Parodies of Human Beings

Dakar, 1979. Mour Ndiaye, Director of Department of Public Health and Hygiene has done his country a great service. He has rid the capital city of talibe, beggars, and boroom battu (calabash bearers - those who collect alms in a calabash). Said Ndiaye, "They are a running sore which should be kept hidden." He went on to lambast the shameful nature in which they beg for food, as opposed to wearing their poverty gracefully and silently. "Just because we're beggars, people think we're dogs! We're beginning to get fed up with the way we're treated!" commented an anonymous beggar. He's not alone in this sentiment. The boroom battu have gone into hiding after a crackdown by the Senegalese government (one beggar purportedly died from injuries after a police beat him, following new government regulations). The result? "We are as necessary to them as the air they breathe," responded another anonymous beggar. Havoc and maelstrom prevail in the capital when the rest of the population is not able to give alms to the needy and thus receive blessings from Allah. One grand marabout of the capital asks "You waged war against the beggars? Who won?" To find out, read Aminata Sow Fall's The Beggar's Strike.