Verwandtschaftsbeziehungen in der Tradition der Bayansi der Demokratischen Republik Kongo und Elternrecht

Ein problematisches Spannungsverhältnis?

Abstract

This article analyses kinship relations and parental rights in the Bayansi tradition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, paying particular attention to church and state legal systems. The matrilineal organisation of the Bayansi places women at the centre of social and family structures, with maternal uncles and grandfathers playing a central, sometimes dominant role in the family. This tradition can cause tensions between parental rights and the influence of other relatives. Catholic canon law and the Congolese Code de la Famille recognise parental rights as based on natural law and emphasise the primary responsibility of parents for their children. The Bayansi tradition poses challenges here, as it establishes alternative power structures within the family that can cause tensions.