VANILLA FESTIVAL IN SAMBAVA ( FESTIVANILLE)

   


                     Culture plays a great role in Malagasy society. In Madagascar, there are a several cultures. These cultures are very different from the north to the south. Many Malagasy people are interested and  enjoyed festivities cultures and others. This enjoyment could be approved by the existence of culture festivities in these following examples in the northern of Madagascar such as: Donia and Somaro in Nosy Be, Libertalia and Zegny Zo in Diego, Kabiro in Ambilobe, Sorogno in Ambanja, Tsakaraka in Vohemar and Festivanille in Sambava. I've chosen festivanille-Satrahagna in Sambava. This festival has a purpose to value local product of vanilla and its typical culture.


          satrahagna is a Malagasy traditional dance. During this dance, they hit the board that is holed. The dancer normally dance and jump in order to make a voice of this board. This voice produced by the dance could be meaningful. Generally, there are two people dance together on this board that under holed.This festivity is in general take place every October. During this festival, there are some expositions of vanilla and the different stand to visit. This festival aim at not only for culture value and also the tourism and economical development.Satrahagna is one of the Malagasy Tsimihety dance.During that dance, two persons dance on the board.Under this board, there is a digged holed that makes this board produice voice. By hitting this board in the feet during this dance, they dance together to make this board produice significant voice.Indeed, they should face to face by keeping a little bit distance in the corner of this board.Both of them should be in the edgein the corner of this board and should face to face.They should jump together and make their feet together to hit this board in order to make a significant voice to respect Malagasy traditional way of life.Usually, this festival lasts four days. During this event, there many shows like artistic show and traditional activities. This year, they will celebrate the eighth anniversary of this festivity.  During this celebration, there a general meeting between the organizer and the vanilla operator in SAVA region. They collaborate with many partners like ORTS ( regional office of tourism in Sambava) , the entrepreneurial of vanilla and the local culture representative.  After the meeting and visiting the different stand of exposition, the organizer and invited authorities open officially the celebration. In the late of afternoon, it is the center of the celebration. There used to be a crowed to gather in the given place where this celebration take place. It attracts many tourists from Madagascar and other tourists from  European countries.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             During it, there used many

artists to show up the event. So  they show the SAVA typical culture and how its region is very different to other in the culture field. Dihy Satrahagna (Satrahagna dance) is highlighted during that great event because it is generally for Betsimisaraka culture. About 70percent of Sambava's population are Betsimisaraka. Betsimisaraka is among eighteen ethnic groups in Madagascar. Its ethnic almost have their own culture.The existence of the ethnical group makes malagasy people rich in culture. So this Satrahagna is generally typically fo Betsimisara in Sambava.

          During that time, either Malagasy and stranger come to celebrate this event. So many tourist come to discover this festivity because it is a best moment for them to discover the beauty of the capital of vanilla in the world. So this festivity presents many advantages for the local people because they could get to much money because of the ceremony and also the foreign currency.  It attracts many tourism not because merely of this festivity and also the different show during the celebration. So it contributes local economical and social development . So during for days of this celebration, all of the participant seems satisfied of it. 
                        To sum up, I could say that vanilla festival in sambava is considered as one key of development as it gives a value of culture in this city and also the economical opportunity that is created of this festivity.