Breaking a stereotype: Kara is one of thousands of talibés whose patrons – marabouts, or Islamic religious leaders – send them out to beg. Despite her reservations about the stereotypes of street beggars, one foreigner was fortunate and surprised to glimpse Kara’s strong character. (Hilary Heuler)
A Senegalese beggar unmasked
From the legion of Dakar’s street children emerged the unexpected face of Kara – generous, loyal, and a gentleman.
By Hilary Heuler | Contributor / September 15, 2008 edition
Dakar, Senegal
Dakar, Senegal
Kara had a broad, somewhat goofy smile, a spindly frame, and a chronic cough. He’s 16, but looked about 12. One of Dakar’s legion of child beggars, he followed me home one autumn night – just kept walking along with me even though I’d assured him that I wasn’t giving him any money and that I lived a good 10 minutes up the road.
Kara didn’t seem to care. He had nowhere else to be, and he appreciated the chance to speak a couple words of French. He walked me all the way to my door, shook my hand, and walked off, never asking for money again during the course of our unlikely friendship. We knew each other for nearly a year before I left Senegal last summer.
Foreigners in Senegal soon get used to brushing off these boys, who seem to be everywhere. In the country’s unique twist on child begging, packs of ragged children known as talibés roam the city streets carrying empty tomato-paste cans, collecting sugar cubes, crackers, and coins – whatever passers-by care to give them.
These small armies are commanded by powerful marabouts, Islamic religious leaders who send the boys out to beg and collect their money at the end of the day. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated that in 2004 there were as many as 100,000 talibés in Senegal.
For centuries, children in this deeply Muslim country have been sent away to religious schools (daaras) for an Islamic education. It’s a practice common throughout West Africa. But in modern Senegal – where most talibés are dressed in rags, visibly malnourished, and almost completely uneducated – it’s clear that the system is no longer working in their favor.
They stalk pedestrians, beg money from passing cars, and scurry between traffic lanes for any spare change thrown from the windows. Hungry and exhausted, many spend their days sleeping on the streets. A few are orphans, but the majority are handed over to marabouts by their own parents. Most families in Senegal hold marabouts in high esteem, consulting them on everything from spiritual to political matters, and a marabout’s influence over his following is profound.
“They are students, but they are abandoned. No one takes care of them,” says Mouhamed Chérif Diop, director of a program that helps talibés through the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Tostan. “Their lives are very hard. They can’t find food, often they can’t find clothes.”
In Kara’s case, I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse into this world, for it wasn’t long before I began to see him around town. Small and unnoticed, he would spend his days winding his way through the confusion of Dakar’s French colonial heart, where market stalls spill into noisy streets heaving with cars, taxis, motorcycles, and pedestrians. Here, small boys sidle up to businessmen, shopkeepers, and foreigners – anyone who might have a couple of pennies to spare. Some stake out restaurants; others, hungry and exhausted, fall asleep on the sidewalk.
Each time Kara spotted me, he would run up with a grin and insist on walking me wherever I was going. Picking our way between fruit stands and bits of broken pavement, we chatted about this and that – the hot, dusty weather, the band of street boys he hung around with, my working hours as a public information officer for the World Food Programme.
One morning I was running late and hadn’t had time to eat breakfast, so I mentioned that I wanted to pick up something on the way.
When he heard this, Kara reached under his dirty shirt and pulled out half of a crisp baguette. “Here,” he said, “take this. Someone gave it to me.”
I was stunned by such a generous gesture, and didn’t know what to say. But I quickly assured him that I wasn’t about to deprive him of his bread and ducked into a shop to buy a pastry.
When I broke off a piece to share with him, Kara shook his head. “No, you eat it,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’ve already eaten this morning.”
This, in his eyes, was only fair.
Not long after that, a friend and I were walking along a busy street one evening when two men aggressively tried to pickpocket us. We managed to wriggle out of the situation, but no sooner had we got clear than Kara came running up to us talking fast. He’d seen the whole thing. In fact, he’d even tried to push between us and the men, and got a rough elbow in the chest for his efforts. Not to be deterred, Kara ran over to one of the guards along the street to tell them the two men were thieves.
At this point I was pretty impressed with the courage and integrity of this little guy. When I saw him several days later, I decided to bring him back to my apartment to see whether he’d fit into any of the T-shirts a friend of mine had left.
For the next hour, Kara sat out on my porch, drinking juice and munching on a piece of leftover pizza. He was excited about the shirts, insisting on folding each one meticulously (even the dirty ones) before placing it carefully in a plastic bag. I held the bag as he folded, and as he worked he began to tell me about his world.
• • •
Both Kara’s parents are dead. After their death he went to live with his aunt, who kept him in school for several years before pulling him out and sending him to a marabout.
“She’s not a nice woman,” Kara muttered. “I would rather go to school, but now I have to live on the streets.”
The marabout beats the boys, he told me, especially if they don’t bring back the required amount of money at night – 300 CFA francs or around 60 cents. With more than half the population of Senegal living on less than $2 a day, marabouts do pretty good business.
“Kids living like this start to do bad things,” Kara told me earnestly. “They drink, they fight, they do drugs. I don’t want to be like that. Now Youssou N’Dour,” he motioned toward my stereo, where the famous Senegalese musician was playing, “he has a lot of money but he does good things. He gives his money to the poor. If I had money, I would do that too.”
I don’t know how much money Mr. N’Dour really does give to the poor, but he clearly had his little fan convinced.
Kara fell asleep on my couch, catching up on sleep. When I finally sent him on his way, I handed him 80 cents for a plate of rice and watched him wander off clutching the bulging bag of clothes. Whether he planned to sell them or wear them himself, I had no idea.
The talibé system is coming under increasing criticism from both inside and outside Senegal. A number of local and international NGOs, some funded by UNICEF, have been pressuring the government to regulate daaras and relieve their students of the obligation to beg. It’s an uphill battle, because marabouts are a powerful force within Senegalese society.
But Mr. Diop tells me that NGO pressure is starting to have some effect. Although the number of talibés is growing, the number forced out onto the streets has diminished.
As for Kara, I hope he hasn’t suffered any fall-out from the clothes I gave him. I hope his cough hasn’t grown worse. He’s already a teenager; if things go well for him, he’ll soon be old enough to work himself out of his servitude, or at least to find his own way off the streets. He’s just a scraggly kid, but with ideals far beyond his circumstances.
I only hope he gets the chance for more than pennies thrown from car windows and an empty tomato paste can.
2. anonymous | 09.15.08
Your article, “A Senegalese beggar unmasked” is a touching, real-life scenario that is typical life story of millions of poverty-striken children throughout the world. I commend and extend my gratitude to the Christian Science Monitor for publishing this article. Although, Kara is destitute, he may never know that his honesty, integrity, and simplicity are priceless virtues.
Unfortunately, many of these children have very little opportunities, if any to make an honest and descent living such as Kara. Please, forward me any information to where I can send a financial donation to help him and other needy children. I understand that this is only a temporary relief rather than a solution. Regardless, I would be a pleasure to send some assistance such as clothes and financial donation to a reputable agency in Kara‘s hometown that will benefit children in need.
Thank you
3. Jack | 09.15.08
I am a 59 year old white male and I seen and done things that some people people dream or have nightmares about. But these stories always make me want to cry. It is always the poor and young/old that have it the hardest. I just don’t understand why these things happen. You can try to make things better for some but never seems to get better.
4. Lucien | 09.15.08
Surrender
And you’ll be raised
By what you cannot lift
You’ll be the giver, the giving, and the gift.
While I appreciate this story, I can’t help from wondering why the author didn’t do MORE than simply offering a couple of shirts and left-over pizza slices to a boy that clearly needed more substantial assistance.
Why NOT send the boy to school? Why NOT offer the boy a road towards freedom and success RATHER THAN simply wishing him better days?
When Christ says “what you have done unto the least of my brethren you have done unto me” it makes me certain that He’s none too happy with the cursory regard we have given others (and therefore Him) by patting ourselves on the back for the trivialest of kindnesses while completely disregarding the greater misfortunes our deeper acts of goodness might eradicate.
5. gerard hernandez | 09.15.08
In response to the feedback and quesitons left and raised by Lucien;
When I was studying journalism in school one of the things we spoke about frequently was ethics and our role as journalists.
I was of the opinion that we should try to help in any way we could even pay for the interviews in some cases of extreme poverty that we may come across on our jobs as journalists.
This touched off quite the debate but I will spare you the details, suffice it to say that the reason journalists will NOT do more than write about a story or some persons plight is that they do not want to become a part of the story. As a journalist you have to allow the story to stand and continue on its own. You will help by writing about it hopefully others will be moved by the story and take action. That is what journalists do they write about tragedy and suffering as well as happiness and celebration.
They do so detached as an observer and allow the story to tell itself.
Did that help you any?
6. Josephus | 09.15.08
We have in the Christian neighborhood our own Marabouts, who live rich, have their own jet plane and tell people to send their money to them, as they are the really, really good guys. It is a shame all around.
7. Amatullah | 09.15.08
Like most who have read your article, I appreciate its heart-wrenching quality. However, it must be brought to attention that the true teachings of Islam does not encourage its followers to undertake begging as a form of income.
For authentic information on Islam, visit: http://www.beconvinced.com
8. Amatullah | 09.15.08
Re: Josephus
It is indeed a shame, not only for the true followers of Islam, but for everyone concerned. Such are the consequences of widespread ignorance.
9. Joseph Rioux | 09.16.08
Lucien makes a good point about apathy; there’s far too much in the world today, especially with regard to suffering. Nonetheless, I find the tone of Lucien’s comment to be a bit too aggressive, and I also am disturbed at the lack of a reasoned-out, logical argument–instead, Lucien offers an appeal to emotions based on religious quotations. Lucien, my dear friend, we need rational thought as well as compassion in these types of discussions, not Bible-thumping. Kara seems like a remarkable young man, naturally worthy of our respect and where appropriate, our help. But Lucien… if you’re looking to take people into your home as a good Christian, you need not go to Africa; you can find plenty of needy people right here in the USA. Try walking downtown in San Francisco or Baltimore some time. Until you have taken these poor folks into your home and given them the support you think the journalist ought to have given Kara, it’d be wise to avoid pointing accusing fingers. Sorry to resort to an ad hominem response, but I think it’s warranted in your case.
10. PA | 09.16.08
How about this (brief scenario): A generous,visionary humanitarian organization sends volunteer (or two) to Dakar, with small amount of funds. This person enlists an, elementary-level, Muslim teacher as assistant (small starting salary, as necessary). They purchase, (or rent), a very minimal shelter (Four poles, supporting a 20’ x 20’ tarp), tiny enclosed toilet (with appropriate sewer/septic connect, or portable), and minimal water supply (if necessary, a large elevated “rv” type water tank, supplied by either a truck, or 12’diameter inverted tarp-funnel, (cloth covered, depressed center with hole/tube)…or use bottles of drinking water and wait for rain to bathe)…located in “low rent” (or most appropriate) area. The local assistant’s familiarity with customs, laws, etc., should help. Both volunteer, and teacher should carefully, conscientiously approach an apparently needful child (or two). Make offer, to child, of: elementary lessons (mornings), with permission to sleep on communal ground (from approx. 11PM-6AM)…in exchange for performing specific tasks. Some examples of these might be as follows: Each child must (1) keep facilities clean (constantly); (2) Bring, into the facility, whatever donations (that he is able to, daily…and be graded on this (in terms translatable into currency). (3) Maintain good grades in class (4) Keep himself clean, and get along with others) (4) Show gradual improvements in all these areas, as time goes on.
At first, it will be necessary to provide 24-7 supervision, (teacher or volunteer). Later, older children should be trained to take on this responsibility (with appropriate compensation, in form of credit).
Considering the size/scale of this facility, expect it to provide space for, about, 10-25 children (strict limits per teacher), depending on varying circumstances. Eventually, as “teacher” and volunteer gain proficiency, they may train another “teacher”…making it possible to open an additional facility(s) in other area of town. Facilities should become more age, gender (and otherwise, when possible…specialized).
Wherever possible, more efficient infrastructure should be integrated, to lower costs, in both time and money. Examples might include: cheaper leases, water and sewer provision, etc. Also, a variation on the first “facility” could be to rent, or (preferably) purchase a small structure to provide minimum housing/water, etc. for volunteer, teacher and children. Gradually, other programs can be initiated, such as provision of additional tutoring/mentoring for children displaying the most interest. They might be taught (child’s choice of): additional basic schooling, job training, or (for older, able, motivated children) help in starting their own business, etc.
Success of humanitarian and educational efforts, like this, depends on the example that is set for such children. If some of the suggestions (especially, relating to the required connection/correlation between services/goods provided, and the services/goods (that are required to be) “given back”…seem quite Spartan (or severe)…compare the circumstances, prior to this effort. Consider just how much most of us (well-off Americans) have been doing/will, likely, do soon. This is a “start” that will grow…in terms of human numbers! Later development of this program should, first, include additional similar facilities. The size of these may be increased, but every child (at least during first/initial involvement), should undergo this similar experience! Gradually, all facilities and programs should be supported/ expanded through self-income, and contributions from “alumni”. Down the road (but eventually) this project should become, entirely, self-supported, and a positive contributor to the entire Dakar community. Should a more detailed plan, similar to this one, be presented to the proper authorities, perhaps those concerned people may respond in ways that might be of considerable interest.
H
11. Adrian Dunsford | 09.17.08
This is a very haerwrenching story about this sad youth, wanting to survive in a harsh setting that he is unfortunately trapped in. I agree wholeheartdly woth Lucien’s comment , as to why the author of this tale did not do more for this young lad?
A hollow gesture in giving away “T’ shirts that a visitor had left behind, or for that matter , the stale slice of pizza!!I just feel absolutely ashamed by what happened. I ,myself here in safe and secure Adelaide in luxury, my thought continually go down the trail if one’s lonloness, I now have MS, and can no longer work, I get a Disability Pension and I am willing to to give Kara Aus$20.00 per month, so is there any way that I can get this money to him in Senegal.I dont want to utilise a Charity, for the $20.00, will wittle diwn to $1.00 by the time he gets this.
Remember m that Our Lord Himself said ; I comae to you , and you turned me away”. .Can we not set up a fund that can assit these desperate youths? Surely, each of us wont miss several $$, come fellow mankind, let us dig deep and get this fund up and running!!!
Adrian Dunsford
Adelaide, South Australia
12. Adrian Dunsford | 09.17.08
This is a very heartwrenching story about this sad youth, wanting to survive in a harsh setting that he is unfortunately trapped in. I agree wholeheartdly woth Lucien’s comment , as to why the author of this tale did not do more for this young lad?
A hollow gesture in giving away “T’ shirts that a visitor had left behind, or for that matter , the stale slice of pizza!!I just feel absolutely ashamed by what happened. I ,myself here in safe and secure Adelaide in luxury, my thought continually go down the trail if one’s lonloness, I now have MS, and can no longer work, I get a Disability Pension and I am willing to to give Kara Aus$20.00 per month, so is there any way that I can get this money to him in Senegal.I dont want to utilise a Charity, for the $20.00, will wittle diwn to $1.00 by the time he gets this.
Remember m that Our Lord Himself said ; I comae to you , and you turned me away”. .Can we not set up a fund that can assit these desperate youths? Surely, each of us wont miss several $$, come fellow mankind, let us dig deep and get this fund up and running!!!
Adrian Dunsford
Adelaide, South Australia
13. Pithy Opiner | 09.19.08
Don’t you knee-jerk liberals realize your money would not get to the ones who really needed it? Most or all of it would be siphoned off by members of the corrupt officaldom of the country. Those poor little scuffling boys are an asset to them. They pull at heart-srings and, thereby, bring money into the country. Africa is the cesspool of the world and always will be. There will never be a solution to this problem. Never.
14. Fats Rebosa | 09.19.08
Dear Pithy. Get a life. You don’t have a clue about Africa, its people or the wonderful work that knee-jerk liberals like the American lady who runs Tostan is about. Truth is that when one looks at the materialism, the drugs, alcoholism, guns and violence, sex, meaningless jobs, dysfunctional families, lack of community, meaningless entertainment and on and on that is the way of life in America, Africa shines. The cesspool is on the other side of the ocean, not here in Senegal.
15. Drs. William K. Gelok | 09.19.08
Gosh, this boy is a Christian without knowing it………….and this is another view on some Islamic inhumanity…………
16. Nikos | 09.20.08
On Lucien’s comment:
Well, clearly, he has led a pretty sheltered life. If his standard is to do more to people who are in need, the good news is that nowadays, we are all in the position to do that, even if the person in need isn’t following us home. It’s the internet age. We have no excuses for not knowing. If we don’t know, it’s because we’ve looked away instead, choosing not to know.
I work in international development, and I travel to developing countries on a regular basis. So, what do you do when outside the bakery you are immediately surrounded by a band of little children holding out their hands? In Mozambique, I used to buy two bags of bread whenever I’d buy bread for myself, one for me, for the week, one for the kids. Is that all I could do for those kids? Of course not. Did I have more money on me? Of course. It is really with a feeling of helplessness when one realises the depth of the need, and the fact that it’s impossible to buy bread and not be surrounded by kids afterwards… and yet, how to take bread home and see hunger in the eyes of kids? If you live where such encounters happen daily or hourly, you change your perspective. I don’t know where to draw the line. But I certainly refuse to judge anyone else on where they happened to draw the line on any particular day.
It should be obvious that the need is huge. Lucien, you have as great as a responsibility as the author does. What have you done?
17. Phildred | 09.24.08
Having been to Africa I can tell you that money (donated directly to individual people) will probably not help. It is not as if they can go down to Wal-Mart and buy what they need. Nor would they have a safe place to keep this money. Do you really think that Kara could find a place to hide money that was sent to him? As Americans we assume everything can be made better with money, in these extremely poor areas unless you are Oprah or someone else with vast resources the best thing you can do is help these people with some of the good systems they have started. Many of the schools in these areas are not schools like you and I attended, they are abandon buildings that have been declared a place for learning. One of the requirements for a child to attend one of these schools is that they must have shoes and sadly this one requirement keeps far too many out of school. Also they do have subjects like math and English but there isn’t always or very rarely a standard book as most of these school operate on donated school books so every child may have a different book but they are learning and staying out of trouble and that is what’s important.
Another thing that we must understand is that these people are not like the average American, meaning that they have great gratitude for things that many of us would scoff at if received as a gift. They still appreciate being given a pair of socks unlike the vast majority of youth in America. So Lucien, though I do understand your confusion as to why the author did not do more, keep in mind that not one but many shirts and a slice of pizza could possibly be (in Kara’s eyes) the most generous thing this child has ever received in his hard 16 year life. It is likely that this boy will never forget the generosity of this man. What we (Americans) consider to be great and what people in extreme poverty consider great are so different most of us can not comprehend the difference.
I would like to share a story of my own ignorance. I went on a vacation to Africa when I was 18 years old with two friends of like age. We had a guide, no we did not hire him he just waited outside of our hotel everyday until we came out (never told him to be there nor did we tell him we would even come out) at the time we thought nothing of this. At the end of our one week stay we had become friendly with our tour guide that had showed us many things that we would not done without his help and he had never mentioned anything about money or payment, so as we were preparing to go we asked him, “how much money do we owe you?” and the three of us all had money in hand. With his head hung down and a strange hesitation he declined the money and asked if we had any shoes he could have….it was at this moment for the first time in week we noticed our perfectly groomed guide with his neat brown guide shirt was not wearing shoes, he had a homemade pair of sandals on, which were basically a piece of soft wood tied on with twine. How could we not notice…and how could this man work for 6 days and in return want only a pair of used shoes? As I tried to hide the tears in my eyes that had gathered from the realization of my own selfishness and ignorance, I hung my head and tried to think of what I could give him. My two male friends, after a moment of silence, immediately took their shoes off and all the clothing they could manage to take off without being obscene. Our new friend put on Andy’s old dirty Nikes and we could visibly tell they were to small, we got a little disappointed but then we looked from his cramped feet to his face and he was smiling from ear to ear. He hugged Andy like he was family. We still tried to give him money he would not take it but shyly he asked if we could send books for his daughter and other children to use in school. The point of this story is that money or items of luxury are not what these people need or for that matter want. For 6 days of work this man received a pair of very used sneakers, a pair of very used sandals that were too small, many articles of clothing, a promise that we would send books and any other school supplies to the school in which his children attended, and he couldn’t have been happier. This situation would never happen in here.
From this one experience I learned to love and appreciate the amazing opportunities we as Americans have.I love my country and though flawed I wish more people could truly appreciate it as I do. Take a trip; go to these places that you want help, volunteer, if nothing else you will have a better understanding for the people you want to help, learn something you can’t read in the newspaper, and have a better appreciation for America (or whatever better place it is that you live). You may even find a better you.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
Leave a Comment
We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. The comments feature is a forum to discuss the ideas in our stories. Constructive debate - even pointed disagreement - is welcome, but personal attacks on other commenters are not, and will not be published.
Tip: Do not write a novel. Keep it short. We will not publish lengthy comments. Come up with your own statements. This is not a place to cut and paste an email you received. If we recognize it as such, we won't post it.
Please do not post any comments that are commercial in nature or that violate copyrights.
Finally, we will not publish any comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence.
1. Nikolai | 09.15.08
poor kid. The story makes me wonder about the information Senegalese parents have access to — how is it that they don’t know what happens to their children? There is another story today about the strides being made against slavery, but most of these children aren’t being sold into slavery — they’re supposedly being educated. Do these parents not want to see evidence, such as schoolwork, exams, certificates, diplomas?