Joking relations are a social practice performed in Niger between ethnolinguistic groups and individuals in order to promote brotherhood, solidarity and coexistence. The practice takes the form of a playful mockery between two people who belong to two different communities, symbolically representing husband and wife.
These relationships are often based on ancestral pacts that forbid conflict or war between communities, and they imply the importance of members loving one another and offering help when needed. Joking relations are practiced daily in public places, fields, offices, and markets, as well as on special occasions such as weddings, celebrations, funerals, and also on commercial and cultural ones.
Informally handed down from generation to generation, humor and banter are a tool for reconciliation and encouragement of dialogue between generations, as well as for building peace and promoting cohesion and stability among families, ethnic groups, and societies.

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Practices and expressions of joking relationships in Niger was inscribed in 2014 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Niger.