In April, Niger authorities even plan to organise a "National Week of Ethnic Jokes" with radio programmes, conferences, joke competitions and cultural evenings.
Meanwhile, the article from which this detail was drawn strikes me as exceedingly stupid. The gist of it seems to be that in Niger people make a lot of ethnic jokes, but it's all in good fun and people don't mind. Except sometimes when they do.
I don't really know anything about the "centuries-old custom" of ethnic jokes in Niger, but it seem to me that the author is taking some liberties when s/he jumps to the pat conclusion that this tradition, "far from exacerbating ethnic tensions, actually has a calming effect on them." I think many Westerners, coming from a cultural context in which people are generally sensitive to such things, are struck by the relative bluntness with which people here comment on ethnicity, color, weight, wealth, religion, etc. But this is a fairly banal observation and I wouldn't draw too many specific conclusions from it.
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3 comments:
Cultural implications aside, are they funny?
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now. Keep it up!
And according to this article, I totally agree with your opinion, but only this time! :)
Not bad article, but I really miss that you didn't express your opinion, but ok you just have different approach
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