BiblioWeekend 2025: “Words connect worlds”.
Oral tradition plays a fundamental role in the transmission of knowledge and values in Madagascar. Three major forms illustrate this cultural richness:
- The Angano: These traditional tales teach life lessons and moral values. Handed down from generation to generation, they use symbolic characters (animals, spirits, heroes) to illustrate lessons on solidarity, wisdom and prudence. Today, their transmission is evolving with modern media and formal education.
- Kabary: A structured, solemn art of oratory, kabary is used in a variety of contexts (political, family). It is characterized by careful rhetoric, the use of proverbs and respect for social hierarchies. Today, educational initiatives (mpikabary associations, kabary schools, manuals) and digital technology are helping to keep it alive.
- Hira Gasy: A form of popular musical theater, it combines song, dance and speech to convey educational, satirical or political messages. Born in the Highlands, it remains a powerful vector of community expression and a living testimony to Malagasy culture.
These three forms of orality, though distinct, contribute to the preservation of Malagasy identity and the transmission of cultural values across generations. For their central role in Malagasy culture, kabary in 2021 and hiragasy in 2023 have been inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Speaker: Narivelo Rajaonarimanana, linguist, professor emeritus, and former head of the Madagascan section at INALCO. He is also director of the Centre de recherche sur l'Océan indien occidental et le monde austronésien (CROIMA).
Places are limited and booking is obligatory by email to mailto:biblio.meg@ville-ge.chbiblio.meg@ville-ge.ch, specifying your name, first name, telephone number and the number of people accompanying you.