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Introduction:
Anthropology
defines the family as a group of persons bound by blood relations, a number of
them living in the same compound/house. The notion varies according to culture,
for that reason Durkheim and Mauss assert
that the family is a social and a non-biological factor.
From a
sociological point of view, the family constitutes a fundamental basic unit of
life in the society in the sense that it ensures, to a large extent, social
reproduction. It is the first setup in which individuals socialize and learn to
live in society. Also, the family is the basic unit within which majority of
essential daily operations of individuals such as feeding, rest, leisure and
sexual activities are performed. In previous centuries, the family was a unit
that ensured important production activities, be it agriculture, handicraft or
commerce. The fact that this role has been considerably reduced in modern
societies shows to what extent the family is in constant evolution and in
permanent interaction with time.
The family is thus a polysemous concept and its content remains variable on the
basis of context. All the same, it remains the fundamental basic unit of life in
the society through its social reproduction unit thus making it a social, legal
and an economic institution which exists in all human societies.
As a Christian, I don’t perceive the family as man’s creation but as God’s
conception. He created man male and female to perpetuate humanity. The family is
the first cell of human society (Gen 2:27-28) However, as human beings grow in
number and spread in space, as they are confronted by environmental changes, as
they affront socio-economic pressures; as they deal with religious, philosophic,
cultuel and cultural and political mutations, the initial family format
underwent many transformations, so much so that it has even become necessary to
devise laws to protect the family.
After a brief definition of the types of families I’ll try to investigate the
strengths and weaknesses of the different types of the African Family and
present changes that are occurring in its setup before drawing the potential
contributions that such a type of family can make and the challenges it faces
before trying to conclude. In summary, I shall try to present the African
family: Past: retrospective analysis; present: introspective analysis; and
future: prospective analysis
Definitions:
To be able to better assess the African family model, at least a brief
definition is required of what it means vis-à-vis the other family models:
Sociologists make the following distinctions between the various family models:
-The nuclear family model
gathers in the same home mainly the father, the mother and the unmarried
children;
-The recomposed family:
is a marital family where children come from the anterior union of each spouse;
-The enlarged or extended family:
is a household group of persons bound or not bound by blood and who live in the
same home (with all the people living or not living together).
This type of family characterizes the African family.
Traditional
African perception of the family tends to be large. When we consider the
terminology related to the African family, we realize that it is rather poor, on
the other hand, when we look into the vocabulary related to relationships it is
very rich. Observations made by sociologists on African traditional societies,
conclude that the family can be defined as an institution with particular rules:
it embraces the entirety of persons united by marriage, filiations,
consanguinity
and relationship. Family relationships portray strong social characteristics
that are not necessarily biological and restrictive.
WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE EXTENDED TRADITIONAL AFRICAN FAMILY MODEL?
The modern family is considered nowadays as the model and most of the
time the traditional family model is seen as obsolete. However we realise
that its survival till today, lies obviously in its relevance and advantages for
Africans. Professor Gérard Cornu asserted talking about the African family:
« It appears especially as a group of happiness, asylum
of well-being,
and refuge of private life, place of gratefulness and freedom, and
context of fulfilment”[1]
This well thought analysis summarises in 5 expressions the concept of the
traditional African family model: the values of happiness, well-being, private
life, freedom, and fulfilment are consummated within the framework of the large,
extended family.
It would sound pretentious for me to try to
list down all the advantages of the African traditional family; nevertheless, I
shall enumerate a few points which could be considered as cardinal strengths of
the traditional African family model:
1. Group solidarity:
African traditional societies are characterised by strong solidarity among
individuals, and group of individuals. Bonaventure, will put it this way:
«The African family,
every one knows, there is nothing more
united than that, whether good or bad, that
is your place. For this reason, when a member of the family encounters a
problem, it is everybody’s concern, it is cultural [2]»
Traditionally, solidarity is considered a prime value and is reflected in many
proverbs such as: “let us help one another for one sole person cannot mourn at a
funeral”, “no one hand can gather flowers”; “the dirty linen is washed in the
family” etc. Any opportunity is seized to remind extended members that they are
part of the family and that family members don’t let down their relatives.
2. Matrimonial Relations:
In terms of matrimonial relations, the sacred nature of marriage, the
involvement of two families of future spouses and the mutual promise of the said
families, helped to avoid separation, divorce and the dissolution of the
marriage. In a world where divorce is often considered as a normal solution to
difficulties and failures in homes, the traditional African family objects to
any sort of separation. Marriage is not only an individual affair but also
involves the whole extended family, (the lineage) and even the entire community.
This why Claude Lévi-Strauss states:
« Lineage is a very important factor for each individual in the sense that it
constitutes the home of solidarity where the individual finds
permanent protection, assistance and support indispensable to their development.
In order for “lineage” to perform its functions efficiently and grow stronger,
its members need to be many”.[3]
As
we can see, different rules govern the organisation of marriages traditionally.
The basic concept is that the African family supersedes the only individual
satisfaction of future couples. According to that basic principle the extended
family or village interest comes first.
• Many occasions such as marriages, funerals, harvest feasts were moments for
reunion in the view of perpetuating tradition and choosing wives.
Traditional Africa has no place for desperate « old girls» who lack
husbands; all females at birth were already destined to a man whether old or
young.
• In the Moaga[4]
society, in the rural setup, a girl from birth can be betrothed to another
family or another specific individual in the family, thus contributing to
the perpetuation of relations amongst the said families.
• The marriage of the youth is facilitated by the families of the former: the
solidarity in the group helps the youth to avoid enormous individual
expenses as it is the case in the modern family system for instance where
expenses on marriage are to a large extent the responsibility of the future
husband, which has encouraged singlehood of men till an advanced age.
• Besides, a number of weaknesses such as impotence, sterility of men, are
kept secret so as to save the face of families.
3. Education or socialization:
According to Corneille Cornu,
« The family is a unit of
consumption and production.
The family is a home of which the essential role and crucial vocation is to
educate. The family assumes the transmission of moral and cultural heritage
from generation to generation».
The child belongs to the community from conception. In such context, biological
parents do not have an exclusive right on their children. Members of the family
are authorised to give their opinion on the conduct and future of the children.
The child does not belong to the family but to his lineage. The aim of education
in the family or initiation ceremonies is to inculcate in the young girl and boy
norms and values. These are based essentially on the respect of hierarchy and
submission to parental authority.
In the light of all the advantages related to the extended traditional family,
the majority of African countries (Burkina included) adopted a “law on the
family” based on a median concept of the family unlike Côte d’Ivoire and
Senegal, which adopted the modern concept of the nuclear family.
It is noted that in spite of the emergence and the application of laws linked to
the family, these laws remain quite mediocre. When all is well, they are not
applied. Also, no recourse is made to those laws except in worse cases. In
Burkina Faso, the adage that says “bad settlement is better than good law
proceedings” is applied with force. In fact, before taking a case to the law
court, there are parents, aunts and uncles to ensure conciliation.
4.
Family support
Family life is
perceived as a guarantee in time of crises, as a guarantor of the stability of an
individual in a world not « yet modern». Family support is an indispensable
factor and constitutes one of the strengths of our traditional societies. Family
members who enjoy relative stability are obliged to share with those in need.
5. Cultivating
family relationships:
Events, such as mourning and marriages, as it was depicted earlier, promote
reunion and at the same time reinforce family relationships. Getting to know
uncles, aunts, cousins, grand parents and others who were not known before,
fosters further the sense of unity, the strength and the respect of the family.
6.
Stability
among families
There are
certain phenomena among populations that create a convivial atmosphere among
several family groups and stabilize peace between families: case of teasing
among ethnic relatives and groups in Burkina Faso. Generally, in African
societies, a way is always found to resolve differences to enable individuals to
live in harmony.
We can assert
from what we mentioned above that the traditional African family’s main concern
is to offer social stability, moral and material comfort, in order serve as an
object of production, reproduction and to ensure group stability. The original
African family is perceived as being more than an addition of parts; it unites
its members by means of a network of laws and sexual prohibitions as well as
through values like love, respect and reverence.
TODAY THE AFRICAN FAMILY IS IN A PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION :
The
families, everywhere in the world, are undergoing rapid transformation as a
result of social changes, development and economic crisis[5],
manmade and natural disasters, modernism and globalisation. Unfortunately the
African family is of no exception. Therefore when people persist in stating
that “there is no other family like the African
family”, it needs to be qualified; it is only acceptable if the concept
implies the homogeneity of form.
In fact, as a result of a variety of intertwined factors, the African family is
today in a state of constant fluctuation, caught between the inherited tradition
(under pressure) and the new trends of modernism forcing their way in, on the
one hand and authoritarian political regimes imposing their traditional family
models and democratic reforms freeing the people to chose their family type on
the other hand. However, in spite of all these alterations in form undergone by
the African family, it remains the institution that continues to bear most of
the burden of the various responsibilities in the different sectors of the
society whether economical, social, cultural or political. In this respect, the
importance of the African family in terms of functions and responsibilities has
rather probably increased than reduced. So, in spite of its diverse forms, the
African family remains the most fundamental social unit.
What changes then has the African family been subjected to?
The most obvious changes are perhaps structural.
1. Today, the
enlarged African family is neither residential nor made of only relatives and
friends, the natural or human calamities have reinforced the role of the family
as a haven for first aid or rescue. In cases of vulnerability, families
have to take responsibility to relieve their close and extended members. As a
result of these ordeals, the family configuration has changed:
2. There is an
emergence of double families with only one head, who often occupy two different
homes. It is a new version of the traditional polygamous family. The
phenomenon is based mainly on the necessity of the participation of all the
wives or any other adult family member and even children who are of age to work
in order to improve the revenue of the family.
3. Families
without male adult parents are also on the increase. They are perceived as
families headed by women, from which the men have migrated, are dead or have
simply deserted their families[6].
4. Africa also
presents the scenario of families headed by
children as a result of premature pregnancies, the death of the generation
of parents in armed conflicts or as a result of the ravages caused by AIDS.
5. The
emergence of individualism has brought about the weakening or even the
dislocation of the African family; thus making fragile the mechanisms of
solidarity of the past; (which were the main source of family cohesion).
6.
Nonetheless, family obligations towards brothers, children, families–in-law and
other members of the extended family remain strong.
WHAT ARE THE PRESENT WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS OF THE AFRICAN FAMILY MODEL?
Today, the African family is subjected to multiple influences and pressures
provoking its breakup. These include religions, migratory movement, inter-ethnic
or inter-racial interactions and the powerful media....Such forces have
disrupted the statute of persons. Therefore “the tree should not hide the
forest.”[7]
Beyond the many advantages attached to the African traditional family, lie also
many limitations:
1.
The polygamous family
type
is the playground for: - persistent disputes within the family, recourse to
mystical practices to eliminate lucky children of a stepmother, issues linked to
the inheritance of paternal assets/estate….
2.
Exploitation of young
girls:
Some do business with young girls, as wealth becomes the basis for matrimonial
exchange in certain families.
3.
Personal relations are very weak:
- children belong to a clan from birth, and are expected to carry on the vital
force that they received from their ancestors through the intermediary of their
parents. Marriage is never made by choice but by the will of the lineage. The
family, in general, was extended or enlarged including several generations
placed under the patriarchal authority. It is worthy of note that reinforcing
family relationships specifically in the case of marriage in the traditional
African setup, where there is absence of consensus (forced marriages), has
tragic consequences on the lives of couples: - the bride often escapes with her
lover, spouses become sometimes unfaithful during
their married life which may lead to
banishment related to unfaithfulness of the woman with a close relative of her
husband, and may end up with
suicide in some cases
4.
The dowry
plays a determining role in the marriage and has been worsened with modern
mentality so much so that it led some African States to regulate the cost of
dowries. For instance: « Among the “Goin” (a tribe from the Western region of
Burkina Faso), the family that receives the future bride pays a dowry varying
between 180 000 and 200 000 FCFA which is worth 15 years of hard labour of the
fiancé on the farm of the father-in law to be. The dowry and various presents,
as they contend, prevent the breakup of engagements since one has to repay
everything should this happen »[8]
5.
Women and children as labour hands:
As agrarian communities, the need of farm hands was crucial and women and
children play such role. The size of households was explained by the need for
labour force; in such contexts, the larger the family (women and children) the
wealthier she becomes and the more her authority in the society. Polygamy might
have originated from that idea.
6.
Education:
the “educational system” consists of a set of traditional, social and cultural
values which were supposed to be transmitted by the mother. The aim of such
education is to unite the family: it therefore transmits the same values, the
same worldview in order to facilitate life in the community. As Madeleine Kaboré
maintains: « Traditional societies were careful about any developments
capable of disrupting the established order, the guarantor of social and
economic order and for that matter the well-being of populations »[9]
The transition from the African traditional family model to the modern family
model which is the present tendency in the urban areas raises numerous
challenges that seem difficult to be solved
Challenges of the African family of today:
Quartered in-between modernism and tradition, the African family has lost its
landmarks. The choice between the nuclear and modern family ways of life remains
the greatest challenge for many families today. Families, even when they become
modern or adopt a religious trend are viewed and judged by traditional values.
1. The family
undergoes pressures to try to respond to the needs and requirements of the
extended family to the detriment of her own well-being: such as having
accommodation in town, seeking to build and to ensure the future of one’s own
children and meeting the needs of relatives in town and village.
2. Another
issue is the lack of freedom of the woman, whose total dependence vis-à-vis man,
remains a hindrance to her development. Modernism is not yet able to resolve
completely this phenomenon in a practical manner. A woman, in order to save the
image of her home will deny herself of a number things linked to her freedom
rather than bring a lawsuit against her husband in order not to be ill-
perceived by the society she belongs to.
3. Another
challenge is related to
marital and domestic violence in homes: These are often caused by
misinterpretation of modern concepts of freedom, rights, and emancipation of
women (it looks like men are always on their guard to avoid eventual female
domination and women activists poised to claim equality).
Much violence is found in polygamous homes, where jealousy compels stepmothers
or concubines to adopt physical and mystical means in order to gain control of a
man’s body
4.
Finally there is much
interference of families in the marital home.
The
above confirms the saying that: «The sojourn of the trunk of the tree in
water does not turn it into a crocodile»[10]
which means that even though many try to change the texture of their families,
generally, family relationships remain structured through social relations. The
nuclear model of the Western type of family life is yet to catch up totally with
African families. Non-biological parents can still interfere in the education of
children but for how long a time? We are still on the wait-and-see. Maybe there
will emerge someday a type of family that is well balanced and suitable to our
context and offering satisfaction to all members. For, when we compare the
western nuclear family to the African traditional family we do observe that both
have weaknesses. Therefore none could be adopted as the model.
3- THE FUTURE OF THE
AFRICAN TRADITIONAL FAMILY:
Till now, society relied largely on the family. But the overall tendency is to
move from the extended family in the rural area to more or less the nuclear
family or composed family model in the urban areas. It is easily observed that
reproduction and mechanic solidarity are no longer considered as basic
principles. The value system is rapidly changing. Individuals are no longer
dependent on the large family members. There is less and less interference or
intrusion in the families, Marriage is no longer a community business but the
commitment of 2 individuals to live and share together, in their contract they
decide their own standard of privacy and ownership. Now the couple is operating
under a law that allows them to divorce and remarry when things go wrong in the
family. The media has brought all kinds of perversion which disrupt the original
understanding of the family. Most of the time, because of economic reasons, both
parents work and have therefore no time for their children exposing them to
public or private school, peer, street education. In recent years, teen-age has
become a sub-culture, with its own value systems, educating one another in peer
groups. Adults seem to be completely disconnected regarding the youth. The
traditional checks and balances such as religion are being submerged by the new
information and communication technologies; computer science provides answers to
all problems…. Some teenagers see no opportunity in the future and blame the
adult world by challenging even the foundation of the family.
From the economical standpoint, the nuclear family obeys the principle of units
of production and consumption. According to this principle, the family produces
for itself and consumes her own production; contrary to the African extended
family which observes the principle of mechanic solidarity. Emile Durkheim
observes that when the nuclear western family finds itself in a difficult
situation, it does not expect any form of assistance whatsoever from the
extended family which in any case is inexistent. In this system, the state
(through social security services) takes over the role of the extended family.
The role of the state has increased and it has replaced the family in the areas
of provision of security. In Burkina, and in fact throughout Africa, with the
modernization of families, the state is now more and more taking over functions
initially discharged by the extended family such as the education of the youth
and the care for the sick and the aged people. Social welfare provided by the
state has two contradictory effects: the relinquishing of the responsibility of
the extended family and independence from the family. But we see also that the
degradation of traditional values has compelled the state to play the role
pertaining to the family; hence the creation the Ministry of Social Welfare,
Family and National Solidarity to palliate to the insufficiency of the family
solidarity.
Security today is ascertained
through job and income and in this regard, schooling plays an important role.
The family, on its part, helps to send children to school and ensures social
insertion; the State fulfills the role of helping the sick, the unemployed, and
the aged. This tendency challenges partially the role of the family in social
reproduction, which depends more on the transmission of cultural values rather
than economic values. The family transmits ways of thinking and living to
children and thus contributes to conformism and hence to social reproduction;
something that the State cannot ensure.
CONCLUSION
Following a careful and an
objective study of the subject imparted to me, we can conclude that there is no
perfect model or family as such. All types of families have their strengths and
their weaknesses. Taking the families globally and trying to demonstrate what
makes a best home will be a presumptuous endeavor. The African family has its
values and evolves in a fast changing context where she struggles to adapt to
her new realities but with strong marks of her past. The western family has
developed to a point where she questions her present structure. It seems that
all families throughout the world are at the cross-roads. At that roundabout,
their strength and resilience will depend on a good choice of orientation.
God created the wife to be a
helper to man, to be a vis-à-vis, a communicational partner, and gave the couple
the authority to procreate and to dominate and control (Genesis 1:18, 28, 2:
22). He launched principles such as exclusiveness/uniqueness and fidelity of the
couple, love of the husband and submission of the wife, transparence in the
couple and good education of the children. From the beginning He provided all
that was needed for their happiness, welfare and security. When a family, be it
African or European, chooses to build on such basis, it becomes the model family
for, if the Lord does not build the house the builders work in vain (Psalm 127:
1).
Endnotes:
[1]
Gérard
Cornu, the family, Paris, Montchréstien, 3ème edition, 1993
[2]
Socialization and Social Relations in the African context; a Case Study
of AIDS in Ouahigouya 2001.
[3]
Claude
Levi Strauss, the elementary structures of family relationships, French
University Press, thesis presented in 1949
[4] Moaga is an ethnic group in Burkina Faso
[5]
(UN, 1991b)
[6]
(Adepoju and Mbuga, 1994)
[7] An African popular proverb meaning that should not
be blinded by appearance or first sight
[8]
Madeleine Kaboré/Konkobo: The woman in the Traditional Society; p
67.
[9]
Elungu Réné: The woman in the Traditional Society, Paris,
l’Harmattan, 1987, p 184
[10]
Ferdinand Ezembe: the African child and his universe (an African popular
proverb)
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