Malagasy Time

Work in progress

A rural village scene with thatched huts and a small market stall selling snacks and beverages. Several children and a woman are gathered around, some standing and others sitting. Green hills and mountains are visible in the background, partially cov
A rural landscape with a house on stilts in the background, green vegetation in the foreground, a young child playing on the dirt ground, and cloudy sky with some mountains in the distance.
Two boys running on a dirt road, one in a light-colored shirt and red shorts waving, with another boy and a girl in the background near a fence and a tree, surrounded by green vegetation.
A man wearing a checkered shirt and straw hat working behind a wooden counter in a small outdoor shop with potted plants and statues, and a green wall.
Two men walking among cattle on a grassy field with mountains and cloudy sky in the background.
Three people, two women and one man, are walking in a grassy area with mountains and fog in the background. They carry umbrellas and containers, and appear to be working or traveling in a rural outdoor setting.
Three children with dark skin and one with light skin, standing outside near a mud house with a bamboo fence, posing and smiling in a sunny environment.
Scenic view of a rural landscape with a wooden frame in the foreground, rolling hills, small buildings, and mountains in the background under a blue sky with some clouds.
Two children standing near a large tree in a grassy field, with a partly cloudy sky and trees in the background.
A yellow auto rickshaw parked in a parking lot with a building and trees in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A woman hanging laundry outside a small house with a thatched roof, surrounded by green grass and trees, with a mountain in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
People standing in line outdoors in front of a painted wall and a mountain landscape background.
An elderly woman sitting at a desk in a sparsely decorated room, with a floral pattern on the wall behind her and wooden furniture around.
A woman holding a baby standing outside a brick building with a small window, with two people looking out from the window, and a wooden structure on the ground nearby.
Inside a rustic brick structure with large openings overlooking a green, rural landscape. The interior contains various decorative items, including a carved wooden sculpture of a face and a Buddha head, along with scattered debris and bags on the dir
A group of women sitting on the ground against a beige wall, wearing hats, with bags and supplies around them in an outdoor setting.
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There is a saying in Madagascar:  "God gave watches to the Swiss, and time to the Malagasy."

Time moves differently in Madagascar - a place where a drive between neighboring villages can consume an entire day, and where cooking a single meal begins with gathering wood and boiling water.

But the saying above isn’t only about hardship. We saw it with the artisans still employing traditional woodworking techniques, taking sometimes a week to produce a decorative panel. The same porters who guide tourists in the rural mountainside learned their routes by carrying goods fifteen kilometers to the nearest market on the chance someone is buying. Here, the Malagasy have developed their own relationship to time.