The Malian Psyche/Verbal Abuse

I wish that I knew more about the history of Malian people. What was society like before Islamic influence? Were women treated any differently? Better or worse? I can't stand the way that Moussa treats Adama. If she were my wife, she'd be treated like a queen! She does so much for him. One night, I got so fed up as he thanked everyone, including me for the meal we had eaten, and I had done nothing that day! I said, "Moussa, you didn't thank your wife," and he then turned to Adama, with a forced smile, and thanked her and she returned the forced smile. I really wonder what their marriage is like behind closed doors. On another note, there's always a lot of yelling and barking of demands in the family dynamic here among the women and children. And, I wonder if all this pent up steam is from stress caused by the men. I especially feel bad for the young girls here who are constantly being ordered around all day by the older girls and mothers. There's no real courtesy around here, no "please" or "thank you" and I refuse to take demands from anyone without a "please" or "thank you," unless they're my respected elders. The wives treat the younger women and girls in the same way that the men treat their wives. It's like a vicious cycle and I wonder what the average mental health state is on a whole? How does this mistreatment at home effect the youth's school performance? Are they treated any differently in the schools than at home? Shoot, just a moment ago, my younger sister told me to come "toh fasa" (beat the toh mixture). I don't even eat toh, but I wouldn't mind helping if she were more courteous and if she would ask her male friend, who's just sitting looking at me, to help her too. Another thing that gets on my nerves is people constantly saying your name until they get your attention. Maybe, they're not answering you for a reason, but their name will keep being called until they answer. Again, maybe this is attributed to the no sense of real privacy here. No wonder the females are always smacking their lips, someone is always getting on their nerves.