Le blog de Christian SCHOETTL

Forecasting programme for the second Camels and Dromedaries International Festival.

A specific programme will be established for the “ small camelids” by the French association for llamas and alpacas.

For the “hunchbacked”

Craftsmanship:

For this we wish to have animals and their owners from all over France but also Germany, Austria, Belgium and other European countries, for skills displays, to promote public knowledge, and veterinary specificities, so the animals aren't there only for display.

Seminars about destinations, and tourism opportunities in France, Europe and the world.

Seminars about all aspects, from reproduction to usage, history, culture, animal health, and also the outlooks for medicine, nomad traditions.

The first edition of this festival proved that the public was eager for learning and sharing.

It must also be a place for sharing and meeting for all enthusiasts.

Economic Development:

Germany, Austria, Estonia, Lituania, Belgium have started to produce milk, soap and by products.

In this area, a few farms in Germany got the right to sell dairy products for mass distribution.

The idea is to promote and support anyone working around camelids with an economic objective, from tourisme to maintenance of outdoors areas, agribusiness, and animal mediation.

We must work closer with the Chambers for Agriculture, Commerce and Crafts trades. We want to organise an opportunity for the sharing of knowledge more than a simple lunch, as was done during the first edition, but rather with work meetings. The developpements and contacts of the first edition seem to ensure the collaboration of the Consular Chambers, the departement and the region.

We thank the services of the State, the Ministries, for their kind and attentive listening.

Beauty Pageant:

The idea is to create a beauty pageant for the prettiest european camel. It would be helpful for reproduction and breeding. Even if the level is somewhat inferior to the splendid camels from across the Mediterreanean sea. We have requested qualified judges.

This pageant would represent a great emulation between established breeders and would allow for education regarding aesthetic criteria for dromedaries.

The difficult point compared to the first edition is the races. We will organise them only if we can present an event that properly illustrates what those races are. During the first edition what was shown was but a small preview, though forgivable it was insufficient.

When compared to races in Saudi Arabia, we have to step up.

Furthermore, the European public is very concerned with animal welfare and the use of nose rings on camels does not cast a good light on our festival and ought to be proscribed.

For this reason we will organise races if we find partners able to enter them in conditions compatible with the image of the festival.

Nomads Cultures:

in 2020 the UNESCO should have announced the Year for Nomad Cultures, it was delayed by covid.

Nevertheless, the ethnological, craftsmanship and travelling aspects that can be developed through this approach encourage us to resume the search for partnership in this domain. It is our ambition to cover every culture from the Atlantic to the borders of Mongolia.

This programme is immensely ambitious, it rests on the willingness of every one to contribute to it. We now have some experience, and a better knowledge of the logistics.

We believe in it, we are happy to do it, but alone we are nothing.

We do not need to promote ourselves not as individuals nor as an organisation, we have three decades worth of experience to understand that success is built together for the collective interest.

We will strive to find the funds, and to have sufficient logistics. Because our priority is to gather all of you, we are looking for all possible partnerships.  

On the Friday before the festival:

two separate meetings will be held:

we will host themed meetings for the members of the AFLA (French Federation for Llamas and Alpacas)

and

the general meeting for the French Federation for the Development of Camelids in France and in Europe, inattendance of members of the European Federation and foreign guests.