Regarding what became of Mr. Barrett on his return to Africa - the land of his birth - and providing certain details as to his whereabouts, the status of his health, whether physical or mental, and lastly describing various events & happenings the editor finds appropriate to reveal in promoting the honorable cause of his client.

Mr. Barrett is a Master's International Student at Michigan Technological University. His Peace Corps service in Madagascar will contribute to a degree in Environmental Engineering. The contents of this site are Mr. Barrett's alone and do not reflect the views of Michigan Tech, Peace Corps, or the United States government.

Monday, July 17

Twice now I’ve sat on a stage. Twice I’ve followed the procession, up the cobbled road and through the thick’ning crowd, past the dusty vendors and the butcher’s crimson slabs; all the while the gendarmes, clad in olive green, beat back the crowd with sticks and whistles loud. I am clearly set apart – my skin, my clothes, my countenance – yet I take my place on the stage with the Antanala, men old in rimmed hats, women strong and beautiful; village leaders, families, kings and vagabonds. We are here to listen to a kabary or a few lines of verse, to watch the fokontanys at their dance or sit in awe of the youth and their raw talents. Twice I’ve felt the beat of the African drum; once in my youth at the potter’s hands; once in the fires of the kiln.

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