BEGGING CULTURE THROUGH FIRST WORLD EYES

I don't know what it's like to be a begger. I remember walking down streets of Hong Kong and seeing dirt-caked people lying on the streets with natural dreadlocks, a plastic bowl in their hands, waiting. And later in life people started approaching me for money. I knew somebody who would give change to every begger he meets on the streets of Montreal. It was ridiculous to me.

CHINA

In China I met a woman at the train station with no hands. I don't know how she managed it, but she held out a bag to people asking them to give her money. My policy is never to give people money, I would rather buy them a burger or something else edible cuz food is a basic need. I had an orange in my bag and I offered it to her. She took it and that was that.

When I saw the woman's hands, I thought about the book A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry about the begger troops in India. There is a ring leader who does his recruiting and do horrible things to their workers such as sawing off hands and legs so they would look more pitiful in the eyes of potential patrons. I know that woman was a part of something similar. If I were to support them, I would be supporting the whole concept of begger troops, so I refuse.


SOUTH AFRICA

Anyway, I thought I was so smart in South Africa. Here, when they give you the bill at restaurants, they always include mints or sweets of some sort, so I would save them in my bag sometimes. Once, when I got off a long-distance bus, a boy came up to me begging and I gave him a mint. Ha! No money, but a sweetie for you, my boy. . .

Then I went to the Wild Coast for Easter and I learned better. The kids there don't have proper dentists when strangers give them sweets. But apparently, tourists have indulged them before because whenever you meet local kids, they would call after you, singing the lovely serenade "sweets! sweets!" You would think whispering SWEET nothing in your ear is lovely until this. . .

The backpackers where I was staying have signs up discouraging travellers to support a begging culture. Kids should be in school. If they want money, they have to earn it such as guiding tourists to nearby attractions or singing songs for a small fee. But the kids bring it to the next level when they stalk you for most of your hike as you take in the view so that you don't even dare to reach into your bag to pull out that camera. You tell them you have nothing for them and you know perfectly where you are in relation to your destination, but they keep trying to convince you that you are in fact lost and that they can bring you to the place.

There is a girl in pink that followed my friend and me singing a local song despite our discouragement and afterwards repeated "finished. finished." The next day we see her again. My friend finally gives her R1 and the girl looks up and says "No. 2 rands." I tell her to give it back to us. Either R1 or nothing. She gives it back cuz she expects R2 or R5. But she eventually takes the R1!!!

I went out for dinner once and was bringing home a doggy bag. On the walk back, a boy stuck out his hand asking for money. I really wanted to have leftovers for lunch but decided I can do without if he was hungry. I offered the bag of delicious Thai food to him and he refused! It's then you know they want rands for other purposes.

It's obvious that a begging culture is not socially acceptable. My colleague who worked on the Wild Coast told me when kids ask her for money or sweets in front of their parents, they get spanked. That's being naughty in all cultures.

Once when I was hanging out at the beach, two kids sat down beside me asking me for money. I give them each a rusk (dried biscuits) and they sit there eating it. I try making small talk and they answer in one sentence. They finish and I asked if they enjoyed it. Then they ask if I can give them R2 to buy bread. I refuse and say I need money for food as well. A man with nice hikers calls to them and the older boys runs up speaking in Xhosa. I ask the younger boy if that was their father. He says no- I had a feeling he was not. They run off and the gentleman approaches me. "those kids take things that do not belong to them. After you give them what they want, they are still there." Later, I see a security guard ushering them away from the bus depot.