The Joking Cousin's Diplomatic and Demagogic Discourse in Mali

When a Bozo and a Dogon talk freely, one will say that they do so because they are "cousins", or "mangu" in Dogon language.   In other contexts this relationship is referred to as either a form of kinship, notably cousinship (dendiraagu in Fulfulbe, baseterey in Songoi, tububusha in Tamasheq) or as a pact (yaraga in Minyanka, bariro or ciabari in Bwa, turosene in Dafing, zinkunte in Senoufo and sinankuya in Bamana).   The sinankuya evokes an alliance between individuals under the protection of the "Jo" (a spiritual power which may be positive when the oath is respected and negative when it is not).   The Dogon mangu which exists between blood relations and allies is sacred or profane depending on the circumstances, the places or the actors involved in the process of production and consumption of the jokes.   In Mali, generally in urban areas and even more so in the capital, these jokes are used by the politicians to get the favour of the masses.   We can then ask this question: are the jokes diplomatic or demagogic?