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Difficulty: MediumAnalysis of Prescribed African Prose Texts

In Aminata Sow Fall's prescribed African prose text, *The Beggars' Strike*, what primary motivation compels Mour Ndiaye to desperately seek the return of the beggars to their original street positions after he had previously engineered their violent eviction?

  1. A marabout informs him that securing his coveted political promotion requires sacrificing a bull to beggars at their traditional street posts.Answer
  2. B
    The international tourism board threatens economic sanctions against the government unless the street beggars are restored to their cultural quarters.
  3. C
    The beggars stage an armed insurrection at the Koba settlement, demanding Mour Ndiaye's immediate resignation.
  4. D
    Serigne Serboume dictates that distributing alms to homeless orphans at the central market is the only cure for his daughter's illness.

Answer

Mour Ndiaye needs the beggars back on their usual street corners because his marabout prescribes that his ritual sacrifice of a bull must be offered to beggars at their customary locations to guarantee his appointment as Vice-President.
In *The Beggars' Strike*, Mour Ndiaye's ambition to become Vice-President leads him to consult Serigne Serboume. The marabout specifies that for the ritual sacrifice of a bull to work, the meat must be distributed to the beggars at their usual street posts. Because Mour had previously relocated them to Koba, he is forced to humble himself and beg them to return, exposing the moral hypocrisy of the ruling class.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Mour Ndiaye's initial actions and primary objective
Mour Ndiaye violently clears Dakar's beggars from public view to showcase efficiency as Director of Public Health and gain favor for the Vice-Presidency.
Establishing his baseline motive clarifies why he initially removed the beggars.
2
Identify the climatic plot reversal (peripeteia) in the novel
Mour consults Serigne Serboume (the marabout), who demands a specific sacrifice: a bull distributed to beggars in their original street locations across all four corners of the city.
This requirement creates the central irony: Mour cannot fulfill the ritual unless the beggars return to the places from which he evicted them.
3
Evaluate the beggars' response to Mour's plea
Having organized under Salla Niang at the Koba settlement, the beggars refuse to move back, effectively striking and thwarting Mour's political aspirations.
Confirming the correct causal chain verifies why the marabout's directive is the decisive motive.

Key Concept

Irony and Social Satire in Prescribed African Novels
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Analysis of Prescribed African Prose Texts

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