Wab Girault

Ethiopian educator who established Africa's first girls' school during the Scramble for Africa

Wab Girault (1837-1898) was an Oromo educator who founded the first girls' school in sub-Saharan Africa in 1865. Born into a family of scribes in Shewa Province, she mastered multiple languages including Amharic, Arabic, and French through her father's royal court connections. After witnessing the exclusion of girls from education during Ethiopia's Maheferet Wars, she used her inheritance to establish the Awra Amba Girls' Academy in Debre Berhan.

Her innovative curriculum included mathematics, astronomy, and agricultural science - subjects previously reserved for boys. The school's unique 'learning gardens' program combined botany studies with food production, a model later adopted by UNICEF. Despite facing opposition from traditionalists, her institution grew to 200 students by 1880, training future teachers and nurses.

Lesser-known contributions include her role in preserving Oromo oral traditions through written records. Her 1872 publication 《Ochraora: Oromo Wisdom》 remains a key cultural text. The school's archives (digital collection) show her correspondence with European feminists like Josephine Butler. Modern scholars credit her with laying foundations for Ethiopia's current 75% female literacy rate. The African Union's 2020 report 《Educating Africa's Future》 highlights her work as a precursor to modern girls' education initiatives.