Culture of the Comoros - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Culture of origin Swahili of the inhabitants of the archipelago of the the Comoros, made up of the Large-Comorians, Anjouan board, Mohéli ens, Mahorais and Sabénas ¹

Introduction

The population of the the Comoros, for a great part of ethnic origin bantou, is primarily Moslem sunnite of rite chaféite. The religion structure mainly the company, but of many habits and social diagrams specific to the people of East Africa (Culture swahilie), are deeply anchored in the life of the every day:

matrilinéaires Family and also matrilocales (the house belongs to the woman)
Regroupement by initiatory rite and age group or of passages…
Each Comorian, has a very strong bond with its village of origin (ethnos group) and maintains the bonds privileged with the members of its village.
the tradition of the reception and hospitality.

The richness, ambiguity, the genius and thus the base even of the Comorian company are the research of permanent balance between various sometimes contradictory traditions. Thus is very opposed: matriarchy/Islam, Comorian tradition bantou/modernity with the Frenchwoman, etc without never being excluded.

Cultural/religious festivals

the maoulides, festivals to mark the birth of Mahomet
the society wedding, the Anda in Shikomori
the Twarab
“ides” (Aïd el fitr and Aïd to el-Kebir)
Burials
the Majilis, meeting of men
Circumcisions: they take place towards 3-4 years, ceremony extremely difficult to support for not informed.

The social structure

As many companies bantoues the individual is nothing vis-a-vis the group. The membership of the group is the base of the company and very put at the variation is most severe of the punishments. In the Comoros, the membership is defined initially by the village of origin then by the membership in companies of the initiatory type. These bonds form a squaring which defines an individual.

In addition, so already in the Comoros the Comorians have a strong tendency gather by community of origin and even of village, this behavior is even more outstanding abroad or the communities of different islands do not have practically any contact between it.

Social classes

The company resulting from the arabo-bantou mixture of the 12th century at the 15th century forms the bases of the Comorian culture. This company which is based on slavery and the clientelism has several distinct classes. Most important numerically is that of free people ( wangwana ), it even very hierarchical according to the social importance of the family in the village of birth. People of the palate ( wakabaila ) are the descendants arabo-perso-African, they are the noble ones. Servants of these noble, resulting customer families. Socio-professional companies gathered in the cities or the villages of fishermen, considered to be lower by free people. The tradesmen, large travellers, profited from a particular status.

Company of the initiatory type

As typically in the companies bantoues, there exists an organization of the population in age groups (Hirimu into Large Gomores, Shikao with Mohéli) and in various merits or ritual accomplished. The result of this organization is the society wedding. This organization allows a certain social mixing which is used at the same time of social elevator, loophole, an Co-initiate, even noble to be brocardé little there for example. The significance of ritual and the social importance that generates differ according to the islands. The great moments of these ritual are the ox sacrifices and divisions which reveal the structure of the social hierarchy.

In Large Comore, the situation is treated on a hierarchical basis than in the other islands. The capacity obtained by obtaining this statute generates very particular situations and behaviors. It is estimated that this habit into Large Comore is a brake with the development.

The accomplished Wandru Wadzima , men:

Mfomandji (Mfaumé king), literally kings of the village
Wabaladjumbé, literally those of the center
Wanazikofia, those which carry the Kofia

The Wanamdji into Large Comore and wanahirimu in the other islands, which did not make the society wedding

Maguzi, adult
Wafomandji, chief of the children
Wzuguma
Washondjé, those which make the drudgeries

The family

The traditional family is matriarcale, which does not go without contradiction with the Moslem tradition. The rules are codified and very logics if this system is accepted. This has as a consequence:

a husband lives at his wife, who is owner of the house. At his place, it is in his/her sister or her mother.
Seules the women can inherit but they never have the usufruct of their good. It is their maternal uncle or the brother failing this who is manager.
a man has the duty to deal materially with his/her sisters and nieces (girls of its sisters only) then possibly then of his/her daughters.
Two cousins resulting from brother are regarded as moved away, whereas cousins with the 4th generation, resulting from woman (only) are regarded as very close.
Of many problems of Consanguin ité appears to
a man, if that is necessary must be ruined for his/her nieces, without what dishonor watches for it.

The system of the honor is also particular. The greatest punishment which one can inflict with a man, it is the Ostracisme. To live alone is the greatest curse which one can wish with a man, also to this idea, all return in the row.

The Adoption is also a current practice, the child then says mom to several women, and it knows perfectly which is its génitrice. A woman adopts, but the other does not give up, the mother entrusts the child because the adoptive mother wants to have one with it of them, because it cannot ensure the guard of it any more, etc If the need is felt some, the child little extremely well to turn over to live with its biological Mère, or another…

The divorces are current, it is not rare for a woman to marry several times.

There exist several kinds of marriage and they do not have all the same statutory value in each island. The festive marriage and of notoriety is called society wedding. It is the goal of any man and sizeable woman.

The forced marriages between young girls and old Sirs (it is necessary to be rich thus often old to offer a society wedding) are less and less accepted and remain a concern of the young girls even if they become rare. This topic is very present in the contests of news for high-school pupils organized in the COI in which the Comoros take part.

The religion and beliefs

Magic practices

Resulting from the African beliefs, the know-how of the Comorians in the Occultisme is very famous in the Indian Ocean. Ali Soilih, directing Comorian State between 1975 and 1978 firmly continued and persecuted the authors of these practices (Uléma S which are in the Comoros the guards of all the traditions).

Practices of Islam

The archipelago was Islamized of XIIe in XVe century. Practiced Islam is a tolerant Islam of rite chaféite. Especially in the Union of the Comoros, the children have for first place of formation the Koranic school or they learn how to read and write in Arab character and to recite the verses. It is not rare to meet people there claiming Sufism. In Large Comore, the ulémas attempt to keep alive the habits resulting from Africa as well as the Islamic practices. These two heritages are sometimes in contradiction what colors in a very original way Islam of the Comoros. One can quote for example in this island:

the situation of the women (which can seem more favorable)
ceremonies in memories of dead (which make think of the rites voodoos) the
the tolerance to write sourates Coran on clothing
the presence of rite " magique"

etc

Stakes and transformations

In the Union of the Comoros, balance is unstable. Indeed, from many students grants obtain to go to study the religion in the Arab countries and return to teach principles which can be in contradiction with the tradition. Several countries of the Gulf, by the intermédaire of financing of Mosque and training center, try to introduce a more rigorous Islam of type wahabite. Some see in these changes the will of the local authorities and nuns to free itself from the influence of France. A contrario , with Mayotte, the company undergoes a certain secularization because of abandonment of the local Islamic law for the French law. In addition, as in the worldwide of the area, develops in the islands, a more radical Islamism, which leads some to violent ways. Even if this Islam leaves incrédule the majority of the inhabitants of the islands, its audience increases in particular by imitation.

Clothing

Very attached to their line, each one respects the characteristic costumes and especially the characteristic colors that their village has. The differences of costumes are especially notable for those of the women. The color of a scarf of woman ( chiromanie in Shikomori) indicates, still in 2005, the island of origin of this woman. The details of clothing indicate the level in the usual hierarchy (unmarried, society wedding, hadge…) One of the parts most original of the costumes of the men is the “Kofia with hole”, on which words of the coran are often bent.

Languages

There exist three official languages in the Union of the Comoros: the Comorian Shikomori or , the Arab and the French. Mayotte being a territory under French administration, the official language is French. Many Comorians also speak the Malgache or Shibushi for various reasons:

a very many community Comorian lives in Madagascar, which facilitates the exchanges between Madagascar and the islands of the archipelago.
a third of Mahorais is directly of origin Malagasy

Kitchen

Like the creole Kitchen, it is influenced by the kitchens Arab Indian, , Malagasy and African.

The most consumed basic food is rice, the manioc and the bananas plantains (ndrovi). The Coconut is the base many sauces.

One can announce the tasty following specialities:

Chicken or fish (nkouhou haou fi) and bananas plantains sauce coconut, presented of course with rice.
the madaba: sheets of Manioc or taro crushed in a mortar and cooked very lengthily in coconut milk, including or not a fish thin slice, the whole presented with rice.
Nsambou or (Fr: sagou): single speciality. They are dried nuts then buried five days to ensure fermentation of it. They are cooked finally in coconut milk. The curious ones will adore. The others, frightened by a light unknown odor, will flee.
Mkatchasinia: cake of flour of rice and coconut milk (a little heavy).
Mkatcha Goudougoudou (or djoungou: cake with the taste of Cardamome, maroon aspect.
pitch Them: as in all the Indian Ocean one eats, but primarily the men, pitch them, insectivorous of the family of the tanguicities, which resemble the hedgehogs.
Donace (kind of fritters sweetened and fried), coming from Zanzibar and which would be the heritage of the English influence " donuts".
Maélé Na dzyoi: rice accompanied by curdled milk and sometimes sweetened with honey.
Maélé Na rougaï: rice accompanied by a sauce containing tomatos and onions.
Fouryapa Pvahwa: special dish for the town of mitsoudjè; fruit with bread prepared containing fish and full of spices yellowish which gives him the yellow aspect; I acknowledge that it is good to eat but that it resides the secrecy of the mitsoudjéens.

One enjoys there also dishes and specialities directly of Indian origin:

Samoussa ( samboussa in Shikomori)
Pilao

Note

Sabenas are Comorians driven out in mass of Madagascar beginning 1977, this name comes to them from the Belgian company which helped them. Indeed, a " pogrom" disputed started in Majunga with Diego-Suarez, in this city only, towards the end of the month of December 1976, perpetrated by the Betsimisaraka and of the Antandroy, two Malagasy tribes, against any population of Comorian origin, by identification of their name with Moslem resonance or their frontal blackened by the genuflection at the time of the prayers. It would have started from banal of manners and vicinity. The first evacuations took place at the beginning of January 1977 by boats " Town of Tuliéar" and " Town of Manakara" , finally by the air line Belgian Sabena. These Comorians, very often métissé, installed on the north-western coast of Madagascar since generations, form the fifth cultural group constituting the Comorian population.

See too

Internal bonds

History of the Comoros

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