In this lean period for the overwhelming majority of Guineans, providing for the needs of one’s family is an honor for parents. Because, it is not easy for many to earn the daily expense every day. And, in families, children are very often aware of this sad reality, especially since they can stay until the afternoon before finding something to eat for breakfast.
These children also know that with a situation, it is difficult for their parents to find school supplies for them. And so, to have the chance to continue their studies, some opt for the “peddler” during the holidays. While some of their comrades are taking vacation courses and familiarizing themselves with the programs of their next classes, these children from poor families spend their time in the streets and in the various markets, walking around with small goods in hand and on the head.
In the town of Dixinn where a reporter from Guineematin.com went to meet these young people this Tuesday, August 23, 2022, we discovered a real street sale. These kids take advantage of traffic jams to meander between vehicles and offer their items to users. But, with the idea of making a little money, the risks of accidents linked to this practice are quickly dismissed from thoughts. Layeba Sacko, student in 10th year, ensures that he can earn more than 100,000 Guinean francs a day with the sale of cotton swabs and pliers.
“I do itinerant trade because it’s not by staying at home that someone is going to give me something or meet all my needs. You can’t spend all the time asking for money or asking people for help. Besides, it’s hard for me to beg. So, that’s why I do this activity…I do it on vacation. But, at the opening, I sometimes take the opportunity to do it too. I can earn 100,000 francs a day, or even more. It depends on the sale I make. We take advantage of traffic jams to sneak between vehicles to resell our items. Sometimes we stop on the embankment to sell our wares; but, it is the traffic jams that suit us in this activity. I resell cotton swabs and tweezers. There is too much suffering in this activity, because we have to run behind cars to do our business. It is very tiring. I come home completely dejected and I walk with difficulty,” explained Layeba Sacko.
For Bountouraby Bangoura, another pupil of the 10th who currently sells sweets, it was her parents’ lack of means that led her to practice this small business.
“I do this activity because there is no defense, my family does not have enough means. This is why I take advantage of the holidays to resell sweets on the side of the road, or even in traffic in Dixinn here when there is a traffic jam, in order to meet my little needs. But, currently, I do not make many sales. Because I only earn 30,000 francs a day, whereas I could have had 50,000 francs or more a day. All this because there are no traffic jams and passing vehicles do not make a purchase. So, the itinerant merchants are the traffic jams that suit us. But, to tell the truth, it is not at all easy to practice this activity. Because it’s very tiring. Sometimes I come home completely devastated by fatigue and I can’t do anything else except go to bed,” said Bountouraby Bangoura.
For his part, Mamadou Djawo Sow, a student in the final year of Social Sciences, is currently selling coat racks.
“I do itinerant trade during these holidays to meet my needs. Because that’s not all the things you have to ask parents. I resell shirt racks and coat racks. I can earn up to 50,000 francs a day, even 100,000 francs. Only, the recipe depends on the market. I don’t sneak between vehicles or run behind vehicles. Even if I do, it’s rare cases. I stop on the embankment to sell my items going back and forth,” says Mamadou Djawo Sow.
Abundant in the same direction, Ousmane Sylla ensures that his sale of tea saves him from begging and theft.
“I come to resell on the embankment or in the middle of traffic in Dixinn so as not to always be dependent on someone. It is to meet my small expenses, such as rent and others. Instead of staying at home like that, spending a whole day making tea, I preferred to undertake. That’s why I started this practice. I resell the tea and I can have up to 100,000 francs a day as income. And that is for me. This money is the fruit of my dignified work. Because, I did not steal it from anyone, nor beg, ”he said, while showing a certain pride of self.
Fatoumata Diouldé Diallo and Mohamed Doré for Guineematin.com