(Please note: This article is about professional beggars, those who have turned begging into a profitable business. It’s not, in any way, referring to homeless people. For more information about them, please refer to the conclusion.)
Beggars have become such a common phenomenon in Egyptian society that we now meet them everywhere we go; certain beggars have become part of our daily routine. You might even build personal relationships with the beggars you see regularly on your commute.
Beggars have devised very creative tricks to survive; we can’t help but notice some of their trendy techniques from one street to the next. Like every smart businessman; beggars work hard to improve their business adding drama and depth to make it flourish. Here are some of the different types of beggars you’re bound to see while you’re out and about on the streets of Cairo:
1. The Classic Religious/Homeless Begger:
This is the most common type of beggars and the oldest in the game. It’s usually a man with a misleading beard (you wouldn’t really know if he’s religious or homeless) who offers contineous prayers from the moment he sees you until you walk away (rabena y5aleek ya beih, rabena yekremak ya beih, rabena yorzo2ak ya beih). His persistant prayers are usually accompanied with a resentful look forcing you to hand him any change on you or else you will be cursed for eternity.
2. The Marathon Runner:
This type is almost identical to the previous type, except that he doesn’t easily give up. He follows you around and keeps nagging you (wennaby ya beih, tab ay 7aga), until you have no choice but to accelerate your car. He keeps racing besides the car until he finally loses hope after about three kilometers of keeping up with the car’s speed. If only they used this skill in the Olympic games, they would be world champions.
3. The Polisher
This type usually holds a piece of cloth, and the moment you reach his zone he starts polishing your windshield. He will polish anything and everything; the body of the car, the mirror, your face, your cheeks or anything he can reach until you give him money so that he would go away.
4. The Merchant
This beggar usually offers goods you don’t need and keeps begging you to buy them. The goods vary from completely useless to extremely weird, from flowers and lemons to whips and batons.
5. The Romantic Beggar
This type of beggar chooses his preys wisely. He never approaches you when you’re alone; he usually waits until you are with your girlfriend/fiancee’/friend/crush/any female being (in case of men) and BOOM showers you with (yarab tetgawezha ya beih w teboosak w tegeebo 3eyal w tewalla3 el donia w te3eesho ma3 ba3d w ….) until you’re totally uneasy and praying for him to disappear. You eventually give in or else he might get into more detailed prayers which would be extremely harmful to your relationship.
6. The Addict
This type is relatively rare and only exists in areas where the police is abscent. This beggar usually works while sniffing/smoking his drugs and usually has balance problems. If you do not close your car windows while he’s around, he will probably fall inside your car.
7. The Angry Beggar
This beggar probably joined the business a very long time ago that he got bored and crazy at the same time. He begs one or two times max before he/she starts cursing you and kicking your car until you are out of his range. The faster you run for your life, the better.
8. The Intern
This beggar is usually a young kid who is new to the business; he is still trying to find his way around and experiments with different strategies. He is usually accompanied by his mentor and you will find him confused in his new role. He gets an occasional slap after each failed attempt, but that’s only for his own good.
Let’s be serious for a moment. Lately, begging has become an increasingly alarming issue without any efforts from the government to control it. This community not only begs for money, but also pick pockets, harasses, sells drugs, and much more. It is a huge business that has hierarchies and territories, and if not properly handled any time soon, will bear severe consequences..
On another note, to learn more about the problem of street children in Egypt, please read this informative article, Street Smart complete with a guide of refrences and the best ways to help.
