A Sweet Fix with a Bitter Aftertaste
23.02.39
A Sweet Fix with a Bitter Aftertaste A behind the scenes look at the origins of our favourite treat.
By
Alison Lapshinoff
A bus roars away from the station leaving in its wake a cloud of dust. Small, brown faces are pressed against the grimy window, their large, unsmiling eyes watching Sikasso, Mali disappear behind them. Their parents are nowhere to be seen.
Ill-fitting clothes hang on the skinny frame of the small boy back at the station. He appears to be lost and quite alone among the chaos of haggling vendors, roaming chickens and dust. The smell of raw meat hanging in the air brings a growl to his empty belly.
"Are you looking for work?" A tall Malian man approaches the boy. "I can offer you well paid work on the Ivory Coast." The man smiles ingratiatingly. The boy, only 12, comes from a rural village some several hundred kilometres away. If he returns without having made any money, his parents will be upset with him. The West African nation is among the poorest in the world with little to no exports. Children are often required to help support large, hungry families.
Source: Pique newsmagazine