Everyone knows. No one cares (???)

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They are thousands. Most of them come from the countryside and more and more from neighbouring countries. They are visible everywhere. If you are a foreigner in Senegal they’ll probably be one the first things you will notice. For us, Senegalese, beggars are one of those things we are so familiar with that we may only notice once they are gone. It’s a shame to say it, but this is the sad reality.

Over the years, beggars have become part of the décor of Dakar, the Senegalese capital. The day beggars disappeared from our streets, I bet it would be hard to recognise some areas of the city. I’m sure some would miss their turn just because the group of little beggars that usually signpost their route have not shown up. Others won’t recognise the tree that tells them to take left, because the mum with the twins sitting under it for the last 5 years would no longer be there. A round about like “Castors” will be just unrecognisable if the dozen or more families, and as many little beggars, disappeared. Dakar without its beggars would be chaos!

A good practice that went wrong 

Originally parents would send their kids to far corners for a few years in a Daara  - a religious school - to learn the Qu’ran. Kids would spend most of their time learning scripture and at lunchtime would go to a few houses in the neighbourhood asking for food. This exercise was part of their education to teach them about humility. Over the years, more and more kids were sent to Daara, and less and less money went to the Marabouts to take care of them. Many poor families across the country would send their kids to Daara under the pretext of learning Qu’ran while the true reason would be to have fewer mouths to feed. At the same time, some people calling themselves Marabouts set up Daara to exploit kids and make them beg for their profit all day long.

… fuelled and perpetuated by religious and cultural beliefs

This dimension of begging could not been better illustrated than in the fiction book La grève des Battùs (Beggars’ strike). In this book, the author Aminata Sow Fall, describes perfectly the only valid explanation underlying and perpetuating the begging phenomenon and its scope in Senegalese Society. I don’t want to spoil the story of the book but basically it says if beggars disappeared from our streets, we would be the first to go and look for them.

It seems weird but for those who know Senegal would know how deeply Senegalese (a good majority of them) are into mysticism, despite being at 95% Muslims. In fact I could only imagine how desperate and devastated some would be to not find beggars to give some food or some money to expiate their sins, cast away the evil eye, have good karma, secure rewards in the after-life, get that girl, and the other hundreds of reasons to give charity. For those who rely on offerings to sort out their entire life, this situation will be a tragedy.

A sensitive issue. At all levels. 

An amazing number of projects and programmes have been developed to combat this phenomenon, and some of them implemented. Yet begging is far to be eradicated. In fact it’s even increasing and expanding as it now includes new profiles. Former President Wade, a few months before the 2012 presidential elections, took an official directive to clear the streets of beggars. The intervention of religious leaders - who are quite powerful in our society - divided the population, meaning those who supported this measure did not feel able to shout loud enough.  As a result the President had to retreat a week later.

No one complained. People even seemed relieved … This reaction is the Senegalese paradox. Each and every Senegalese will tell you that they feel angry and sad seeing little kids or entire families begging in the streets. However, for a hundred thousand reasons and beliefs, they won’t stop giving charity and thus won’t stop perpetuating this phenomenon.

As beautifully demonstrated in the La Grève des Battus, do we need the beggars as much as they need us? If so, how do we change?

Faty.