 42:
A bro shall never reveal to another bro’s first, second, or third
wife the contents of a bro chat
Article 48: Bros shall refer to their
wives in all languages as “my woman”
 |
| African Santa on a Coke bottle |
Article 51: Bros shall always claim to
only play “a little bit” of soccer when white bros ask, hiding the fact that a
team of random Burkinabe men in village would beat most MLS teams
Article 55: A bro shall use his
children and the children of others for small, medial tasks that would be
inconvenient for the average bro. This
includes any task that requires standing up and leaving the shade.
Article 69: Bros shall commit to
practicing sound family planning: fathering as many sons as possible
Article 77: A bro shall spend no less
than 2 hours per afternoon chilling with fellow bros in the shade, making
Chinese green tea, and discussing topics of interest to the average bro
Article 82: All bros shall master the
art of tying suitcases, bikes, motos, vegetables, mattresses, furniture,
animals, and any other common luggage items to the top of vehicles. When in doubt, maximize horizontal space
before building vertically, but as long as the vehicle doesn’t flip over, it’s
probably fine.
 |
| Photo Credit: Natalie Moore |
Article 88: Bros shall own at least one
machete. Occasionally, bros should
carry around their machete if for no other reason than to remind fellow bros
that they own one
Article 93: A bro who has possession of
an mp3 capable cell phone shall grace others with terrible downloaded music
Article 99: Bros shall teach their
offspring to ride a bicycle as soon as their feet can reach the pedals, whether
or not they are tall enough to simultaneously sit on the seat and pedal. Bicycles allow children to run errands
faster.
Article 102: A bro’s moto is a reflection of
himself. Therefore, a bro should wash
his moto at least as often as he bathes, if not more.
Article 105: Bros shall avoid any and
all public displays of affection toward their wife (or wives). Seriously bro, get a room
Article 106: On special occasions, bros should bust out their "Sunday best," i.e. matching pant/shirt suit combos known as "comples"
 |
| White Bro, David, properly rocking the comple |
Article 107: It is often the bro who speaks the loudest
who is the most correct.
Article 110: Muslim bros shall follow
the teachings of the Koran and refrain from drinking alcohol. However, dolo doesn’t really count as
“alcohol” because it doesn’t come in a bottle and a bro can never be sure how
alcoholic it is.
Article 115: Bros shall punish any dogs
that seek affection, bark, or exist.
Chances are, if the dog is still alive in Africa, it did something
immoral to survive.
Article 118: Whether a Bro cares about
soccer or not, he cares about soccer
Article 120: Bros shall cover their
motos with ominous bumper stickers that declare “God is watching,” “Suffering
is good advice,” or “No money, no friends.”
Article 127: A bro shall not allow another
bro to get married until he is at least 16.
At that age, bros shall help their fellow bros find suitable wives and
start a family.
Article 129: Bros shall celebrate a marriage
or the return of fellow bros from a Mecca pilgrimage by driving motos at
unreasonably fast speeds, honking their horn, and attempting dangerous tricks
such as the infamous “Look no hands!”
Article 131: Bros don’t speak French to
one another in village, instead using the appropriate local language. This would be an embarrassing admission that
French culture exhibits a large amount of influence over African nations.
Article 134: Bros may refer to bros from
other ethnic groups as “my slaves” if, at any point in Burkina history, their
ethnic group exercised political control over the other. This is also referred to as “having a good
sense of humor.”
Article 137: When given an option
regarding volume while ordering a beer with his bros, a bro shall always choose
the 65 centiliter bottle instead of the 33 centiliter bottle. The 33 cl bottle is just…..well…tiny
Articles 140: A bro always calls a
fellow bro by his last name, unless the bro has the same last name as half of
the other bros in village. As this is
almost always the case, bros shall come up with nicknames for their best bros.
Burkina Chick Code
 |
| Photo Credit: Natalie Moore |
Article 1: Chicks shall accomplish all
of the tasks of the day with a baby tied securely to their back. If a chick lacks her own infant, she should
borrow one from a fellow chick with extra.
Article 7: Chicks shall teach their
female offspring to carry babies within 3 years of having been babies
themselves
Article 11: Chicks shall sweep their courtyard
every morning in order to make messy dirt into well arranged dirt, regardless
of the likelihood that it will be dirty again by midday
Article 14: Chicks shall carry all
objects on their heads, even if they are more easily carried by hand. The only exception to this Article is babies.
 |
| Photo Credit: Natalie Moore |
Article 18: Chicks shall sell products
in the marché next to other chicks selling the same product at the same price,
therefore eliminating the need for sound business practices
Article 21: Chicks shall cover their
infant’s head with a hat declaring it to be a baby in a language they do not
speak or understand
Article 25: All waitress chicks shall
behave in a manner that suggests customers are inconveniencing them by eating
at the restaurant. Waitress chicks shall
make no attempt to provide anything resembling customer service. This would only encourage patrons to return
and continue to inconvenience them.
Article 31: When asked what they are
doing for the day, chicks shall always reply “nothing,” after which they shall
proceed to cook meals, take care of kids, clean the house, wash dishes, wash
clothes, fetch water, fetch wood, and sweep dirt.
Article 34: All chicks shall ensure
that they publically breastfeed their infants whenever they start crying. As the saying goes, “The best pacifier is a
nipple.”
Article 36: Waitress chicks shall
respond to the following professional methods of catching attention:
“Hsssssssst,” obnoxious finger snapping, or bell ringing (when table bells are
available)
Article 42: All chicks shall demand
that white chicks give them their hair, even if said request makes absolutely
no sense
No comments:
Post a Comment