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Confiscation is one of the most complex and discussed practices of African family life. Neither uniformly harmful, nor uniformly beneficial, it reflects a conception of the child and the family radically different from the Western nuclear model. This dilemma obliges us to look at this practice without condescending or idealizing.
Confiage as a social institution
In many West African societies, the child does not belong only to his biological parents — It belongs to the extended family network. Confiage is a form of redistribution of the most precious resource: life itself. It creates intergenerational ties, consolidates family alliances, and offers a recognized form of parenting to couples without children.
The Child's Voice: A Recent Revolution
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) recognizes the right of the child to express his or her views on any decision affecting him or her. Nine years is the age when a child understands, feels, and can formulate an authentic refusal. To ignore this refusal in the name of tradition is to deny a real subjectivity.
Between failure and adaptation
The real question is not « Are you saying yes or no? » — This is: « How can we honor tradition without denying the individual? » Appropriate forms exist: extended visits, reception during holidays, emotional bonds built up gradually. Tradition can evolve without disappearing.
This dilemma reminds us that cultural transmission is neither a prison nor an option. — This is an intergenerational conversation, in which the rising generation has the right to have a voice.
