The domestication of the mobile phone : oral society and new ICT in Burkina Faso HANS PETER HAHN Institut fu ¨r Historische Ethnologie, University of Frankfurt, Germany Email : hans.hahn@em.uni-frankfurt.de AND LUDOVIC KIBORA Institut National des Sciences des Socie ´te ´s (INSS-CNRST ), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso The things that determine and surround our lives, such as tools, means of trans- port, the products of science, technology and art, are extremely refined. Yet individual culture, at least in the higher strata, has not progressed at all to the same extent. (Georg Simmel 1907 [1990 : 448]) ABSTRACT This article addresses the topic of the recent boom in mobile phones in Burkina Faso. Mobile phones are placed in the theoretical framework of domestication and, more particularly, of cultural appropriation. They are therefore regarded not only as devices to communicate, but also as material objects which cause economic problems and may affect social relations through the uneven disposi- tion over such objects. As in many other African countries, the growth of mobile phone usage in Burkina Faso is higher than in Western countries, reflecting the particular appreciation of these devices. This development contrasts sharply with the difficult economic situation of many of the users. This context may ex- plain some particular patterns of usage, and is discussed against the background of the communication principles ruling in societies still adequately described as ‘oral societies’. Domestication leads to a partial usage of the devices’ technical possibilities. Nevertheless, it transforms mobile phones into socially meaningful means of communication. J. of Modern African Studies, 46, 1 (2008), pp. 87–109. f 2008 Cambridge University Press doi:10.1017/S0022278X07003084 Printed in the United Kingdom