I love wikipedia

[boyofbadgers]

From the page on the Mali Empire:

"Sundiata also instituted a universal constitution for the Mandinka and all subjects of his new empire. [...] He also put in place social and economic reforms including prohibitions on the maltreatment of prisoners and slaves, installing women in government circles and a system of banter between clans which

Comments

[friend_of_tofu]

*falls about laughing*

Oh, I needed that tonight!

[tansu]

I reckon it's true.
The French Wikipedia page on Mali has this statement: " Pour rassembler ces clans, il instaure le système de parenté à plaisanterie." - To bring about social cohesion between these clans, he instituted a system of clan rapport / cousinage via jokes / banter.

The passage you quote first appeared on the English Wikipedia page on 29 September 2006.

The passage from the French Wikipedia predates this.

Also, becuase I have nowt better to do right at this minute, I looked up "mali keita plaisanterie" and found references to the "parenté à plaisanterie" concept, including this - http://www.lemali.fr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=135 which says that it is a system whereby two people from the same tribe or from the same clan can joke and banter with each other, and must accept even harsh banter from each other.

I found it has a Malian name - sanankuya.

So, yep. A system of banter.

[julietk]

That is *ace*.

[badgermoonhare]

It is true! (hi! I found your journal through a mention of your name on miss_newham's journal) I recall the concept of 'joking relationships' from my studies in anthropology, but I can't really give you any good references from off the top of my head.

There is an article on the subject here, thanks to Google, which seems rather interesting:
http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol14/dagaaba.htm

[badgermoonhare]

"...institutionalized form of social interaction between two persons or groups in which one is permitted-or even required-to make fun of or tease the other, who, usually, is not permitted to take offense. The joking may be mutual (symmetrical) or formalized in such a way that one person does the teasing and the other does not retaliate (asymmetrical). (...)"

This is from the online version of the Encyclopædia Britannica

[boyofbadgers]

This is excellent stuff, thank you very much!

[badgermoonhare]

Yer welcome! It was no trouble. And thank you for making me think of joking relationships.

[blech]

A system of banter beats the pants off the rather nasty Pashtunwali (from the ever-recommended Economist Christmas special, also featuring "Postmodernism And How Capitalism Subsumed It (Just Like Punk, Bitches)").