Resilient Dwellers of Urban “Slums”

What is it about?

This study is an ethnographic examination of how street children in Ibadan, Nigeria struggle to survive on the streets, the sub-cultures that exist among them, the factors that push them to the street, and their communication strategies. We employed micro-ethnography as the research method. In the process, we conducted a total of 34 in-depth interviews and seven key informant interviews among purposively selected street children and stakeholders in Iwo-Road, Ibadan, Nigeria. We found that the street children were aged between 6 and 20 years and relied on hawking, odd jobs and begging as means of survival. The three subcultures we found among the street children are children of the streets, children on the streets and street family children. The children feel abandoned and marginalized. Some of them are likely to end up in crime when they reach adulthood, however, some of the children dream of, and have plans for, a better future. Poverty, dysfunctional families, the death of parents, and the search for excitement were the major factors that pushed the children to the streets. To interact with members of their social context, the children employed different communication strategies such as non-verbal acts, verbal narratives, emotional appeal, dramatisation, music, prayers, and abusive expressions.

Featured Image