Arabstoday captures Eid in Mauritania

Poverty and lack of resources has led some of Mauritania's children to work and beg in the streets and alleys of Nouakchott. Much of the money earned is saved to buy new clothes for the Eid al-Fitr holiday and partake in the celebrations. Thirst and a blazing sun in Ramadan did not hold them back from achieving their small dreams of a new outfit without which Eid would not be complete for the children. Mamadao, 12, works daily, cleaning cars at traffic junctions heedless of the danger he exposed himself to. At times, he resorts to begging and carries a small red vase, usually carried by young students of the katateeb (informal places were children are taught) who collect sums for their "master". Each child has to collect a certain amount of money per day as ruled by katateeb leaders of Mauritanians who migrate to the city. In downtown Nouakchott, Arabstoday met many children, most of them younger than 13, who were forced by poverty to take jobs that quickly wore them out. Sadly, they faced an inevitable loss of innocence after they were forced to leave school due to their families being unable to pay their fees. Mamadao explained to Arabstoday that his family's dire financial situation led him to enter a world he didn’t want to be in. He worked different jobs to cover his needs, especially clothes for Eid, which came Sunday although “tight on Mauritanian”. After his family was completely incapable of providing his needs, he turned to begging and doing jobs meant for adults on the streets of Nouakchott. Mamadao’s case is not much different from many children on Nouakchott's streets today, quite akin to what would typically be regarded as "street-children". Many Mauritanian families had expenses that went beyond their spending power during Ramadan. Public sector workers, who were hoping to receive August salaries to prepare for Eid, were left empty-handed. Some say the government let down workers who hoped that “liquid cash would be pumped in the economy to refresh the market by promoting consumption, which would boost Eid celebrations”. Despite the weak purchasing power and cash availability, the high prices of clothes, sacrificial animals and basic consumer goods, the ordinary Mauritanian celebrated Eid with joy although some refrained from buying new clothes and resorted to buying used garments from shops dealing in recycled European clothes instead. In spite of the prevailing stagnation of women products, Mauritanian women did not forsake their Eid purchases, especially the ever popular henna skin dye, that "turns women into beauty queens". Henna, which is drawn in a range of patterns and shapes, has always been a favourite among Mauritanian women, careful to have the dye applied on their hands and legs on occasions like Eid and weddings. This phenomenon caused the henna market to flourish while boosting the earnings of henna artists in women’s beauty salons. Merchants in men's clothing, known locally as Daraa meaning "loose" said: “The atmosphere of Eid is one of happiness and joy for Mauritanian families. So many families come to the market during Eid to buy clothes and toys for children to bring a smile to their faces”. “The market saw a huge decrease in sales in comparison to previous Eids,” said a merchant, adding: “The low availability of spending money contributed to the decrease in sales.”