Child’s Death, Family Disorder and Uncle’s Misfortunes.
The social changes occurring in Black Africa affect its structures, including the most symbolic ones, sometimes in unexpected manners. This article deals with the changes in relationship between young citizens and social elders within Congolese families. It shows how, upon a child’s death, the younger ones trample the traditional organization of kinship and exercise physical violence on the seniors – in this instance, the uncle, head of the family–accused of having caused the death. The analysis of this phenomenon reveals that the child’s death is an occasion for the younger people to settle the conflicts opposing them to their elders. It also highlights the paradoxal relationship between young and old. Moreover, it illustrates the links between these facts, the social characteristics of the protagonists and the economic, political and social realities of present-day Congo.