Culture: Blessings

When you see the word “culture”, the first things that probably comes to your mind are food, clothing, language,  family structure, etc. However, the longer we live here the more we realize just how important some of the smaller nuances are to integrating as a respected member of  the Malian community. And one of those nuances (which is a greatly overdue blog post) is the culture of Blessings.

What do I mean by Blessings? Well, in Mali, every time you speak to someone almost about anything you end the conversation with a blessing which correlates to the content of your conversation. The blessing goes like this: “May God ________________?” And the blank could literally be anything: bless your family, give you health, make your harvest plentiful, find a solution, help us to get along better. Then the receiver responds with “Amina” or Amen, let it be so. Since the Bambara word for “God” is “Ala",  blessings are said by everyone, no matter the religion. Muslims say them referring to Allah, Christians say them referring to the Christian God, and animists say them….though Im not sure who they are referring to. Still, the idea is that after listening to someone’s problems, you always have something to offer them in return: a blessing.

There are classic blessings for every occasion:

Baptism: May God bless this child. May God give him a long life. May she have a peaceful life. May God keep him/her healthy. May God make sure he’s not a bean-eater.

Funeral: May he be with God soon. May her resting place be cool.

Wedding: May they spend a long time together. May they live together well. May they become as one. May God give them tons and tons of children.

Sickness: May God lesson your pain. May God heal your sickness completely.

Daily: May God give you a peaceful day. May God watch over us through the night. May God bring us the morning.

We’ve really grown to love this idea. Because in the states, how often are you listening to a friend or family member vent about a situation which is simply difficult and unfair, but totally out of your control to help? You may strongly empathize with the person, but its so hard to find words. For example, an acquaintance might say to you “Man, I’ve been sick for a week, my job has gotten stressful, and to top it all off, my car broke down!” “Wow, that's terrible,” you reply “Hope you get better, and it all works out ,” and if you’re religious, “I’ll pray for you.” But the wonderful thing about blessings is that they are prayer on the spot. “May God reduce your workload, restore your health, and get your car in running condition quickly!” “Amen,” they’d reply knowing that you cared and they had been heard. This doesn’t get you out of helping when you can, but no matter what your resources are, you always can give people blessings.

But if you read through the Bible, old and new testament, you’ll find that this practice is not exclusively a Malian tradition. Jews and early Christians practiced the bestowal of verbal blessings. “May God bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you. May he grant you peace.” Yet, likely due to the secularization of American culture, its no longer in popular use, even among theists. I understand that atheists, agnostics, or simply those of a different religion, would probably not understand or feel comfortable participating.  Still I know that when I return to America, blessings will be one of the first things that I miss in everyday conversation.  Because even if the person on the receiving end of the blessing doesn’t share my beliefs, the bestowal of a blessing now seems so much more meaningful to me than my former “Hope you feel better.” Perhaps we will be able to continue the practice in the states, maybe at least among family or between the two of us. However, we will never forget the wonderful feeling that arises in us when a stooped elderly Malian women stops us in  our village with the most genuine of smiles and decides to pour blessings on us—sometimes for a full two minutes. Its those moments that make you question “how could I ever be frustrated or have an angry thought about this country when there such amazingly sweet people here?”

So in closing, I’ll leave you all with a few blessings. May God give you a peaceful summer. May He give you time to enjoy his beautiful creation. May He bring you good weather, working air-conditioners, and relaxation. May God give you time to enjoy a barbecue, or many barbecues, and to savor an ice cream cone on a hot day. May He bless your workplace, your health, and your family. and since its 4th of July soon, God Bless America!

Amina.

 

~Joye (and James)