Final Multi-Media Project: Presentation





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Akotifahana Weavers of Madagascar

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   The island of Madagascar is one of the East African regions that is home to some of the oldest and most important historic centers of cloth production. A special focus is on the Merina weavers (Fig. 1) of the central highlands in Madagascar. They were among the island’s most prolific and innovative cloth makers.    One of the most renown cloths is the akotifahana. Akotifahanas are woven from lustrous “Chinese” silk with intricate patterns and riotous color. These large mantles were made in the Merina kingdom of the central highlands in Madagascar. They were made to dress the elites and to wrap their revered for burial. Many times, Merina King and Queens would gift these prestigious cloths to high-ranking subjects and foreign allies. These cloths have been analyzed for religious or socio-political reasons, but none have been found. According to the chapter Things for Making Cloth in the “Ombaisy’s Manuscript,” the designs for akotifahanas were random an...
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Missions in Madagascar

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   Christianity was not the first religion to get to the island of Madagascar. Around the Middle Ages, Islam was brought to the island by Arab and Somali Muslim traders but failed to take hold in several southeastern coastal communities. However, a few Islamic schools were established along the eastern coast. Today Muslims make up about 7% of Madagascar’s population.    The Malagasy people, especially in Imerina, were oddly receptive of European ideas and influences which was unique in an African country in the nineteenth century. Christianity was introduced to the island of Madagascar by British missionaries between 1818 and 1895. These dates are from when the first British missionaries arrived on the island to the year when Madagascar was conquered by the French and lost their independence.    Formal education began in 1820 at the Palace School in Antananarivo but Christianity itself was not taught until 1829 when it was integrated into and taug...
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Change in Madagascar - Borders, Politics, National Identity

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   Madagascar has changed hands a few times over the many years that the Africa nation has existed. Around 1500 the Portuguese encountered Madagascar which also lead to many other European nations having an interest in the island.    For many years, the Portuguese and other European nations tried to establish settlements on the island of Madagascar, but all their efforts failed. In the seventeenth century, Europeans described Madagascar as being a landscape of small kingdoms. [1] Eventually a settlement was established in Madagascar, specifically on Ile Sainte Marie, which became the home for at least 45 pirates. These pirates were supported by the small kingdoms in Madagascar and often married Malagasy women, sometimes even members of royal families. [2]    Between the 18 th and the 19 th centuries, three main kingdoms appeared: the Merina in the central plateau, the Sakalava in the west, and Betsimisraka in the east. The Merina kingdom event...
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