Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
concertsandcinemaarefree(filmsareeitherinFrenchorinEnglishwithFrenchsubtitles):
just get yourself a drink at the bar and settle down for the night.
Hôtel Le Glacier LIVE MUSIC
(admission Ar3000; Ave 26 Juin 1960) This slightly disreputable bar has cabaret, bands
and traditional music performances every night of the week; it's always full and the atmo-
sphere is good.
ANN HARIVOLA RAKOTONDRAZAKA, ARCHAEOLOGIST &
GUIDE
Ann is an erudite guide specialising in cultural tours in and around Tana.
CULTURE VULTURE
I love the program at Institut Français, there are some wonderful shows. The
Centre Culturel d'Art et d'Archéologie (Ave de l'Indépendance; 9am-5pm
Mon-Fri) is also good: it's a small place but one of the few where you'll find in-
formation and artefacts from the country's various archaeological digs.
ESCAPE FROM THE CITY
I like going out to Ambohirabiby in the north and Ambatolampy in the south.
Both places are beautiful and rich in history. At the weekend, there are good
hira gasy (music, dancing and storytelling spectacles) in the surrounding areas.
THE MALAGASY & DEATH
For many Malagasies, death is not the end per se. It's a passage between life on
earth and life beyond. Many believe that life beyond is permanent, which is why
you'll see families with small houses but massive stone tombs. Famadihanas
(exhumations and reburials, literally 'the turning of the bones') allow those liv-
ing on earth to communicate with those living beyond. Famadihanas are very
happy occasions for Malagasy families, and a huge undertaking: a zebu (do-
mesticated ox) costs €500 to €800 and a silk shroud for the bones costs about
the same.
Institut Français PERFORMING ARTS
( 22 213 75; www.institutfrancais-madagascar.com ; 14 Ave de l'Indépendance; Sep-
Jul) Antananarivo's foremost cultural venue hosts excellent concerts, theatre events, dance
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