FACE OF MADAGASCAR

This series seeks to capture Malagasy people, their spirits, and their stories. Look into their eyes. and find yourself lost in the moments and memories.

The front boy is holding a baobab tree statue. In touristy areas, children are often seen selling handmade crafts such as this. Here, the boys found some fun fighting for the camera’s attention.

We met this man along the side of the road while stopping for lunch. When he was young, his family was wealthy selling zébu (cows), but when they passed away, he was left poor and homeless. He has now found work watching over cattle and loves sharing his stories of meeting other foreigners.

Antsirabe is the coldest region in Madagascar, requiring many more layers than the rest of the island. Despite the colder temperatures, families still gather for the fadimahana festival.

A man stands at the entrance of a family tomb in the Malagasy countryside during fadimahana. The festival is dedicated to a family’s ancestors where the buried bodies are removed from the tomb, honored through dance, and returned again.

A large part of the fadimahana festival is dance. Drums and flutes play while children, teenagers, and elders come together to dance.

When we stopped in a small village along our travels, Annabel was immediately drawn to this woman’s soulful eyes. When Annabel showed her the photograph, sh smiled widely.

Whenever we took out our cameras, childern are always the first to come running, flooding with curiosity at seeing themselves on screen. This girl, initially shy, eventually pointed at herself to be photographed.

Two girls pose at the back of our rented 4x4 vehicle. Their confidence in front of the camera is something I hope to emulate myself one day.