Derived from the Hausa word meaning "North Wind" the Harmattan refers to the dry, dust laden winds that originate in the Sahara. Starting in the dry season these winds blow throughout the West African region from January to March. Visibility becomes limited to a few hundred meters, often reported to cloaking the landscape in a strange orange glow.
The dust seeps everywhere, a fine powder that coats everything without and within the house - curtains, walls, furniture, the inside of the car, your lap top, camera, drying everything including your nostrils causing nose bleeds!
But the Harmattan is in fact the bearer of glad tidings, heralding the fact that a season has turned and next, the coming of the rainy seasons.
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