Children on the streets

This blog post is about Senegalese Talibé (“student” in Arabic)—individuals seeking a Quranic education. I’m going off of my own observations and paraphrasing some of the PC Talibé manual (created by Hadiel Mohamed, edited by Steve Turnbull, Meera Sarathy, and Sarah Auyeung), but I want to say I don’t yet know very much about this particular topic either.

Talibés are boys between 4 and 20 years old who study the Quran under the direction of a Marabout, a former Talibé who has mastered the Quran. Parents from all over Senegal may send their children to study the Quran with a specific Marabout in a Daara (a Quranic school).

In the absence of nuclear family, Talibés may or may not live with host families. Before the age of 14, most Talibés are expected to beg for alms on the streets. They must give those alms to the Marabout, and often get punished if they do not reach a certain quota. They usually also have to beg for food and clothes, especially if they do not have a host family or if the Marabout does not use the money to care for them. After the age of 14, Talibés usually find an assortment of odd jobs to do and give the Marabout a share of the goods or money they procure. Talibés often have trouble finding work after they finish their studies if they do not become Marabouts, because they are for the most part completely illiterate.

I want to stress the difference between Talibés and beggars. A Talibé is any individual seeking a Quranic education. They are not necessarily homeless, or far away from their immediate families. They do not always have to beg in the streets. For instance, some children in Saint Louis attend a French school in the morning, a Daara in the afternoon, and return home to their parents at night. Beggars, on the other hand, must beg in order to sustain themselves on the streets. They do not study the Quran under a Marabout.

Talibés on the streets are easy to identify. They tend to wander the streets in groups with bright yellow begging bowls. I’ve seen them ask for coins and sugar cubes. I think Talibés in villages tend to ask for grains rather than money They look about 8 or younger, but it’s hard to tell: so many of them are malnourished and probably stunted. They usually wear dirty second hand western clothing, and usually just an oversized T-shirt at that. They come up to you with huge eyes and an extended cupped hand, both of which are pretty difficult to resist.

People here have utmost respect for Marabouts, but very little respect for Talibés. Most ignore Talibés completely, or push them away should they become too insistent. They’re paid about as much attention as the goats that wander around, foraging for food. My first interactions with Talibés were painful for me, because I didn’t feel comfortable giving them money. I knew that if you give money to one of them, you’d have to give money to all of them. I didn’t want to be corned by a clamoring group of children. What’s more disturbing, however, is how quickly you adopt the Senegalese attitude towards Talibés. I sometimes have to stop and remind myself that these are small children.

My most memorable interaction with Talibés took place at my CBT site in M’bour. I was sitting on a concrete slab on the side of the main road, chatting with my mother on the phone. Out of nowhere, a dead sparrow dropped out of the sky and landed at my feet. It took me a while to realize that an approaching group of Talibés had thrown it at me. Eventually, they started yelling insults in Wolof and throwing rocks at me. I got pretty angry, but I really had no idea what to do. I don’t speak any Wolof, and I wasn’t about to throw something back at them or hit them. I was definitely pretty angry, though. Eventually, I just walked away.

There is a Daara in my village that is run by a famous Marabout. It will be interesting to visit and get to know the boys there. I hope I’ll be able to work with them in some capacity.

I'd be happy to email a copy of the PC Talibé manual to anyone interested in learning more about these kids.