Forests, Families, Lemurs, & Guitars: Rights to Madagascar's Resources

A day-long conference and concert addressing the ethical dimensions of conservation and development in Madagascar, specifically the illegal harvesting of precious woods from the island's rain forests. Bringing together scholarship, activism, and art, the conference and concert aim to draw public attention to political, economic, social, and ecological crises in Madagascar; connect the particular crises in Madagascar to broader global challenges, especially in other poor regions of the globe; and educate members of the Duke and Durham communities about opportunities for action to alleviate such crises and ethical challenges that can potentially accompany those actions.Conference organizers: Anne Yoder and Charles Welch, Duke Lemur Center, and Lou Brown, Kenan Institute for Ethics. Funding has been provided by the Duke Africa Initiative, the Office of the Provost, the Duke Human Rights Center at the Kenan Institute for Ethics, the Duke Lemur Center, the Department of Cultural Anthropology, and the David L. Paletz Innovative Teaching Fund. The conference will culminate in a concert by Malagasy musician and political activist Razia Said in Duke Coffeehouse at 7:30pm.