Korite

The end of Ramadan is here: Eid-al-Fitr, also known as Korite here in Senegal. Depending on what sect you are or what religious leader you listen to, it could be Saturday or it could be Sunday. In either case, for all those people fasting in this intense heat, relief is here.

As I see our night guard pray facing Mecca, I wonder what his Korite (Kor-ee-tay) will be like. Is it like our Christmas? Last minute gifts for the family and eating too much? Or is it less materialistic and more time spent with the family?

Most everyone will leave Dakar this weekend to go to their home villages and spend time with their loved ones. While this is usually the time to give folks their holiday bonus, PapaGus and I wonder and debate how to proceed. This is our first Korite and we have only second hand experience regarding holiday bonuses. Do you give your night guard money so he can spend it as he wishes (perhaps even on cigarettes instead of his son's school fees) or do you give him a plump chicken, some rice and some flour (knowing this will at least have a nutritional benefit)?

We ended up getting hit up for a loan last night from one of our night guards. It was for approximately $10, but that's a lot of money here. He wanted the money to pay off the balance he owed a tailor. He had ordered a bou-bou (traditional African long flowing gown) for his wife. It was going to cost him $26 and he had already paid $16 but didn't have the balance. Since our friend Steve was over here on his way back to Gabon, we asked him for his advice. We informed our night guard that we had collectively decided to "all pitch in" to give him the extra $10 he needed but it was a special situation since it was Korite. The danger now is running into becoming a small-loan lender without meaning to. Steve told us plenty of stories last night about all the loans he has made over the years to both his personal staff and the night guards (who are employed by a private company).

So, what about the other night guards we have? I gave the weekend guy some dates which is traditional fast-breaking food, as well as a bowl of pasta and meatballs (that's what we had for dinner). But still, I feel bad that one guy gets the cash and the others may get something they don't need or don't want. PapaGus thinks we should give them the food staples; I am leaning more towards the cash just because the first guy already got it out of us. Sure, they may use it for something totally negligible, but they also may use it to pay off a loan, buy medicine for their kid, or to get a gift for their wife. I know that there are all kinds of studies out there that show that men don't invest in the well-being of their families like women do, but still...these guys are earning about $1/hr, working 12 hour shifts doing incredibly boring work. Wouldn't it be nice if just once in a blue moon they had some pocket money to do as they pleased? I just want to do what is right...and that's where I start chasing my tail it seems.