Babar's Kingdom
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Babar's Kingdom, also known in French as Le pays des Éléphants (Elephant Land), is a fictional country in Africa consisting of intelligent elephants, which are usually bipedal and civilized. As its name implies, it is ruled by its first civilized citizen, Babar himself. The political regime seems to be an absolute monarchy, but it is yet unknown whether it is hereditary or elective. The court consists of Royal Princes and Princesses (Pom, Flora, and Alexander) Pompadour (who wears an 18th century wig), and a Prime Minister, the old Cornelius, who also serves, as the occasion demands, as Secretary of Defense and a Minister of Foreign Affairs. There is no known Parliament nor legislative body.
The capital is Celesteville, which was built by Babar and named after his Queen. The name of the city is sometimes used for the country.
The neighbor is Rhino Land, ruled by the tyrannical King Rataxes. The relations between Celesteville and Rhinoland have occasionally flared into war.
[edit] Analysis
The idea of an African going to a Western City and then returning home to pursue an aggressive policy of Westernisation is seen by some as the author's idealized view of colonization. The elephants' happy acceptance of their new culture and roles in society stands in marked contrast to much of the actual French colonial experience. Still, later in the series this aspect of Babar's Kingdom is played down. For instance, the rhinos also seem to have a Western culture, but no backstory is given of Rataxes also denying his native roots. In the movie, this idea was abandoned altogether, resulting in the rather glaring continuity paradox of Babar growing up in anthropomorphic Celesteville, then falling in love with Celeste and making her his queen.
