Joking relationships (sinankunya) in Mali: understanding this social rule

If, in Bamako, you hear two people trading "insults" while laughing, it may be joking kinship, which Mali calls sinankunya. It is one of the country's most characteristic social practices, and one of the most misunderstood from outside.

Key points

• Joking relationships (or joking cousinage) allow, even oblige, certain groups to mock each other, without consequence.
• In Mali it is called sinankunya (or sanakouya).
• Oral tradition attributes its origin to Sundiata Keïta, founder of the Mali Empire.
• It is the subject of a 2026 UNESCO nomination, with Niger and Burkina Faso.

What it is

Sinankunya links two groups with a privileged relationship, two ethnic groups or two clans of the same group. They trade remarks that reveal each other's "supposed truths". The participants are obliged to accept these often fierce criticisms, and must not get angry, in words or actions.

According to Wikipedia, a member of one family can thus meet a member of the partner family and call them a thief or a peanut eater, without anyone being shocked, sometimes when the two don't even know each other. It is not allowed to take offence. This ritual impoliteness produces scenes where everyone competes to find original and comic insults.

Who is involved in Mali

The best-known Malian example links the Dogon and the Bozo. The relationship can also exist between family clans, for example the Diarra and the Traoré. Clan names can vary from one ethnic group to another: a Fulani family named Bâ settling among the Mandinka will take the name Diakité, the Mandinka form of Bâ, and vice versa.

Where the rule comes from

Oral tradition says the custom was set up by Sundiata Keïta at the founding of the Mali Empire; it is nonetheless very likely older and simply confirmed on that occasion. For context, see the Mali Empire, from Sundiata to Mansa Musa.

Anthropologists see it as a way of defusing tensions between neighbouring ethnic groups or clans: Marcel Griaule spoke of a cathartic alliance. For the Nigerien philosopher Boubé Salifou, joking cousinage is not limited to preventing or managing conflict: he sees it as a model for building a multicultural nation.

A UNESCO nomination in 2026

Mali's intangible cultural heritage already has nine elements inscribed with UNESCO, including the Manden Charter. Among the nominations in progress in 2026 are "practices and expressions of joking relationships and alliances in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso" and bogolan. See Mali's UNESCO heritage and our page on bogolan.

Going further

• The languages spoken in Bamako: languages of Mali.
• Oral tradition and music: griots, kora and balafon.
• The capital's history: history of Bamako.

Frequently asked questions

What is sinankunya?

The Malian name for joking relationships, which allow two clans or ethnic groups to mock each other without taking offence.

Who are the best-known joking partners in Mali?

The Dogon and the Bozo, according to Wikipedia; the relationship also exists between clans, such as the Diarra and the Traoré.

Can you get angry if you are the target?

No: the participants must accept the criticism and not get angry, in words or actions.

Sources

• Wikipedia (French), Parenté à plaisanterie and Culture du Mali.
• UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage, Mali page (nominations in progress in 2026), consulted on 19 October 2026.