Comparing the Themes of Aminata Sow Fall's The Beggars' Strike with the Realities of Street-Begging in Nigeria

This study explores the thematic parallels between Aminata Sow Fall’s "The Beggars’ Strike" and the lived realities of street begging in contemporary Nigeria. This is with the use of postcolonial theoretical framework. Begging, as both a socio-economic condition and a religious symbol, reflects deeper systemic inequalities rooted in colonial legacies, institutional decay, and social marginalisation. The research critically analyses the novel's portrayal of beggars as essential yet socially ostracised individuals. Hence, highlighting how their exclusion reveals contradictions in postcolonial moral, political, and religious systems. In parallel, the study reviews scholarly literature on the causes and persistence of begging in Nigeria, focusing on poverty, inadequate education, religious norms, and policy failures. Using textual analysis, the study identifies how Sow Fall’s narrative critiques elite hypocrisy and the commodification of suffering, which aligns strongly with Nigeria’s own socio-political context. Through the lens of postcolonialism, the paper interrogates power dynamics, systemic neglect, and the constructed “otherness” of beggars. This comparative analysis reveals how literature not only mirrors societal issues but also challenges dominant narratives that perpetuate social exclusion. The study recommends a multi-dimensional approach to tackling begging in Nigeria.