Malagasy Crafts —
Art, Tradition & Makers
From the aluminium workshops of Ambatolampy to the sculptors of the Zafimaniry forest — four encounters with the living crafts of Madagascar.
Aluminium casting —
sculpting the everyday
An endemic practice from Ambatolampy, 70 kilometres south of Antananarivo — recycled aluminium finds its second life in objects that range from the kitchen pot to finely decorated artistic pieces.
Aluminium casting is one of those crafts you notice the moment you step into Malagasy daily life. Whether in roadside workshops, bustling market stalls or artisan cooperatives, the same fundamental gesture repeats itself: metal recovered from worn car bodies, drink cans, window frames — even debris from old aircraft — is melted down and reborn in an entirely new form.
Aluminium is not produced in Madagascar, but it has been recycled there for generations. Once melted at 660 degrees, this lightweight metal is poured into sand moulds shaped by hand, forming everything from everyday cookware to ornate decorative pieces. The result is a craft that is simultaneously industrial and intimate — each cast object bearing the marks of its maker.
The Heritage of the Great War
The history of the aluminium foundry in Ambatolampy comes from a quite incredible story: It all began with a man named Randriatoanina, the first generation of the Ramanantoanina Family from Ambatolampy. He was mobilised during the Second World War on the side of the Allies where he began working in metal welding for weapons. He came back to the island, and faced another war — now against the French, the insurrection of 1947 — where he was accused of taking part in a patriotic uprising. During that period, it is said that he provided the revolters with guns he made with his European experience in welding.
On returning to Ambatolampy, he began to experiment: melting scrap, shaping the sand, casting the metal. His first pieces were rudimentary, but one could get rice cooked. Within a few years, the technique spread across the whole neighbourhood, then the whole town, then the entire island. What a soldier had brought back from the war would go on to revolutionise the daily cooking of millions of Malagasy households.
Fish that share the same pot can only yield the same broth.
Those unwilling to spend on a lid eat poorly cooked rice.
Life is like the steam that escapes from the pot — by the time you notice it, it is already gone.
Broken tripod, tilted pot.
The raphia,
fibre of an entire island
An endemic palm with giant leaves, raphia grows slowly along rivers and in the wetlands of the west. Its fibres, washed, dried and hand-dyed, have woven Malagasy daily life for centuries — and today captivate fashion houses the world over.
The raphia palm — Raphia farinifera, or rofia in Malagasy — is one of the most remarkable endemic palm species in Madagascar. Its name comes from the Greek raphis, meaning "needle," referring to the elongated shape of its fruits; farinifera, meaning "flour-bearing," evokes the starchy pulp of its stem. It can reach ten metres in height, and its leaves, among the longest in the plant kingdom, are its most immediate signature.
Raphia grows slowly. Only after about ten years can craftspeople begin to harvest its leaves, between October and May. The first fruits, in clusters, do not appear until around the twentieth year. This slow rhythm gives the plant a particular value: each fibre is the result of years of patience before any human work can even begin. The leaves are washed and dried repeatedly until the fibres become supple and strong, then dyed in vivid colours.
The Zafimaniry,
sculptors of the forest
South of Ambositra, in villages perched at 1,900 metres altitude, an entire people has been carving wood for centuries. Their geometric patterns cover everything from spoons to houses. In 2003, UNESCO recognised their art as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
To reach Antoetra, the emblematic Zafimaniry village, you must set off from the Ivato centre and tackle 25 kilometres of track. The journey is slow, sometimes bumpy — but for anyone with a feeling for woodwork, every jolt is forgotten upon arrival. The village opens onto a world apart: houses assembled entirely without a single nail, windows and doors covered in chiselled patterns, craftsmen at work in the golden afternoon light.
The Zafimaniry have practised wood carving for generations, passing their knowledge from father to son, from mother to daughter. Each village has developed its own subtle variations, while sharing a common visual language: geometric patterns inspired by nature, symbolic interlacing, rhythmic repetitions reminiscent of woven mats. Visitors are welcomed warmly and can observe — and acquire — the full range of Zafimaniry production.
Pierrot Men —
Seeing Madagascar
Madagascar's most celebrated photographer. A rare chance to walk beside him — and see the island through his eyes.
Photography in Madagascar is often associated with lemurs, baobab silhouettes and dramatic wildlife — but the island holds far deeper layers, human and emotional, that most images never reach. Pierrot Men has spent a lifetime finding them.
Born in 1954, Pierrot MEN grew up in a very rural area in southeastern Madagascar. His family has Chinese roots: his grandfather immigrated to Madagascar nearly a hundred years ago. From a young age, Pierrot was interested in photography, light, and art. Thanks to friends, he acquired his first camera and gradually built a reputation as Madagascar's leading photographer.
He has a special love for the simple, rural life of his homeland and whenever possible, he travels into the hilly Betsileo region to observe and photograph. "Sometimes I spend an entire day out and don't take a single photo. But I absorb everything with my eyes," he told PRIORI founder Franz Stadelmann.
Pierrot Men has captured the image of Madagascar with his Black and White style and displayed it across the world. He has been honored in countless exhibitions and received numerous awards for it. If you ever come to Fianarantsoa, you might get the opportunity to visit his very modest office in which he has been working for more than 30 years. PRIORI offers a day excursion with Pierrot MEN as part of its customized tours. Naturally, this depends on the photographer's availability.