Africa's history is rich but often poorly documented [1]. To fill these gaps in Madagascar, the civil society has started a project digitally archiving [2] its historical events.
With the same desire to honor and archive Madagascar's history, two Facebook pages are archiving vintage pictures of the cities and the Malagasy people: Madagascar Hier [3] (Yesterday's Madagascar) and Il était une fois Madagascar [4] (Once upon a time in Madagascar) [both links fr].
Here is a round-up of some of the pictures posted on these pages that not only depict a not so distant past, but also fuel nostalgia for a simpler time, when poverty and the hardships of daily life seemed less obvious. To view more pictures, visit the archives’ Facebook pages.
Archival photos of Antananarivo, the capital
The Garden of Andohalo
[5]Garden of Andohalo [5] [fr] in Antananarivo via Madagascar Hier
[6]The University of Ankatso in Antananarivo
The Zoma street market
[7]The Zoma street market via Il était une fois Madagascar
Archival photos of the east-coast city of Toamasina
[8]Toamasina, Rue du commerce
Young Betsimisaraka girls
[9]Young Betsimisaraka girl
Archival photos of the west-coast city of Mahajanga
[10]Mahajanga seashore – Boulevard Poincaré
Archival photos of the city of Fianarantsoa in southern Madagascar
[11]Fianarantsoa city hall
Antandroy dancers, southern Madagascar
[12]Antandroy dancers in southern Madagascar
Archival photos of the city of Antsiranana, northern Madagascar
Cap Diego
[13]Antsiranana – Cap Diego
Imagery from the colonial war of 1895 in Madagascar
[14]Illustration in the Petit Journal about the colonial war in Madagascar
These two initiatives, as well as other projects striving to preserve Malagasy history, are worthy of note. Readers also provide these pages with pictures of other regions.