The Burkinabé have a dysfunctional democracy, not that pure and functional democracies solve everything. However, the Burkinabé look around them at the rest of Africa – there is war, there is violence, there are ethnic disputes. They are glad that these problems have not affected their country for quite some time and many are grateful to their president for providing this stable atmosphere to their country, even if the country remains quite poor and dependant. Peace is a given for the society. The lack of peace is something that most people detest, and the country’s lack of peaceful times is already a distant memory.
There are even built-in cultural strategies for dealing with differences of opinion, which all help to keep the peace. Examples of this include ethnic teasing (plaisantérie) groups where 2 of the 80+ ethnic groups in the country are paired up and culturally have the right to tease the other group all in good fun. Your average Burkinabé will rarely disagree with you, and if he or she does so, it is to “complete” what you are saying or to “add” another idea. For this, it is hard sometimes to get to the bottom of the truth sometimes. For instance, asking someone if they would like to go to church with you will always elicit a positive response so as not to offend anyone.
When I consider places like Ethiopia or the Congo where the largest groups of Mennonites are today; or South Korea where Anabaptist views are being wholeheartedly embraced despite a militarized culture; or even Columbia where peace and justice issues dominate church life, I find myself wondering how the Mennonite peace perspective can take hold in a country that is relatively peaceful. Sure there are injustices. The church can speak against corruption, but does encourage change in the here and now? The Protestant/Evangelical church preaches first and foremost a message of hope for those who suffer here – that they will one day escape this life and experience eternal life if they accept Christ as their personal saviour. This appears to be a stronger call to Christ in the Burkinabé context than the Kingdom theology Mennonites believe so strongly in.
Our next and last topic: The Role of the Christian in the State
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