TV satire series is safety valve in troubled Burkina

OUAGADOUGOU - Your country is one of the poorest in the world, battered by a bloody jihadist insurgency and last year underwent two military coups.

So, if you are a citizen of Burkina Faso, what can you do?

Well, instead of plunging into despair, you can turn to the safety valve of laughter -- making light of some of the country's many problems.

Just in time, 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.

It returns for a third series of 20 26-minute episodes -- and true to type, making the show has been affected by the security crisis.

Diallo-Glez admitted she was "very moved to be completing the project." 

"Before, we used to shoot in Ziniare 35 kilometres north of the capital Ouagadougou, and sleep there. But we can't do that anymore," she said.

"We then looked for a village, Wanvouss, fairly close to Ouagadougou, which met the requirements for a set in a somewhat rural environment."

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."

Filming for the third series is set to finish at the end of July. The show will be broadcast on Canal+ and Burkina Faso public television in early 2024, according to the production company.