Collective Survival

In Burkina I live with the Fulani, a previously nomadic (and currently semi-nomadic) ethnic group that is scattered across West and Central Africa. In my village there are "vrai Peulh" (real Fulani) and the "machube"-the descendants of those captured and enslaved by the Fulani. The machube originate from a variety of ethnic groups but have abandoned their languages and cultures and have assimilated into Fulani communities. They generally eat the same foods as Fulani.

CUISINE
Fulani mainly obtain food by cultivating (corn, millet, sorghum, beans) raising animals (cows, goats, sheep, chickens and guinea fowl-an awkward looking bird that makes an obnoxious noise like a squeaking wheel). They also gather wild fruits (grapes, tamarinds, and others) and leaves for sauce. From time to time they hunt small birds to supplement their diets-I've even seen kids hunt mice.

The main staple of most groups in Burkina is to, a stiff porridge made of millet or corn flour. Everyone sitting around the bowl and tears of hunks of to and dips it in a sauce most frequently made of okra or baobab leaves (the okra sauce is really slimy, but is unfortunately for me very popular). Beans and rice are eaten as well, but many Fulani prefer to sell the beans they harvest. In my village Fulani eat to because it is prevalent in the region, but I assume that Fulani in other countries have different diets based on foods readily available there.

Unlike in the US, everything truly has a season-good luck getting mangoes, watermelons, etc outside their season; outside Ouaga even milk and eggs are only available during the rainy season

The Fulani are herders, but rarely eat meat other than on holidays. Fulani take great pride in their animals- especially their cows, which they hate to sell. often families have hundreds of goats and sheep, which act like insurance; they are only sold when necessary, such as when the family has run out of millet, or someone is really sick (selling a goat to buy school supplies is often not seen as an expense worthy of selling a goat). I sense that culturally there is pride in being able to keep many beings alive, despite the harsh landscape, thus big herds and families are prestigious.

FOOD RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES
Daily responsibilities for the majority of people revolve around food production and preparation. These responsibilities are very segregated by gender.

Socially, men have the responsibility to provide food for the family and meet there other basic needs. women have their own fields, (but still work in their husbands fields) and in theory can sell their crops and spend their money as desired.

MEN- during the rainy season (June-Sept) men work in the fields to break up the earth, plant seeds, remove weeds, and eventually harvest in October. When necessary men are responsible for building graneries to store millet throughout the year.

WOMEN- women also work in the fields, but have the added daily responsibilities of preparing food. They collect wood, pump water, cop and dry veggies and leaves, pound and sift millet, as well as cook food and wash dishes.

watching African women pound millet is really impressive. frequently they will pound the millet rhythmically, with 2 or 3 women pounding in a sngle mortar. sometimes they sing, cluck, or throw the pestle above their heads and clap before catching it-all without missing a beat! Women are almost always working, so social time and work are often combined.

Herding is a major responsibility of youth and men. kids as young as 6 will take goats out to the buh to eat grass and spend the entire day out in the sun. By age 8 many move on to herding cattle. (Unfortunately, cultural importance placed on herding conflicts with education and the current public school system)

I've only lived in BF during cultivating months, so I' not quite sure what men do the rest of the year. Women, on the the other hand, have daily household responsibilities that vary less seasonly.

CULTURE OF FOOD
In Burkina, there is a collective responsibility for everyone's survival. If you have extra, you give food to your neighbors; if you don't have enough, you ask. It is incredibly impolite to eat without offering to share with those around you (even strangers on the bus!) Most people in Burkina don't have enough to eat, so it is expected that food will be shared so everyone can (hopefully) survive.

For most families in my village, there is only enough food to eat twice a day, so lunch is frequently skipped. Men drink lots of tea throughout the day, they say to keep away hunger.
When preparing meals, women prepare a lot, but not for a certain number of people, because you never know who will stop by for dinner.

Meals are eaten with the right hand-the left is used to clean yourself after going to the bathroom) from a communal bowl shared with your peer group (men, women, kids). Once you have eaten enough, you turn away from the bowl to indicate you are finished eating.Whatever food remains is eaten the next day, including remains that can be scraped from the bottom of the pot and dried. One of my favorite Fulani foods is bits of dried to mixed with day old milk and sugar. sounds odd, but is tasty!