Wednesday, May 18, 2022 -
This day was the first day of the photography workshop. I returned from the eastern side and the rest
of the participants arrived last night - late. Of the 8 scheduled for the workshop, 4 had Covid issues - 3
caught
Covid in Paris taking a 3-day holiday before coming to Madagascar. And worst of all, Art Wolfe - the
leader/teacher
for the workshop did not make it out of the US. So instead of 10 in the party there were only 5 of us.
We had a late start on the city tour - first stopping by a market - always good for photography.
Peppers
More peppers
A full assortment
A game drawn on the street - looks like celery vs. stones and is called is Fanorona. It is a traditional Malagasy
game,
known as Malagasy chess. This game was used by King Andrianampoinimerina to establish his
strategy for his next territorial conquest. The king was good at this game, if someone could beat him, the
person would receive the rank of a general.
Cathedral Andohalo near the top of the palace hill. The building was started in 1883.
In October 2017, Princess Anne attended a Service of Thanksgiving to commemorate the 200th anniversary
of the Diplomatic relationship between Madagascar and the United Kingdom.
Stained glass from the church. I shot this due to the influence of the French. Madagascar was a French colony
from 1887 to 1958.
After independence, the Malagasy eschewed anything French, however, every day we had fresh croissants and every
menu
was in French. English was not used - printed or spoken.
Oldest part of Analamanga Hill that overlooks the capital city of the Republic of Madagascar, Antananarivo. At
the top
of the hill is the Queen's Palace.
Madagascar was a French colony from 1896 to 1958 when General De Gaulle announced Madagascar's
independence. From 1958 to 1960, there was a transition government; independence was
effective starting from June 26, 1960. That date is celebrated as independence day.