Keisha Bush

I am very surprised at the high ratings for this novel. It is a very sad story about a six-year boy, Ibrahimah, who is sent by his family from a small village in Senegal (Salloulou) to the city of Dakar to become a Talibé (a boy who studies the Quran at a daara) to join his cousin, 12-year old Etienne. Life is very hard for them and the other students, who basically are beggars for their marabout (teacher), Ahmed, who beats them if they do not bring in a daily tithe, and who has several wives, befitting a devoted disciple of Allah. The horrors of their lives in the city is one story, which is told in parallel with the story of his bereaved mother, who misses Ibrahimah terribly, cannot find comfort with her three remaining daughters, eventually lapsing into delirium. Keisha Bush lived in Senegal and must have seen and spoken with these pitiful souls, who live off of the kindness/coins of tourists and the wealthy residents or are the focus of their scorn. Too depressing for me.… (altro)

Disappointing. I have read quite a bit of African literature lately and have enjoyed most; and the premise of this sounded interesting; however, I was never really pulled into the story. Set in Dakar, Senegal, this is the story of cousins, two boys who have been sent by their families to Dakar to "study" under the authority of a Marabout "a teacher of the Koran". These boys are known as the Talibe and usually come from the poorest families.

Ibrahimah and his older cousin Etienne are under the control of a cruel Marabout who forces them to go daily into the streets and beg for money. They encounter all sorts of horrible situations -- the book almost seems to want to paint a picture of this aspect of Senegal by inventing characters who encounter it all. One horrible thing happens after another interspaced with moments of kindness from strangers -- sometimes not always believable. The boys desperately want to return home, but tradition and culture forbid it.

I wish I had liked this more.… (altro)