Madagascar Silk Scarves Coming To Festival International
February 14, 2012 9:38 AM 
Katherine Quayhagen graduated from Comeaux High School and Tulane University and is now serving a tour in Madagascar as a Peace Corp volunteer. Upon arriving in Madagascar she was made aware of the silk weaving talents of the natives and thought of a great way to market their skills.
Quayhagen says the natives weave large silk scarves that are used to wrap bodies for burial and then the bodies are re-wrapped with new scarves each year. As a means to raise money for the locals Quayhagen asked them to weave smaller, light-weight scarves as fashion accessories. Once the scarves were crafted Quayhagen decided to ship 1000 of them to Lafayette to be sold at Festival International this year. Of course she discovered the many hurdles of shipping products out of the country. One of the major hurdles is the cost of shipment and associated paperwork. With donations Quayhagen has been able to arrange shipping and the beautiful scarves will be on sale at Festival International this year.
For more information about the scarves and how to donate to this cause listen to the interview:
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