This is my last mural of this episode on the island of Maoré. My pupils chose the word “Maungadunia”, the Maoré word for “youth” and wanted me to paint it on the most visible wall of the village. Local tales stress the importance of trusting the younger generations and pushing them forwards. This word was chosen by the youth, for the youth. They face many challenges especially since there aren’t enough schools on the island for every child to be able to attend full-time. Some kids get to secondary school but still can’t read or write. However, they’ve shown me great willingness to learn, and they’ve put in so much hard work while painting with me, that I leave Maoré with a lot of hope!

Big thank you to Juliet, Nafissa and Julian and the ARLL! Marahaba to the inhabitants of Ongojou!