talibe--april 30

Have I ever really talked about the talibe here in Senegal? I don’t think so and it’s a major component of life here. The talibe, as if they don’t have their own names, like me the toubab, Its really sad, too. And most people here do not think its sad, it is a necessary component of the culture to a lot of people here.

So, parents give away a young boy child to a marabout, which is a religious muslim leader. And so they go and study the Quran, which is the Bible of Islam. They memorize this. So in turn, they know how to write and recite the Quaran. I will hold out my judgements on this particular aspect of what will they do with these skills other than stay here and recite the Quaran. Supposedly one of the now Peace Corps language trainers, who is a really lively smart guy, used to be a Talibe.

So they never see their parents, rather they spend their whole days begging for money. In the past, this was to give them a sense of humility, comparable to adult monks who receive alms in Thailand for example. But these children now beg to fund the whole operation. Rumors of kids being beaten if they don’t meet a quota during the day are around. But if you give money to these kids, they don’t get it. I buy them food if we are near bananas or whatever.

So not only do these little packs of boys spend their days with their hands out, palms up, in dirty ripped clothes, wandering alone in dark nights, lucky to have shoes, but they also have to come into houses and ask for lunch and dinner. Its part of the society, everyone always gives it to them, unless we hardly have any ourselves, in which case you qsk them to excuse you and come back tomorrow. So, they walk in the front door, stand there shyly, waiting for someone to say “talibe, come here” and they come hand their empty coffee can or empty butter plastic container to someone who plops some rice and occasionally some fish or veggies in. And so is their lives.

I cannot help but be upset by it. I have tried a few times to explain it to Senegalese people. These are kids, I say. They probably think no one cares or loves them. Their own parents gave them away to spend their lives begging- for what? Some think its necessary. Is it so there are people to read the Quaran? I don’t know. I have a Senegalese friend in St Louis who works with NGOs to provide education to these kids. Tostan, an American NGO started in Senegal by, I believe, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, has a program providing various services for these kids, too. But there are so manyyyy, how can we reach them all? I don’t know. For now, I give them occasional eggs and bananas. And ask their name.

Its like maslows heirchry of needs. You don’t think about emotional health until physical health is taken care of, which in most cases its not top notch.

Other news: I drank a diet coke today and it tasted so nasty. I used to love those things, though I know when I come back to America I will have a big fountain 44 oz sucka. I think cuz its so freakishly hot, water is the only good drink. It is HOT. Sleeping in sweat is so cool. Thank God I have electricity for a fan. It blows hot air but I reckon its better than dada. Those village volunteers are much more hardcore.