Gambia’s Economic Crisis Takes Toll On Beggars: As Beggars cry for Help
By Lamin Kinteh, Banjul.
Beggars living in the Greater Banjul area are increasingly finding life unlivable . Day in day out these underprivileged members of society are harassed by the law enforcement agents. Just of late, the police rounded up a good number of beggars and guess what they were paraded before a magistrate court to answer bogus charges.
Beggars in The Gambia are now asked to quit the streets or risked going to jail. But they have made it clear to the police that, they have no alternative but to maraud the streets to make ends meet.
“We are living in abject poverty . We need food and few coins to take care of our families. some of us are dying in our homes because we fear to come out.” a beggar told this reporter.
It could be recalled that many beggars were taken to court to answer charges for begging on the streets and therefore causing nuisance in public and blocking traffic. Following that court case many were discharged and advised to leave begging. On the other hand nothing was given to them as an alternative, so some of them have resolved to sitting on lonely corners to beg who ever is passing by.
The beggars some of whom are homeless have no where to get their daily bread. This , among others cognate issues has forced them to stand on street corners to beg hastily to passers by even little children. Like the beggar in the photo who sits by the tank in Banjul near the car park has leprosy with lots of saws on his hands and feet with eyes nearly blind. He is living on God's providence but begging can offer nothing for him because he does not sit at strategic positions to beg.He says to me, "I prefer dying now than live my life. I have nothing to loose because I have suffered a lot and the government has done nothing to save me. The worst is we are not allowed to beg openly. This is serious. It has taken me two days without food. Jammeh is making farm and people are helping him he should be able to help poor beggars who have no hands like me, but he instead drives us and threatens us of imprisonment and hard labor if we don't comply. Jawara's regime was different. I got married that time and my kid are now in poverty. When shall we see the light he is promising. Our stomachs are dark." This poor man said we should make this known to the world so as to get help.
Some beggars have resolved going back to their villages and some have returned to Mali, Guinea Conakry and Senegal. "The fact remains that there is poverty in the country, let no one hide it by making things appear nice on the street. We are hungry, rice is expensive and we are suffering."They said.