Film Premiere in Tana

Started in 2004, the documentary film Voyage of the Vezo, produced by Digital Development Communications was finally shown to the public earlier this year in Antananarivo, capital city of Madagascar. The Vezo (VEHzu) are the costal society of southwest Madagascar whose relationship with the ocean has dramatically fallen out of balance over the past last decades. The film follows a fisherman who embarks on a voyage for 100 kilometers north of his home in Ifaty. Sailing from village to village, he meets shark fishermen, sea turtle hunters, veterans and rookies. As he sails along virgin coastal landscapes, and over the crystal waters of the 4th largest coral reef in the world, his experience provides an intimate view of Vezo society and its delicate relationship with the Tulear Barrier Reef.

Check out the Voyage of the Vezo Official Website to see samples of the movie and learn more about the project.

Tana Jazz Band

It took place earlier this year and was the event of 2007 of the music scene in Antananarivo. A Jazz Big Band was put together to celebrate Valentine's day. The energy and creativity that came out of this unprecendented event was phenomenal. Organized and led by Malagasy singer Anna Razafimbahiny, the show "For lovers only" was a great success and will stay in the mind and hearts of those present. Anna knows how to share her passion for music and offered a show full of love, simplicity and talent. Misaotra betsaka !

Video Clip in Tanà

That evening, Tsiory was going to get his hair cut in a memorable way. As the lead singer of Natikaly an upcoming rap band, and brother of Madagascar's most wanted video clip director, Tsiory wanted this moment documented and part of his latest clip. They called their childhood barber, a couple of friends and gathered to shoot the story of a guy who wakes up in a torture room. Tied up to a chair, he can only sing his rage while having his hair shaved. With Rado behind the camera, what seemed like a messy shoot ends up looking great once edited.
Another fun night in Antananarivo!

Night at Le Bus

When you visit Tanà, make sure you spend at least one evening dancing at the famous disco "Le Bus". Of course music is not top of the top, of course the layout is not the best of the best, but the ambiance is fine andit's a pretty good deal compared to what exists in other towns in the country. Built on two floors, Le Bus also has a little outdoor bar where you can have your 3AM pizza, or chill out while waiting for your friends to finish dancing like crazy. And make sure you stay until sunrise, so you can enjoy the morning croissant, hot and steamy, before you walk home in the desert street of Tanà...

Near Dreams

What is travelling without a good book? And what better reading than the local writers while visiting a new country? As I travel throughout Madagascar, I realize that the choice is immense in terms of oral tradition. More recently I discovered a great poet: Jean Joseph Rabearivelo. He is probably one of the most important of African poets writing in French, considered to be the father of modern literature in his native land. JJ Rabearivelo's writting sounds very modern, though influenced by romantic. While reading his verses, you can almost feel the suffering of cultural clash of an intellectual caught between two cultures in the first quarter of the 20th Century. Inspired by Verlaine or Baudelaire's life style, JJ Rabearivelo followed the "boheme" movement... and lived the poor, suicidal, sick, extravagant life of many artists of his time.

Amongst the several volumes of poetry he wrote, "Near-Dreams" (1934) is really an achievement. First of all, he simultaneously wrote each poem in both French and Malagasy ; second, for a self educated man harassed by colonial authorities and ravaged by drugs, JJ Rabearivelo managed to transcend his passion for French poetry and his deep-felt understanding of Malagasy culture to deliver intense verses.

"Its taste will be sweeter,
because it was pregnant with desire
And with fearful love and scented blossoms -
Pregnant by the love sun."
Pomegranate (lines 9-13)

A true poet in the romantic sense, JJ Rabearivelo wrote beautifuly and lived intensely until his suicide at age 36...

2cv 2 africa

I recently came to realize that the more I travel, the more countries I want to visit. As a traveller, sometimes you meet others who has gone to places you've never been to and they did it by motorbike or on foot, or with a crazy project in mind... I was pretty happy to have walked Madagascar south to north last year until I met Arnoud, who was about to go back to the Netherlands on the same road he drove his bright orange citroen... 50.000km in an old 2CV !

Check out 2CV2Africa website to read about his great project and the list of countries he will be driving through (most of site only available in Deutch). You can browse the photo album of the first part of the trip which corresponds to around 38.000 kms already!!

Arnoud has started driving back from South Africa to the Netherland. If you cross him on his way back and you need a ride, be sure that he will certainly pick you up. This will be a great opportunity for you to ask him about his experience working for Bushproof in Madagascar and his documentary film project.

If you want to learn more about the old French car, check out the Wikipedia's comprehensive database. The 2CV now counts many fans abroad, notably the Citroën Clubs in the USA. You can also visit this site : 2CVs R Us. Finally, enter the world of Citroënthusiasts, become a member of the ICCCR and participate to the next biggest Citroën gathering.

In the early 20th Century, André Citroën said: "The automobile shall be an instrument for the inhabitants of this planet to get to know and respect each other." Arnoud's trip is probably as close as you can get to that quote. And who knows, after peak oil, a generation of solar 2CV will be available to continue the adventure!

Bill & Silk Weavers

His name is Bill. Dot com... Bill Bowles is currently travelling around the world with a camera, a Mac, 2 foldable solar panels and a satelite modem. His project is to remain openned in terms of schedule and countries to visit, but to stick to the routine of uploading several video podcasts per week. And keep you updated on his adventure...

During Bill's visit to Madagascar, he got a chance to meet women involved in cooperative of rural artisans. These Malagasy women are weavers dedicated to preserving and promoting their tradition of handmade, all-natural silk cloths. Some of which suit interactive travellers...

Learn more about the Madagascar based Firaisankina Silk Weavers Cooperative. This project is supported by PRISM - Community Arts.

Support Bill by visiting his website : mynameisbill.com

Tana cab

Back to Antananarivo, literely "the city of thousands". Thousands of what? Well for those who transited through this poorly urbanized city, it could well be a thousand hills or a thousand taxis. I had imagined that Renault 4L and Citroen 2CV, very popular in France in the 50's and 60's were all gone and had been transformed into cooking pans. Actually the paradise of 4L is Madagascar where any old french car can live a second or third life!
Just like the yellow cabs in NY, there are 4L are everywhere crusing the paved and hilly streets of Tana. Painted cream white, revamped with new engines, they'll take you anywhere you need. You'll have to negociate the fare for a couple minutes before you can enjoy the interior decoration made of sticky notes quoting the Bible, newly covered seats and a boom-box that doesn't manage to cover the metalic noise of the broken springs on the pavement.

Forget about the hybrid Toyota you were planning to buy for Christmas. The new cool is the old French car!

more than words

More than words, pictures can sometimes capture in a better way situations, emotions, a look, a smile... And those are plenty when you travel through villages of Madagascar. Just like writting, taking pictures requires a lot of talent to restitute artistically those encounters. Fortunately, we travelled with Nicola Vigilanti, a gifted professional photographer and good friend of ours.

Check out a selection of his portfolio of Madagascar and other places around the world.