The possibilities for wage labour in the villages of Senegal and Mali are almost zero. Frequently, young people without land and animals have no choice other than to migrate to the cities in order to survive. Apart from this, agriculture and animal husbandry yield such small incomes that farmers too go to the cities at certain seasons in order to earn a little extra. Young women can look for work as housemaids, but the majority, both women and men, end up as retail sellers. The situation is no easier for the young who have grown up in the cities. Not all have the opportunity to go to school, and unemployment is great even for those with an education.
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| A petty trader in the streets of Bamako |
It is not necessary to go to school in order to engage in trade in West Africa, and it is even said that an apparent illiterate can actually be a millionaire. Neither is schooling necessary in order to have a permanent stall at a market, nor to be employed by a shop. What is most important is to have a small sum of money - perhaps borrowed from a friend or a near relative - that can be invested in goods that can be resold. The actual selling takes place on the streets. If there is any profit, it can be invested in a new and slightly larger consignment. In this way it can gradually become possible to save money. For those with dreams of becoming big businessmen or businesswomen the goal is, of course, to save enough money to be able to rent one's own stall, and perhaps finally to invest in a shop. Most of the men and women who sell in the markets of Dakar and Bamako have saved their money in this manner. Very few have borrowed money from the bank. But to obtain a permanent place in a market is not easy. It helps to have the right contacts through one’s family, or to belong to a Muslim brotherhood where the elders and the established "brothers" can give one a way in.
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| Young man selling plastic goods in the streets of Bamako |
Today there are so many young boys testing their ability as sellers in the streets of Dakar and Bamako that it is impossible to move through the city streets without constantly having to say "no" to offers of cheap toothpicks, lighters and chiming alarm clocks. Women and young girls offer foodstuffs like juices in small plastic bags, bananas, oranges and roasted peanuts. The competition among all those selling in the streets and the markets is fierce, and many end up as small retailers with an income that is constantly insecure. Young people on the streets are often harassed by the police. Conducting trade and commerce along the streets is fraught with high risk. The goods are unprotected in the rainy seasons when violent downpours can occur on very short notice, and no one is insured against fire, theft or other forms of destruction.
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