While in the Gambia, I picked up several slim volumes of African literature; the first was The Beggars’ Strike, by Senegalese writer Aminata Sow Fall. My thoughts:
light little satire of class dynamics and superstition
Mour Diaye, the Director of the Department of Public Health and Hygiene, clears the streets of his unnamed African capital of beggars. In return, he hopes to be promoted to vice-president of the nation. To ensure his appointment, he consults a marabout – a Muslim holy man (according to the book’s glossary) – who instructs him to offer a sacrifice to the beggars in their customary locations. But the beggars are all gone!
La Grève Des Bàttu was originally published in French in 1979. In this English translation (from Dorothy Blair) of the little novella, the author pokes fun at government bureaucrats, at superstition, and at hypocrisy of many sorts. The tone is playful and mocking; and the book is a fun, light read.
But the whole plot hangs on one magical assumption which never really worked for me: throughout, the beggars have significant leverage in that all kinds of powerful people are required by their marabouts to give sacrifices to beggars. So when the beggars go on strike, the people have to come and find them. Yet it doesn’t ring true, either in fact or as a plausible suspension of disbelief. While it is entertaining to see long lines of fancy cars pulling up to the home where the beggars have holed up, coughing up the wealthy to make their required offerings, the flight of fancy doesn’t feel quite airworthy.
If you come across this book and want to enjoy some mild satire, I recommend it: I encountered it in a little bookshop in Banjul, the Gambia, and at 99 pages, I figured I had little to lose. But I wouldn’t seek it out. It was made into a film (entitled Bàttu) in the year 2000 [amazingly not available at Blockbuster!], directed by Malian filmmaker Cheick Oumar Sissoko.
If you want satire, I’ve just started Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Wizard of the Crow (2006): nothing mild there! And if you want another short but compelling example of Senegalese literature, I recently enjoyed Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter (1981), which explores the travails of women in Senegal’s polygamous society.
Logophile said
Wizard of the Crow is sitting in my tbr pile next to my bed, and has been for probably about a year…I’ll keep an eye out for your thoughts and will hopefully tackle it soon!
tukopamoja said
Awesome; I’m only 30 pages in (that’s about 3.5%) but I’m loving it.
tumwijuke said
Considering that I have lived on The Continent all my life, it’s a shame that I haven’t read a single book by a Gambian writer. Thank you for the review. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the book.
Wizard of the Crow … I’m not enjoying it as much as I thought. It was supposed to be my first Africa Reading Challenge review, but I’m laboring through it like a quantum physics textbook.
tukopamoja said
Tumwijuke: Note that even though I picked up The Beggars’ Strike in the Gambia, the author is Senegalese. I have one or two books by Gambian writers but have yet to read one. Coming soon, I hope!
Yes, the beginning of WotC seems great but I’ve heard it loses steam. No shame in dropping a book!
beggars: good or bad for tourism? « siphoning off a few thoughts said
[...] with Westerners in African literature. First, in Senegalese writer Aminata Sow Fall’s The Beggars’ Strike (1979), a government minister explains his campaign to rid the city of beggars: How can I [...]
mark said
the beggars strike is indeed novel to read
abdul said
i am a student i realy realy enjoy the play
ene angel said
i am a student,it is a wonderful book which teaches the rich that we are all equal not matter what is our situation in life.
ene angel said
The book is just wonderful
Aliu Ayodeji HAidara said
Hi,
please i need urgent help on my project topic IRONY OF FATE IN AMINATA SOWE FALL “BEGGAR’S STRIKE”.
Will be very happy if anyone can help me with relevant materials to aid me in writing my final year project.
Thanks alot!!!!!!!!.
tukopamoja said
There is irony in the fact that the main politician is initially rewarded by harming the beggars but then is unable to receive further rewards without the help of the beggars. Those who need us are those who we then need.
Deji Haidara .A. said
Hi, saw your reply and was happy at least someone shows concern but am afraid i still need more reviews and articles in writing my literature reviews.
Thanks a lot.
Deji Haidara .A. said
Hi,please i urgently needs help on writing my literature reviews on this topic IRONY OF FATE IN THE BEGGARS STRIKE BY AMINATA SOW FALL.
Please can someone help me ?????!!!!!!
THANKS
oluwole said
please i urgently need help on writing on discussing the general setting of the beggar’s strike in relation to the writer’s handling of the theme.
thanks
olaniran said
can i please know how dose the setting of the book relates to its theme?
vic said
hi, i need the summery of the novel the beggars strike please kindly send it to my mail box which is ueng2k7@yahoo.com. thanks in anticipation.
OLUGBOYE JOSEPH said
the book has really tells us the africa background we appreciate you
OLUGBOYE JOSEPH said
sir the book has really tells us africa background, however sir i want to know the theme of oppression in the novel
chisom said
the book is nice but is a bit complicated
the power of the poor « siphoning off a few thoughts said
[...] is reminiscent of Aminata Sow Fall’s Beggar’s Strike, in which the poor deprive the rich of essential blessings made by giving offerings to the poor – [...]
Ejeh efe said
I love this novel but i need to know if it is totaly a satire