The Play
Marseilles, May 1827. Local notables were invited by the wife of the Prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône to meet the Beautiful African, a gift from the Pasha of Egypt to King Charles X during a “giraffe dinner”.
The Giraffe (in the …
At the movies
Directors Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie, co-writers and producer at Prima Linea Productions chose to present “Zarafa” to young spectators in the form of a tale. Under the palaver tree, in front of an audience of fascinated children, the village’s …
The avatars of a book
When I arrived in La Rochelle in 2002, I stopped in front of this magnificent giraffe enthroned in the monumental staircase of the Natural History Museum. The wall label claims that it is the “King’s Giraffe”. I know this story… …
ZARAFOLLIES
The fabulous story of Zarafa (1824-1845), France’s first living giraffe, was and remains a source of inspiration for artists. In literature; cinema, theatre, music – she keeps coming back to the forefront because of all the ideals that it galvanizes: …