Market

This morning I rode the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Bus to the Les Caisses, east of Place Rimbaud on the edge of the African Quarter, named after the ramshackle and numerous crates that make up the market. Many stalls sell almost identical products, but prices and quality vary greatly. Bargaining is very much the order of the day. The market is open 8am to noon and 4 to 8 pm every day except Friday.

This is Mahmad, a 12 year Djiboutian boy, whose mother made and sold baskets at the basket market. When it became obvious that I wasn't interested in buying any baskets, Mahmad took upon himself to be my "security". He kept the other Djiboutians trying to haggle their goods from bothering me as I took photos of the market. He would yell at them in Afar, then turn and grin at me and tell me that he was my "security". What surprised me with Mahmad, was that he spoke remarkable English for a local Djiboutian. He said he spoke English, French, and Afar. He said he didn't have school on Saturday, but classes resumed on Sunday. He said he took 6 classes.

Like the country's political system, the educational one is largely French-inspired. Primary schools accept children from the age of six. From the age of 11 pupils join a secondary school, where at the age of 15 they choose in theory between a vocational education and an academic one. A few students in the latter category can sit for the university entrance exam. Djibouti has no university, so students much apply for places abroad, most often in France. Technical training is also basic, leaving the workforce with a serious shortage of skills.

Education is free in Djibouti, but is not compulsory. the small percentage of children going to school (just 39% attend primary school and 14% attend secondary school) live in the towns. In the country, children continue to tend the herds of their nomadic families. Djibouti's statistics for education are far below the African average. Roughly 66% of the working population can read, but a tiny 4.5% can read and write. Mahmad appeared proud of his education, but unfortunately his opportunities appear limited.