Friday 4 February 2011

Photo Friday: Harar schoolyard

On February 20 I'm heading to Harar, Ethiopia, to spend two months living in that wonderful medieval town and learning about its culture and history. Today's photo is of a schoolyard in Harar I took last year. The town is fairly prosperous so the kids get a nice playground and school uniforms.

I like the educational paintings on the walls. This is very common in Ethiopian schools. Has anyone been to schools in other African nations? I'm wondering if it's done all over the continent. You can see some English, some Harari writing, and on the left some numbers. These are the same types of numbers the Arabs use, and is one of many Arabic influences on Harari culture. The "Arabic" numerals we use in the West were developed by the Arabs, but then they switched to these.

Anyway, I have to get back to finishing my next book otherwise I won't be boarding that plane. see you on Monday!

2 comments:

Donna Volkenannt said...

Hi Sean,
As always, another fascinating post. Stay safe on your journey.
Donna V.
http://donnasbookpub.blogspot.com

Conda Douglas said...

I'll be looking forward to your posts from Africa.

Looking for more from Sean McLachlan? He also hangs out on the Civil War Horror blog, where he focuses on Civil War and Wild West history.

You can also find him on his Twitter feed and Facebook page.