Désolé, cet article est seulement disponible en English.
We are delighted to share a short poem by our Trustee Vaonarivo – Vao – Brown.
Vao is a poet and artist, and has created the poem ‘Manga’ (‘blue’) – a meditation on and celebration of the colour blue – for performance and competition.
Manga has powerful symbolism in Malagasy culture, traditionally linked to the sea – the Indian Ocean – and sky, representing serenity, tranquility and the horizon, stretching as if for ever, as far as the eye can see.
Blue pigments are used in traditional Malagasy rituals and ceremonies, perhaps because of its association with the sky, the sea and its characteristics. Its spiritual and mystical links include being the connection between land and sea, heaven and earth.
Maybe as a result of blue’s exalted position in the spectrum, the word ‘manga’ also mans the highest social status in Madagascar, associated with monarchs and leadership.
And in recent years, blue/manga has come to be associated with children and young people, symbolising children’s rights.
We hope you enjoy Vao’s poem and performance, and as she says: ‘May your weekend be manga.‘
English
Malagasy
Cymraeg
