Life and destruction
The shadow of the trees in the misty river Dies like smoke
Paul Verlaine, Romance Without Words
A source of joy, games and energy, trees surround the lives of Malagasy people on a daily basis. Under the branches of a Palabre tree, men come together to pass on the tradition, lurking in the welcoming shade of the foliage. In the tree-lined courtyard of a school, the silhouette of a master teaches his students. At other times, young people play hide and seek between the perfectly straight trunks that point skyward like outstretched arms.
However, the need for charcoal as well as the ancestral slash-and-burn cultivation are also another reality of Madagascar, that of the rapid destruction of its forest. My objective is limited to photographing this sad reality. Here a landscape of desolation. There, a family carrying firewood to the village. Emblematic images of the deforestation of this magnificent country. It is estimated that 70% of the Malagasy population use the source of “wood energy” for cooking food.
Faced with this situation, alternative solutions must be quickly found so that trees and people can live together in Madagascar on a lasting basis.
Source de joie, de jeux et d’énergie, les arbres entourent la vie des malgaches quotidiennement...