"Makongo" or the time of the caterpillars
Audio 19:30
At dawn, the children of the village of Mokinda scour the forest in search of caterpillars which will be used to pay their school fees.
© Carol Valade / RFI
By: Carol Valade Follow
20 mins
Grand Reportage takes you to the Central African Republic, in the heart of the deep forests in the east of the country.
In Lobaye, a region relatively untouched by the recent security crisis, the rainy season from July to September rhymes with the caterpillar season.
While the sky pours torrents of water on the equatorial forest, the butterfly larvae grow in the shelter of the trees and feed on leaves until they take the size of a finger.
When the rays of the sky come to dry the tops, the very plump caterpillars fall naturally under the effect of their own weight.
You just have to bend down to pick them up.
A financial and nutritious windfall for a country suffering from episodes of chronic food insecurity.
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"Makongo" or
the time of the caterpillars,
a great report by Carol Valade, with the participation of Clément di Roma, director: Laurie Plisson.
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Central African Republic
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Central African Republic: caterpillars against malnutrition [3/3]
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Central African Republic: the social caterpillars of Mokinda [2/3]
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Central African Republic: the race for caterpillars in the forests of Lobaye [1/3]