They beg not just to fill their own stomachs but also the pockets of their Qur'anic teachers, or marabouts. Sending children to study under Qur'anic teachers is an old and deeply embedded tradition in Senegal and much of west Africa. Many marabouts do not force them to beg, but talibés in the worst daaras face a daily torrent of abuse. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement"I beg every day; there is never a day off. A talibé walks through the streets of Saint-Louis with his bedding in the early morning.