Zarafa [DVD]

Who was Zarafa? She was a 19th century giraffe born in the Sudan who lived the whole of her adult life at le Jardin des Plantes in Paris (the world’s oldest municipal zoo). She was a curiosity, a traveller, a cultural ambassador, a gift from the Egyptian Pasha to the King of France, the first giraffe ever seen by millions of French people. She was adored and cherished, and she even set fashion trends.In his book, “Zarafa: The True Story of a Giraffe’s Journey from the Plains of Africa to the Heart of Post-Napoleonic France” (1998), author Michael Allin writes:“She became a sensation in Paris where glamorous women imitated her with their hair styled high a la Giraffe, and in the streets and salons men wore fashionably giraffique hats and ties. Now remembered as a beautiful but vague legend, France’s first living giraffe was a national icon, the envy of Europe, the subject of songs and poems, music-hall sketches and political allegories, and the namesake of public squares, streets and inns.”She was a star, a celebrity who ate tree leaves, but she was forever modest, taking it all in her stride. And stride she did, walking all the way from Marseilles to Paris in May and June of 1827. She walked with grooms and handlers, with three milk cows who provided her with fresh milk every day, and with the eminent Etienne Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire, the greatest French naturalist of his time.But how did this happen? How did a baby giraffe born at Sennar along the Blue Nile in the Nubian Desert of Sudan travel all the way to Paris (a journey of over 4,000 miles), and why?This colourful, wonderful French animation is of course a fictionalised account of Zarafa’s journey, but there are elements of truth in it. She did indeed reach Alexandria at the mouth of the Nile where it spills into the Mediterranean Sea. But she didn’t do it on foot with camels and people as shown in this film. Instead, she went all the way down the Nile from Khartoum aboard a ship specially kitted out for her (she stood below deck with a hole cut in the deck from which her neck and head could protrude).She travelled with Hassan, a Bedouin Arab hired for the task by the Pasha, as well as with Hassan’s assistants. Here in this film his unusual assistant is a 10-year-old Sudanese boy named Maki who more or less adopts Zarafa when her mother is shot and killed by an evil slave trader named Moreno. Maki vows to Zarafa’s dying mother that he will never leave Zarafa, guarding her with his own life. Hassan finds Zarafa wandering in the desert with Maki and tells Maki to return to his local village. Zarafa will go on a long, arduous journey by order of the Pasha — too long and arduous for Maki to follow. But Maki has taken his vow and refuses to take no for an answer. He cannot go back on his word. So he follows Hassan and Zarafa through the Nubian Desert, Hassan leading Zarafa on a leash tied to Hassan’s camel, Ben Hur. A cow travels with them as well, providing fresh milk for Zarafa daily, as she’s still a baby mammal less than 18 months old and thus cannot eat plants and leaves yet. Maki follows behind them on the back of another cow.Through many adventures over several months they reach the sparkling city of Alexandria which shines like a jewel in the hot sun. But the splendid city is under siege, harbours to the city blocked by Turkish warships. How can Zarafa get to France?In truth, of course, she arrived in Marseilles by ship after a long sea voyage. But in the film she reaches France in a highly unorthodox way — via hot-air balloon. An eccentric Frenchman named Malaterre owns the balloon. He has been using it for observational purposes to help the Pasha struggle against his enemies.Hassan, Maki and Zarafa arrive at the palace of the Pasha. Zarafa is greeted as an honoured guest, everyone touching and petting her. The Pasha is highly pleased as well, observing that Zarafa is strong, healthy and good natured. She’s the perfect specimen he has wanted for the King of France, his would-be ally in fending off the Turks. So Zarafa is partly a political gift, a way of Egypt seeking help from France.The film of course is playful and far-fetched. Hassan, Malaterre, Zarafa and the two cows sail through the air across the Mediterranean. Maki is aboard too as a stowaway, hidden in a bale of hay that is meant to feed the cows. Why a stowaway? Because Hassan has finally put his foot down, insisting that Maki come no farther with him and Zarafa. France — a place Maki has never heard of before — is no place for a 10-year-old African boy. No, Hassan would not hear of it and orders Maki to return home on the back of Ben Hur, Hassan’s hardy camel. But with Malaterre’s help Maki hides in the bale of hay and is bound for France with the others.That is, until the balloon fails to gain height. Too heavy. Too much weight. So Hassan chucks the cows overboard. Next goes the bale of hay, jettisoned despite Malaterre’s offbeat, strange protest. But the cows and Maki will not drown. Instead, they make a soft landing on the deck of a pirate ship. How? Suspend judgement, as this is just a cartoon. At any rate, Maki is safe, and even liked by the pirates because he can sing and dance. The pirates follow the balloon. Why? Because Maki has told them there is great treasure in the basket of the balloon. How great? Greater than gold and silver he tells them, their eyes widening and lips smacking.So that is how Maki and the cows reach Marseilles. Hassan, Malaterre and Zarafa have arrived too.In reality, as previously stated, Zarafa walked the full way to Paris from Marseilles via Lyon. When the party arrived in Lyon more than 30,000 people were waiting to greet her. They marvelled, jostled, and shouted with joy and amusement when she arrived. After resting outside the city for some days the journey re-commenced. Zarafa arrived in Paris on schedule on June 30 after a journey of over 550 miles that lasted 41 days. There she was greeted by over 60,000 wildly enthusiastic Parisians and quickly became the talk of the town.The King and his court were immensely pleased as well. Incredible as it all was, Zarafa’s long and arduous journey was now at an end. Paris was now her new home and she would live there for the remainder of her life.Saint-Hilaire wrote the following in his official report to the King:“The health of the animals [the cows] was in no way altered during the journey. On the contrary, their health was notably strengthened…But principally it is the giraffe whom the journey has marvellously benefited. She gained weight and much more strength from the exercise. Her muscles were more defined, her coat smoother and glossier upon arrival here than they were in Marseilles. She is presently 2.7 metres tall. Also during the journey her ways became more trustworthy. She no longer refuses to drink in front of strangers…and she’s as debonair as she is intelligent.”And so a star was born, an unusual one who thrilled and mystified onlookers. Why is her neck so long? And her legs? And her tongue? How can her heart pump blood all the way up to her head through her long neck, and why doesn’t gravity prevent the blood from rising? Why is she usually so silent but sounds almost like a cow when she cries? Why did God even make such a creature? Whatever for? But these questions, unanswerable as they might have seemed, did not stop people from loving her. ‘Zarafa’ means “charming one” in Arabic and she lived up to her name. Through time she grew taller and heavier as she aged. But she never stopped being charming and adored. Even her long eyelashes added to her beauty and apparent femininity. She lived another 18 years in Paris, dying in 1845. But even in death the French could not let go of her, her body now stuffed and preserved in a natural history museum in France.The film is charming and vividly coloured. It’s probably a film for children, but who among us has completely let the child in us die? Those who have are already dead, or as good as. If you like delightful stories you will delight in this one. I showed the DVD to four classes of mine at a Japanese university more than a month ago and the students are still buzzing about the story of Zarafa. Like most people, they had never heard of her before. But now that they know her most will never forget her.Does it matter that giraffes exist in the world? If you have to ask yourself this question you are not thinking deeply enough with your God-given or nature-given emotional intelligence.

I watched this with my 4 and 6 year olds and they were both rapt. The animation is really beautiful and while the story does cover some quite serious issues like slavery, it is done in a child-friendly way. It also teaches them a bit of history and geography along the way. There is enough humour to keep them interested and the storyline and characters are truly engaging. Thoroughly recommend as an antidote to some of the more commercial animation films out there.

LOved this film so much I have purchased it for the kids to watch over and over again. It captures the children;s imagination and has a lot of life lessons woven into the story. Lovely

Lovely film that is good for adults as well as children .It has many twists and turns that kept me watching despie my initial conceerns that it was a childrens film

Be warned the movie is ok, even nice then the end was heart wrenching sad for my daughter aged 7 who cried ++++.

VERY GOOD FILMS BUT YOU COULD MAKE THE FILMS A BIT CHEAPER TO WHAT THEY ARE

Brilliant

Stunning pictures and quite interesting story, a bit aggressive at times.