The exam system created by the French is quite complicated. Two to three professors are sent with a heaping pile of papers (an attendance sheet, giant essay sheets, scratch sheets of multiple colors, forms if cheating happens, forms for absences...) to give each exam.
Most of the exams are in essay or long answer form. The students really like to make their exams beautiful, even if they have no knowledge because they didn't study.
This test beautification involves multiple color pens, highlighters and the BLANC-O (or white-out)! It seems to be a universal frenzy for these students to use white-out...but they are not Americans who all bring their own white-out. They are Djiboutians who share the white-out. So, one to five students will bring the blanc-o and as the test nears the end, the students will all throw the blanc-o around the room.
It is like this crazy testing security blanket. Maybe it makes them feel like they can work together and preserve group identity or maybe they feel the need to cover their mistakes or shame with white (which looks no better than a simple line through a word) like Adam and Eve with their leaves. Whatever the reason it is quite hilarious.
