'Senankuya' kɔrɔ ko di?

Intro

In the following video, I ask people about senankuya, which we can literally translate roughly as something like "joking-cousin-hood'. It refers to the system of relationships between people that are senanku ("joking cousin") with one another.

It is widespread across much of sahelian West Africa and can exist between specific ethnic groups, last names (i.e., "clans") and/or occupational social categories (e.g., so-called "casted" people; that is, griots, blacksmiths, leather workers, potters, etc., that are all part of the namakala category).

In French, one's senanku is often called a "cousin/parent à plaisanterie".

The video is roughly two question segments from Episode 10 of Na baro kè.

Watch

Watch the video without the subtitles. If they are on, click on the little "CC" symbol and turn them off.

Watch and Read

Now turn on the subtitles in Bambara/Jula (click on the little "CC" button) and read along.

If you are lost, you can also switch it into English and then re-watch in Bambara/Jula.

And remember, you can also slow down the video to make it easier to follow along. I recommend 75%. Click on the little gear symbol.

List of Selected Grammar Points

Coming later

Grammar Points Explained

Coming later