Streetism as a Social Tragedy in Amma Darko’s Faceless

Abstract

This paper examines the issue of the street child, which has become a menacing characteristic of the modern society with all its vaunted air of sophistication, pride and civilization. Streetism is a worldwide phenomenon. Haunted by poverty, abuse and brutality at home, many teenagers seek comfort in the streets. But the freedom offered by the streets is actually no freedom as the boys become bullies with funny aliases like “Macho” and “Poison” while the girls are either lured or coerced into prostitution with its attendant negative consequences which range from contending with unwanted pregnancies, engaging in abortion to contracting sexually transmitted diseases. In spite of the daunting nature of streetism as a social malaise this paper contends that it is not insurmountable. This is the artistic significance of Kabria’s family and MUTE, the non-government organization saddled with the rehabilitation of street girls. The paper concludes, however, that a lasting panacea to the problem of streetism lies in bringing love back to the family unit, parent’s control of their urge for a robust procreation and responsible government, which should not be found wanting in doing the needful to support planned parenthood organizations, equip welfare homes and equipping law enforcement agencies to create an enabling environment for all citizens.