Ambatolahy, Madagascar. Zara Farassel, mayor of Ambatolahy municipality in the Ihorombe plateau, wears a pendant celebrating the zebu. For the Bara ethnic group, living in the southern part of the central plateaus of Madagascar, zebus are integral to the community's economy and culture.
Madagascar, The Trees of Discord (2024)
Land Grabs and Carbon Credits in Madagascar
Ivaro West, Madagascar. An aerial view over the land surrounding the village of Ivaro West where an Italian multinational started a forestation project to obtain carbon credits.
Mahavondraky, Madagascar. Meky Eduar (center) is the lonaky, or traditional chief, of Mahavondraky village (near Satrokala). Eduar shows some of the agreements and memorandum that the residents signed with a Italian multinational company: most are in French which they cannot understand.
Ivaro West, Madagascar. The school of the village is rarely working because the administration does not have the money to pay teachers. The company, to buy the favor of the residents who surrendered their land, bought six desks for the school.
Ambatolahy, Madagascar. Mourasoa, Baby Haja Lalaina’s uncle, stands next to one of the hut the family built on their land, out of fear the Italian company might decide to seize the land they refused to surrender.
Nanarena, Madagascar. A shrinking pond due to climate crisis.
Nanarena, Madagascar. The Ishasa family fish in a pond where they harvest fish. They complain that due to water scarcity the fish is scarcer.
Satrokala, Madagscar. Near a pond where women washed them, clothes are left to dry in the sun.
Andiolava, Madagscar. The zebu market in the rural town of Andiolava is held every two weeks. Buyers and herders gather to check the cattle and negotiate the price.
Ambatolahy, Madagascar. Rabega lies on the grass while attending the family zebus’ herd. Like most youth in the area, he learned how to attend the herd as a kid. Rabega fears that as a result of land grabbing the family will not be able to herd zebu as they have always used to do.
Ambatolahy, Madagascar. In the Ihorombe plateau, Southern Madagascar, the perennial bunchgrass known as horo (from which the region took its name) is the main food for zebus’ cattles.
Andriabe, Madagascar. A Bilo ceremony, a healing ritual, for 24 women of the community, is practiced in the presence of all the elders of the community. Hundreds of people from the surrounding villages gathered for the occasion. In Ihorombe the Bara form
Ambatolahy, Madagascar. Hery, an agrarian technician form the Agriculture department in Ihosy, is re-drawing by hand a map of Ambatolahy municipality. Due to the lack of resources by the administration, and the customary use of the land overlapping with recent national reforms, land ownership in Madagascar is sometimes unclear, and can easily be the source of conflicts.
Ambatolahy, Madagascar. Lamina, the oldest woman in Ingahy Rizy’s family, prepares breakfast for everyone, before everyone attends to their daily chores. The family is worried by the arrival of foreign companies on their land.
Antsirabe, Madagascar. A zebu horn is ready to be washed in preparation of it being used for the production of some artifacts, in the atelier of Mami Nirina.