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We did a similar excursion driving from Agadir to Layoune and back. We didn't go too far into Western Sahara because the checkpoints became more frequent and Mo
by yardie 5y ago
We did a similar excursion driving from Agadir to Layoune and back. We didn't go too far into Western Sahara because the checkpoints became more frequent and Morocco really didn't want 2 Americans out there. It was memorable, the heat, the cold, desert vegetation, the powerful Atlantic breaking on the dunes and rocks. And finding surfers in the middle of nowhere on these monstrously massive waves.
I will say Western education massively downplays the actual size of Africa with our mercator maps. As an amateur adventurer it was also the first time I felt really unsafe for my family. Our son was a toddler and being that far away from civilization with an old car that could overheat any moment quietly scared the shit out of me.
- andrewl 5y agoRegarding how hard it is to get a handle on the actual size of Africa, I’ve found The True Size Of (https://thetruesize.com https://thetruesize.com) immensely helpful.
- yunohn 5y ago> I will say Western education massively downplays the actual size of Africa with our mercator maps IME, Western education just about completely downplays everything about the non-West. Geographical size is just one small facet of this.
- mijamo 5y agoI would say nearly all education systems downplays non local history. From my experience most Chinese people don't know much of European history before the 19th century, and most latin Americans know very very little about the two world wars, most Europeans know very little about Asia pre 19th century.
- yunohn 5y agoYes, because in the 15-19th centuries, Europe was busy colonising the rest of the world. This led to an overlap in their histories - something the colonised usually are thoroughly educated about relative to the colonisers. But, in our global zeitgeist, Western culture is quite well known, while other countries' are usually seen through outdated tropes.
- DiggyJohnson 5y ago> because How does this connect with the GP? The commenter you’re replying to is suggesting that we should consider the difficulty/limited bandwidth of approaching history for an entirely global perspective, and that there is a universal tendency for people to focus on their local experience.