Dakar is known as the begging capital of the world

Sharing here some excerpts from a post my sister-in-law shared on her blog....

Translated, talibe means student. We are more familiar with the word Taliban which also uses the same root word. The talibe boys are common throughout West Africa, but especially in Senegal.
Dakar is considered the begging capital of the world; giving alms is one of the five pillars of Islam. As a result, marabouts and talibe boys have been moving to Dakar from all over West Africa. They squat in vacant, unfinished buildings, or construct shacks on vacant land. Most of the “homes” have no running water or sanitation facilities. In contrast, the marabout may live in a nicer home with his family.
The boys are between the ages of five and fifteen. Families give their young boys to a marabout, an Islamic religious leader and teacher. This is impossible for us to comprehend, except for the fact that many of the families are too poor to care for, let alone provide an education for the boys. The marabout is supposed to raise and train the boys in koranic education, providing a free education for them. In reality the boys become child slaves. They must beg for him and are often beaten and mistreated if they do not bring in enough money each day. I should point out that not all of the marabouts mistreat the boys, but many do, and the system itself is open to many abuses.
You see talibe boys everywhere in Dakar. They are there when you step out of the terminal at the airport and they are seemingly walking every street begging. They go out early in the morning and often stay on the streets until late at night. They carry empty tomato cans where passersby place their alms. They are barefoot and dressed in rags. Many are sick with malaria or other diseases, and nearly all are underfed. The younger, smaller boys are often bullied by the older, bigger boys who steal the money they have collected.
A marabout may have as many as 40 talibe boys. Some of the marabouts do not feed the boys, so they must get their food by begging. In general, the boys are required to give the marabout a certain amount of money each day. If they earn more, some marabouts allow them to send the extra to their families.

Even the noble gesture of giving the boys food is problematic. If you give them food, they will often sell it to meet their quota. It is possible to give them something like a peeled banana that cannot be sold and must be eaten.

My note... a friend found this related video on you tube: