Chapter 567: Technical School for Electricians
Mbeya City.
A brand-new building had just been completed in the city center. A three-story red-brick structure, nearly as impressive as the city hall itself, stood tall and dignified. A large crowd had gathered for the opening ceremony, including officials from the Central Ministry of Industry and many local dignitaries from Mbeya's government.
Amid fireworks and thunderous applause, the ceremony concluded perfectly. The crowd of over a hundred people then began a guided tour of the new facility.
Leading the group was Karls, the building's architect. He eagerly introduced his proud creation: "The entire building has over a hundred rooms, including more than eighty classrooms. It can accommodate thousands of students at once."
As he spoke, he tapped on a wall in one of the classrooms. "These bricks were made at Mbeya's First Brick Kiln—high-grade red bricks. From the outside, the building has a reddish-brown tone. If you stand at the school's main entrance at sunrise, you'll see the sun rise over the red facade—it's a spectacular sight, and one I carefully designed after much measurement and calculation."
"Mbeya is near the equator—you've heard of the equator, right?" Seeing blank stares, Karls realized he was talking to a less-informed crowd. He muttered "ignorant bunch" to himself, then continued, "Forget the equator for now, I'll keep it simple."
"In Europe, North America, and Far Eastern countries, they're all on the other side of the globe. The sun shines from the south to the north—something you're all familiar with. These places are in the northern hemisphere."
"So Mr. Karls, you mean we used to live in the northern part of Earth—the top half of the globe?"
"Yes, that's the idea. Let me show you. This left fist of mine is the globe, and my right hand is the sun. If I hold them side by side, where do you think the sunlight will shine on this 'globe'?"
"Right in the middle of your left hand."
If Ernst had heard that answer, he would've been pleased. It seemed like a meaningless response, but it revealed a significant social issue.
As ridiculous as it sounds, many people in East Africa still struggled to tell left from right. Even in the 21st century, people could get confused about left and right.
Ernst had seen it firsthand. During his college military training, there were always one or two confused recruits messing up left-right commands.
Left and right are conceptual distinctions that matter little in agrarian societies. Directions could be given more generally using the cardinal points.
In Far Eastern rural life, for example, farmers often lacked formal education. Governments historically promoted farming by teaching people how to till the land.
Even Ernst, who had a university education, wouldn't know how to farm—despite being from a rural family. He'd always been in school, never learning the trade.
So his agricultural policies in East Africa heavily relied on professionals, supplemented with some modern knowledge.
Back to left-right distinctions: it's just basic logic. With effort, anyone can learn. After all, there are only two options.
East Africans became familiar with left and right thanks to years of national military education—a major reason for their improved discipline and widespread military literacy.
Karls nodded, "Exactly. The sunlight shines on the center, and it hits the upper and lower halves at an angle. That's why houses in the northern hemisphere are built to face south—for sunlight.
Now, near the equator, the sun shines directly down. Roofed buildings here don't get much light. It's a trade-off—less sunlight, but cooler interiors, which is nice in hot climates.
That's why I designed the electrical technical school using bright interior materials—to make classrooms more open and filled with light.
We also enlarged windows and used openwork structures for better airflow and lighting."
Karls went on passionately, even if his audience understood little of it. They were still impressed.
Indeed, Karls's explanations sounded technical and authoritative. Equator, direct sunlight, openwork design—no one really understood, but it all sounded smart.
He then showed the crowd the entire campus—main building, dormitories, labs, playground, etc.
Though not highly educated, the guests had enough taste to appreciate that the Mbeya Technical School looked well-built and comfortable. Studying here would surely be a joy. Indeed, school was a good thing.
After Karls's introduction, officials from the Ministry of Industry began discussing the school's significance with Mbeya leaders.
"Mayor Enle, let me be clear. Any project assigned to Mbeya is taken seriously by the central government. This technical school is no exception. The electrical industry is one of our top priorities.
The teachers here were transferred from Hechingen Electric Company in Europe—they're rare even over there. You must treat them well. If anything happens to them, and the government investigates, the consequences will be serious."
"Don't worry, Director Hearn. We understand how important the electrical industry is. Since this project is personally overseen by the royal family, Mbeya welcomes it and will treat these European experts with the utmost respect."
"Good. The school's current mission is to train qualified electricians for East Africa—to support and expand our electrical industry. Mbeya is a key industrial city—you must lead by example."
"Rest assured, Director Hearn. We fully support the central government's plans. Last year, we already expanded our copper smelting and cable factories. Based on local copper, rubber, coal, and iron, we're fully committed to this new industry."
"Exactly. That's why the central government placed the school in Mbeya. You're closer to key resource areas than coastal cities like Dar es Salaam or Mombasa—and you can serve both east and west.
Don't underestimate this industry's potential for your city. Right now, Mbeya is East Africa's leading heavy industry base—but that might not last. Matabeleland (Zimbabwe) has even richer coal and iron. Our surveys show greater resource potential there."
"Thank you for the reminder, Director Hearn."
Indeed, future industrial policy in East Africa would likely favor Matabeleland. Today, factories follow the mines—wherever the raw materials are, that's where the factories go.
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