TV satire series is safety valve in troubled Burkina

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (AFP):

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, battered by an insurgency and political instability.

However, instead of plunging into despair, locals are turning to the safety valve of laughter — making light of some of the country’s many problems.

One of the Sahel nation’s best-loved comedy series is set to return to the TV screens with the aim of providing precisely that kind of therapy.

“Bienvenue a Kikideni” (“Welcome to Kikideni”) follows the rivalries between a village leader, an imam and a priest, using their squabbles to provide a gently satirical take on insecurity, religious fundamentalism, pandemics, tolerance, feminism and other sensitive issues.

“It lays bare the facts of society,” said actor and director Aminata Diallo-Glez.

But “these themes are always addressed in a comic tone, with a lot of humour in there.”

“Kikideni” began life in 2005 under the title of “Three Men, One Village,” and came back for a second series five years later.

The three characters at the heart of the plot bicker over their differences but always find a way of co-existing, said Ildevert Meda, who plays the role of Kikideni’s priest.

“It’s daily life with big human rivalries,” said Meda. “But at the same time we show that being different is not a hindrance but an advantage.

“We show that contradiction is possible and that you can live in peace and social cohesion,” he added. “People identify with it because it’s so human.”