Madagascar Culture and Art

Madagascar Culture and Art. Travel Guide Tourism Settlement History Tradition. The people of Madagascar share one culture and language even though the Malagasy people are divided into 18 tribes whose boundaries are based on old kingdoms rather than ethnic characteristics. Most Malagasy are of mixed race but some such as the Merina from the Antananarivo area are predominantly Indonesian in appearance and others like the Vezo of the southwest coast have close ties to eastern Africa and look like black Africans. Music and dance are important aspects of Malagasy lifestyle. Hira Gasy and famudhiana are two of their spectacular ceremonies which celebrate values like honesty and traditional value. These rhythms are accompanied by the flute whistle and valiha an unusual 28-stringed instrument resembling a bassoon