In the Mossi culture, one of the rites attending the birth of a child and its induction as a new member of the community involves the burial of the placenta. The space in which the placenta is buried is called 'Zan Boko' - a phrase which connotes the religious, cultural and affective relations that...
In pre-colonial times a peddler crossing the savanna discovers a child lying unconscious in the bush. When the boy comes to, he is mute and cannot explain who he is. The peddler leaves him with a family in the nearest village. After a search for his parents, the family adopts him, giving him the...
Nikiema is a farmer from Burkina who sees fate come down upon him. His fouryearold son dies from a simple case of measles. He sells off his cotton crop at a good price, but he still faces a lot of debts. His fifteenyear old son, who had been helping him with the farm work, flunks out of school and...
