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Youths in Madagascar Invest in Sale of Papal Gadgets

Youths in Madagascar invest in the sale of papal gadgets

By Jude Atemanke

Antananarivo, 07 September, 2019 / 4:00 pm (ACI Africa).

Youths in Madagascar have seized the opportunity of the presence of Pope Francis in their country to invest in the sale of papal gadgets.

“When we got news of the arrival of Pope Francis to our country, we saw an opportunity to make some money. My friend and I decided to invest in producing t-shirts,” Bakary Aulio Haroedi and Philibert Razafindramboa who sell t-shirts on the streets of Ivato told ACI Africa Friday.

“We, first of all, produced 1000 t-shirts which have a picture of Pope Francis. At first, sales were slow but today we sold almost all our stock as the Pope arrived the country,” they added.

With a t-shirt selling at 6000 Ariary (1.2$), these youths revealed they intend to use their profit to produce more t-shirts as sales have doubled.

Bakary aulio Haroedi and Philibert Razafindramboa are just a few out of many youths in Madagascar who used the presence of the Holy Father in the country to do brisk business and make money.

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Ranaonasolo Sarobidy, a weaver traveled from Toamasina to Antananarivo with baskets and hats carrying welcome messages to Pope Francis.

“I used my God-given talent to weave baskets and hats which I sell to Christians and even non-Christians,” she said.

“I made some sales today and I intend to use my profit to pay my school fees,” she stated.

Randriamanlina Bakonirina produced rulers, pens, and bags bearing the picture of the pope.

“I knew it will interest many people to have such items on Pope Francis,” she stated

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“My parents loan me some money for the production of these gadgets, which I have been able to sell” she added.

Catholic youths in the country are also involved in the sale of these gadgets even though from a different perspective.

“Our Parish Priest designated me to distribute flags, stickers, posters, key holders to parishes, for sales” revealed Andrianangaly Setran, an altar servant at the St Therese of the Child Jesus Parish Ivato.

“We sell the gadgets not to make a profit but help our diocese participate in preparations for the visit of Pope Francis”, he added.

Andrianangaly Setran who also heads the Scout movement at Ivato said the diocese of Antananarivo financed the production of the gadgets which are sold at a moderate price.

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“We sell flags for 500 ariary, stickers for 1000 ariary, posters for 1500 and key holders for 2000 ariary, “ he said before adding “all altar servants and scout members are involved in the sales which so far has been very encouraging.”

The sale of gadgets for the Pope’s visit especially in Parishes received the blessings of the organizing committee.

“Each diocese, each parish, each movement, and even Christians have the right after receiving the authorization from the local organizing committee to produce papal gadgets” disclosed Mgr Ludovic, who heads the committee in charge of logistics.

The Vicar General of Antananarivo stated that gadgets were produced for the 800000 pilgrims who registered for the Pope’s visit. These gadgets were distributed to them free of charge.

“We noticed that 800000 gadgets will be insufficient for the entire population of the country, that is why others were permitted to sell these items,” he said.

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Mgr Rabenantoandro revealed priests were instructed to follow up the messages used in these gadgets to avoid messages that will not serve the purpose of the Pope’s visit.

“The messages on these items on sale must be welcoming and friendly because Pope Francis is a messenger of peace and a friend to Africans,” he concluded.

Jude Atemanke

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.