WARBA Dance Steps of Ganzourgou: Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Burkina Faso

Abstract

In the Ganzourgou province, an ancestral ludomotor activity is practiced: the warba, a traditional dance on which the Moaga society has engraved its mechanisms of prevention and resolution of conflicts that often oppose its members. It is a dance that conveys through body gestures, deep messages whose objectives are, among others, the quest for social cohesion. To grasp the different articulations of this traditional dance of prevention and conflict regulation, a stay was made in Ganzourgou where a participatory observation was carried out on the intangible cultural heritage of this people. From the analysis of the results, it appears that the warba dance steps such as the Laadem-lacre or the Kar-valga implemented under the instrumental air during sacred or profane dance ceremonies, convey messages that consolidate social relations. However, the results also show that this reference social practice is under the influence of modern and African-inspired dances, thus leading to its gradual disappearance. To face this influence, research suggests the revitalization of this local knowledge of the Moose people of Ganzourgou, bearer of endogenous values of conflict regulation, and its inclusion in school curricula and in the practice of maintenance sport.