The Madagascar 2012 Expedition will follow 14 years of world travel and community projects organised by The Coopers' Company and Coborn School. In 2012 a group of 34 year 12 and 13 students will spend one month in Madagascar, with the aim of completing the building of a secondary school block in the Merina village of Andranosoa. Pupils will also spend time experiencing the vulnerable wildlife, people and landscapes of what is a unique country by travelling to the west coast via a 3 day canoe journey along the Tsiribihina river, visiting the Tsingy de Bemaraha, Kirindy Forest and the Avenue de Baobab. As a team, we are hoping to raise £20,000 to cover costs for the charity project. The aim of this blog is to provide information about Madagascar, the team and the fund-raising project. Please visit the pages shown on the right to learn more about the expedition.

Sunday 26 June 2011

Madagascar Independence Day

Today is Madagascar’s Independence Day. Madagascar gained its full independence on this day in 1960 after 80 years of French occupation. Because of its strategic position, the island changed hands during World War II between the French, German and British armies. Left in French hands after the war, Madagascar was given autonomous state status in 1958. A period of provisional government ended with the adoption of a constitution in 1959 and full independence on June 26, 1960. The Malagasy people celebrate with good food, drinking, and dancing. One of the spectacles of the day is a presentation of ‘Hira Gasy’ which is a musical presentation of Malagasy folklore; in this, singers wearing their best traditional attire combine song and dance with traditional folk tales from Madagascar. This is combined with a speaker who presents each musical number with a piece of poetry or an excerpt from a favorite folk tale.
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