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Lords & Lemurs: Mad Scientists, Kings with Spears, and the Survival of Diversity in Madagascar

by Alison Jolly

One of the world's poorest countries, Madagascar became a political pawn during World War II, and since then has fought famine, a battle for independence, and, most recently, a civil war over a disputed presidential election. At the island's extreme southern end is Berenty, a private wildlife refuge founded by French aristocrats and home to an uncommon and inspiring coexistence of Western culture, nature, and native traditions. Jolly first came to Berenty as a 25-year-old "with a brand-new Ph.D. and a Sputnik-era research grant" to study lemurs, and upon her arrival met the site's owner, Jean de Heaulme, a sisal farmer. Unlike other colonialists, the de Heaulmes recognized the importance of their surrounding environment and its history, and they forged a strong bond with the Tandroy, local tribespeople who still lived in traditional villages surrounded by thorn walls. The de Heaulmes, in fact, supported the Malagasies' move for independence from the French, and when Jean de Heaulme was jailed, the Tandroy marched on the prison demanding his release. Jolly tells the story of Berenty with wit and surprise and shows how the reserve serves as a microcosm of the world--or what the world can be. --Andy Boynton

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