Market scene
Madagascar,  Photographing Public Art,  Weekend Coffee Share

Another side to Madagascar

December 9, 2023 / 34 Comments

Of course Madagascar is a wonderful place in which to see unique animal species, iconic baobabs and beautiful landscapes. But it’s also home to diverse communities of people. It would be a shame to come here and not see something of their lives too, as well as those of the wildlife.

Different parts of the island were settled at different times by traders and migrants from various regions of the world. People from Polynesia, Indonesia and south east Asia were among the first to arrive, landing on the west coast. A majority of today’s Malagasy are descended from them. Later, in the 7th century, the Omanis established trading posts along the northwest coast and introduced Islam. And later still Bantu people from Africa arrived, some as settlers and some probably brought here by slave-traders. Their descendants are found mainly in the north, giving those regions, even today, a far more African vibe.

Life in Antsiranana

We had already seen something of life in the capital, Antananarivo (aka Tana). When we flew north to Antsiranana (still often referred to by its colonial name of Diego Suarez) we found ourselves in a very different world. We had left Tana early, soon after six AM, when it was still pleasantly cool. We landed two hours or so later into tropical heat and humidity. One of the first things our new guide Laurent told us was that in Diego Suarez everyone takes a siesta between midday and three. Shops close, the streets empty and work stops. Consequently our city tour would be in two halves, with a break at our hotel for lunch and a rest between them. As someone who struggles with hot temperatures I wasn’t sorry to hear this!

Different too were the faces on the street and the style of dress, with far more African textiles. And the old cars serving as taxis in Tana were replaced by tuk-tuks here.

We spent the morning mainly outside the city, visiting the so-called French Mountain to see its baobab trees and coastal views. I’ll save that for a future post perhaps (although one of those trees has already featured here). Today I want to show you around the town proper.

Market scenes

We’ll start in the extensive market, where Laurent (in the check shirt in my feature photo) escorted us on a thorough wander. I do love a market when I travel. It’s a great place to get a feel for a country, not just its food but its culture and people too. And this one was no exception.

The market was very busy, and Laurent had warned us to be on our guard against pick-pockets. But we didn’t encounter any trouble and on the whole people seemed friendly. I shot plenty of photos ‘from the hip’ and also asked permission for a few others.

You’ll spot a few women with a yellow paste smeared on their faces. This is the pulp from a particular wood which they grind with water and use as sun protection and skin softener.

Street art

I had read that Antsiranana / Diego Suarez (I’ll use the latter name from here on) had plenty of street art so I was keen to see and photograph some. Laurent took us to one particularly impressive mural, and I spotted some other pieces around town, but on the whole there was less than I’d hoped for.

Along the Rue Colbert

The city’s location on a strategic bay meant that this was the first part of Madagascar to be colonised by the French, in 1885. Queen Ranavalona III was forced to sign a treaty ceding the bay and surrounding area to the French after defeat to their invading troops. The rest of the island followed, and it remained under French control until 1960. The influence of the colonial architectural styles can still be seen in the city centre.

Building with arcade and balconies
Dilapidated building with arches and balconies
Worn-looking building with a balcony

Commonwealth War Graves

After the fall of France to the Nazis, Madagascar came under the control of Vichy France. The Allies feared that they might allow the Japanese Navy to build submarine bases in this strategic bay. This would potentially have cut off British supply lines to Egypt, and to remaining Asian possessions. By early April 1942, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill was convinced of the need to capture Diego Suarez. Operation Ironclad was launched to take the city and secure the bay for the Allies. From here they continued to attack the Vichy forces and eventually to take the island, handing it to Free French control in 1943.

But the battle here had already taken its toll. After three days of fighting, the British and Commonwealth forces assaulting Madagascar had lost 107 men in action. A further 108 died from disease and 280 men were wounded. 116 casualties of Operation Ironclad are today buried in Diego Suarez’s Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery.

Lines of graves and a flame tree
Man and woman sitting on the grass in a cemetery
Line of tombstones
Tombstone of unknown soldier

Hôtel de la Marine

I was very taken, from a photographic point of view, with the ruins of the Hôtel de la Marine not far from our own hotel. According to Laurent this was once one of the grandest hotels in the city, and it looks it. It has clearly fallen on hard times, however. I hope someone will come along and rescue it; in the right hands it could look amazing!

Shell of a building with frieze above the windows and palm trees in front
Detail of frieze on a ruined building
Shell of a building with arched windows and palm trees in front

It’s been too long since I shared any public art with Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share but I think there’s enough here to merit a link.

I visited Diego Suarez in November 2023

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