Luxury Indian Ocean LUXURY INDIAN OCEAN #9 EDITION 2019 - 2020 | Page 46

MADAGASCAR
Madagascar. On the southwestern coasts
of the island, where the Vezo live, the
ripples from an abundant ocean lap the
shoreline. Each day, these undisputed
masters of traditional fishing, clamber
aboard their beam and square sail pirogues
to travel through the waves. Equipped
with seines, fishing nets, fishing lines and
harpoons, the Vezo (whose name means
“people of the sea”) fish widely both on
foot and from a pirogue. Like pieces on a
chessboard, the men, women and children
have a set role. filled with ancestral beliefs transmitted
over the generations. From birth, the
destiny of the Vezo is inextricably linked
to an ocean inhabited by magic beings,
spirits and the souls of those who’ve
drowned. It is a peaceful tribe but there
are plenty of taboos– fady – that must
be observed to avoid the wrath of the
supernatural beings that inhabit the ocean,
as fishing depends on their goodwill. If
they catch more fish than they need, the
Vezo risk punishment, the severity of
which the sea will decide as it sees fit.
There is a love affair between the Vezo and
the sea, born from the challenge of the
waves and transmitted through traditions,
beliefs, values and way of life. They may
be born fishermen but one thing is sure,
you are not born a Vezo. You become one.
Being a Vezo is knowing the secrets of the
waves and being able to master the whims
of the swell and anticipate, at the swerve
of a puff of wind, what mood the waves
are in. They have no word as such for
fishing but rather make a poetic use of the
words of the human body to speak about
the world around them. Unfortunately, the Vezo way of life,
their very reason for being, has been
undermined by modern pressures
emphasising yield and productivity. The
growing number of European and Asian
boats in their waters are having a long-
lasting impact, depleting fauna and flora
as a result of mass fishing. Climate change
is also a direct threat to the health of
marine ecosystems and is changing the
basis of the Vezo’s simple lifestyle. Marine
protected areas have therefore been
created with the help of local communities
in order to perpetuate the Vezo’s way of
life and allow them « to live with the sea »,
a translation of the Malagasy Vezo dialect
word for them, « Velondriake ».
While the Vezo give thanks to an
omnipresent god, they have a rich folklore
Photos: © V.V
"There is a love affair
between the Vezo and
the sea..."
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