A few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit Madagascar as a guest of Fair Trade Tourism (FTT), a non-profit organisation that promotes responsible tourism.
It’s an astonishing place with varied people and landscapes. I spent time on the pretty white sands in the south, which was a scene right out of a postcard. I also explored the capital, Antananarivo, which was a mix of all sorts of people, from all income brackets and walks of life, living besides one another; and other nuances and things that had me gaga.
Oh, and by the way – there are no penguins in the country.
Here’s a visual telling of what I saw.
I had a friendly exchange with this fisherman after taking a break from the van (not sure what to call it) in front of him. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
I have never had so much fun taking an image. The child in me played with these awesome three at the beach, and this image sort of captured it. The wonder of our world…
Learnings from our Gods: Mother and Child seen here preparing lunch. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
Ugogo sorts a batch of rice for her family under the afternoon sun.
Cobbled roads. Blue doors, open hearts, green trees, and children play in Akamosoa, in Antananarivo. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
There are so many children in Madagascar, so many little souls. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
Markets like these line the national roads, selling the freshest foods – hipsters would call this organic.
Mother and child sorting rice. Lets talk about how wonderful this world is! Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
A girl sits in class at a school in Andonaka village. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
We call them spaza shops here. And there are very many in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
All we had were our eyes. English is very hard to come by, but its always amazing what eye contact can achieve. He gave a gentle nod, and I was permitted to take this portrait. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
Let’s talk about this scene: just some zebu (type of cattle and shepherd), the dipping sun and white sand, and a tree leaning in as if to greet.
Fisherman at Salary bay walks towards his boat at sunset.
I headed to Ankazomanga, the ‘dodgy part of town’ – Avotra, my city guide’s words – and got a buzz cut. This is the view from outside the salon. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
She just stared. I smiled from deep in my heart, pointed at my camera, paused… and she nodded in approval. Her expression never changed. But we both understood. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
Koba: thick rolls of sweetness made from ground peanuts, rice flour and brown sugar.
Let’s talk about this scene: just some zebu (type of cattle and shepherd), the dipping sun and white sand, and a tree leaning in as if to greet. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
Scenes like this of women sorting rice aren’t unusual in Madagascar. Photo by Vuyi Qubeka.
Peta. My favourite part of this trip (and it was an epic journey) was meeting this soul sister. We’ll be friends for a long time.
Misaotra (thank you) Madagascar!
Read more from this story in the November 2015 issue of Getaway magazine.
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