The other day I saw a boy, 7 years old, in Lucky Summer, a slum near Babadogo, who carried a rucksack much bigger than him on his shoulders, jumping from a puddle to another, wearing broken shoes. Here in the slums people begin early to carry heavy packages and they go on forever. Once I saw a man who pulled a hand-cart with more than 40 cartons of Coke on it. He came down the street jumping two metres forward, landed on his heels and then jumped again in the traffic.
Here the struggle for existence is more difficult than anywhere, and you can see it watching people driving. I haven’t seen anybody yet, who gives way to somebody else, even if that would speed the traffic up or if someone is crossing the road.
So the man was on the point of being run down by a coach that let go a cloud of black smoke out.
You can easily see scooters carrying up to 15 cartons of Coke as luggage. Once I saw a man who carried 50 cans on his shoulders. He was hidden behind the cans, as a porcupine under its quills.
Women are so used to carry packages on their head that the other day I saw a girl who was carrying a luggage!
Nicoletta Rolla
World Friends Supporters