Blog from MBP Volunteer, Abby
I am now 2 months into my stay in Madagascar and it’s been a whirlwind. We were lucky enough to be in Kianjavato for “Lemur-O-Rama”, meticulously planned by Susie McGuire of Conservation Fusion(one of MBP’s partners). One of our Simus guides asked me what the meaning of “O-Rama” was? I wasn’t quite sure how to answer since I didn’t know what to expect myself.
The day spoke for itself. Thanks to Susie and her army, we had 150 tie dye t-shirts dispersed throughout the town. They were worn by everyone on the day of the festival including all MBP staff, the team guides, volunteers, local teachers and children in the community. As a result, the day started with an explosion of colour throughout Kianjavato. The children had prepared costumes for the day which were incredible. There were all types of lemur costumes and a dancing chameleon. It showed what an amazing job Susie and her helpers had done visiting the schools. They had inspired them and educated them about the lemurs, their habitat and the biodiversity of the area.
After the parade, the kids performed songs and dances for us at KAFS. After the performances, some of the volunteers started applying lemur-transfers(fake tattoos) which Susie brought along for the children. The children loved them. The volunteers got caught in what seemed to be a never-ending queue of children and a non-stop supply of tattoos.
Everyone did an incredible job in getting involved with the day. There isn’t a day that goes by without seeing a few tie dye t-shirts being worn around Kianjavato or KAFS! Lemur-O-Rama was a great way to end the season…
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