Madagascar: an opera for the protection of fauna and flora
The opera "Hazo Aina", on the initiative of renowned artist and valiha player, Rajery, tells the damage of climate change in Madagascar.
(File image) © Laetitia Bezain/RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Hazo Aina
or "
tree of life
", initiated by the musician Rajery (winner, in 2002, of the Prix RFI Musiques du monde), was played outdoors in the center of Antananarivo, the capital, on Sunday afternoon.
A committed opera on the consequences of climate change and the urgency of preserving the natural resources of the Big Island as it has been affected in recent weeks by a series of fires in its protected areas and national parks.
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With our correspondent in Antananarivo
,
Laetitia Bezain
Informed amateurs, simple passers-by and walkers.
Rajery, surrounded by artists like Mily Clément, the group of young singers Zaza Kanto, Bakasialy or even Tahina Carine, brought together spectators from all walks of life.
Nala, a housewife, hugs her grandson.
"
They tell us to stop burning the forest, because otherwise our children will no longer have a legacy on Earth,
" she said.
I want my grandson here to be able to see our forests and the animals that inhabit them.
There are people who think that crops don't grow without slash and burn even though that's wrong and every year it gets worse and worse.
I think Rajery, the singer who plays the valiha, is well placed to talk about it.
Officials here are just shifting the blame between themselves.
“
We destroy ourselves
”
More and more intense cyclones during the rainy period, thousands of hectares of forests and savannas reduced to ashes in this dry season.
The stories told by the artists resonate all the more with the people of Tananarivo as the capital regularly suffocates under clouds of smoke from bushfires, testify Sandy, 18, and Nambinina, 25.
“
These fumes cause a lot of illnesses in Antananarivo.
We destroy ourselves
,” says Sandy.
"
Even if there is a lot to change, raising awareness in this way is very useful
," adds Nambinina.
Artists are everywhere and can reach many more people.
It gives hope and motivation.
»
Supported by the French Institute of Madagascar, this opera has crossed several regions of the island for a year.
►
To read also:
Madagascar: the exhibition "Maina" testifies to the drought which strikes the Great South
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