Qur'anic school, headed by a mallam, Kano, Nigeria

The children of the main walled (old) town are largely non-literate, heavily reliant on the old caliphate system of patronage to survive. The family's Islamic education is organized around makarantum Allo (school-of-tablet, Qur'anic school), headed by a mallam who can trace the chain of his tutorship to the first disciples of the Islamic reformer, Shehu Danfodiyo. Emphasis in these schools is placed on rote learning; and sabka 'completion of study' takes place when a pupil's recitation meets a particular standard. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.