Beggary in West Africa

Westerners visiting Africa for the first time are often surprized --if not shocked--at the large number of beggars in the streets and the relative ease with which people solicit or give help although pure adherents of Islam are in favour of restricting beggary . A first reason for this is that most West African societies are deeply Islamized and that begging is a characteristic feature of Islamic societies. But a closer look at the traditional structures shows that the ancestral principle of mutual solidarity is also at the basis of most people's attitude. However, the increasing number of beggars and forms of begging have turned the phenomenon into a national concern. Senegalese novelists and film-makers, even Senegalese members of the Parliament often engage in debates about that national plague and what to do about it. This paper analyzes the various motives for begging and giving alms and discusses youth's attitude towards the issue. Its tentative conclusion is that despite the overall acceptance of the phenomenon for religious reasons--a position of principle--there are clear indications of an increasingly critical attitude towards begging .