Difficult Circumstances: Some Reflections on “Street Children” in Africa

In Addis Ababa, a 12-year-old boy draws a self-portrait with red and green felt-tip pens as part of a pilot research project. It is a lively picture, using bold lines. He depicts himself with a box of objects in front of him, one hand at his mouth, and wearing a hat. At first glance it looks as if he has drawn himself selling goods on the street, the hat apparently incidental. But his explanation is different. The box contains rotten fruit, he says. He is wearing a hat to hide his face because he is ashamed to be seen eating such a bad food.