Land of the Betsimisaraka

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The Betsimisaraka are the third largest ethnic group on Madagascar, and live in a narrow 700km-long strip of land along the country's eastern coast. Their position on the Indian ocean has left them open to centuries' of diverse cultural influence: Indo-Asian, Arab and, of course, European. This astonishing UNESCO-sponsored collection of the Betsimisaraka's folk music amply demonstrates how that cultural influence has manifested itself in their music. The instruments used alone are highly diverse, from the truly disturbing sound of the earth bow (played here by the 14 year old Beranger) to accordions, flutes, zithers and a host of shaken and beaten percussion. The songs themselves largely serve social functions: funeral dances, fertility rituals, songs to accompany circumcision and songs which form the basis of possession rituals, in which the revenant "tromba" spirits of important ancestors are placated in order to relieve the sick or to improve a bad harvest. A genuinely uplifting compilation.