Mahaleo
| Mahaleo | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Antsirabe, Madagascar |
| Genres | Tsentsigat |
| Years active | 13 May 1972–present |
| Members | Dama (Rasolofondraosolo Zafimahaleo) Dadah (Andrianabela Rakotobe) Bekoto (Honoré August Rabekoto) Fafa (Famantanantsoa Andriamihaingo Rajaonarison) Charle (Charle-Bert Andrianaivo) |
| Past members | Raoul (Raosolosolofo Razafindranoa) Nono (Andrianabelina Rakotobe) |
Mahaleo is a folk-pop band from Madagascar that is widely viewed as the most popular Malagasy group of all time. The band was founded by Dama (Rasolofondraosolo Zafimahaleo) with six of his classmates after first performing together during the rotaka student protests at their high school on 13 May 1972. Mahaleo's lyrics draw upon the indirect language of traditional hainteny and ohabolana (Malagasy poetry and proverbs) to expose contemporary political and social issues and invite listeners to identify their own solutions.
Mahaleo performs a genre they pioneered, called tsentsigat, that draws from the acoustic folk and protest song genres as well as the diverse musical traditions of Madagascar. Each of the band members sings, and all but one also play acoustic guitar. In addition, the band makes use of traditional instruments like the kabosy guitar and sodina flute. While the band is acclaimed for its large catalog of hits, with over 300 songs composed since 1972, its members are also admired for their commitment to live the message of solidarity for national development that features in most of their music. Each band member has gone on to cultivate a primary career in addition to his participation in Mahaleo in areas ranging from medical care and sociology to farming and politics. The band has collectively launched two development initiatives, in addition to numerous other activities managed by individual members of the group.
Over forty years after its formation, the band continues to regularly attract large audiences to its live performances and enjoys popularity across three generations. Their music is considered emblematic of Malagasy identity. The band has toured frequently across Madagascar and internationally to countries including France, Canada and the United States. Mahaleo was the first Malagasy band to be invited to perform at the historic Olympia venue in Paris. The band has been the subject of two books and one feature-length documentary film. The oldest member of the group, Raoul, died in 2010. In 2014, the second oldest member Nono died.
Many of the band members grew up together: Dama, Dadah and Bekoto were playmates and attended the same primary school; during their secondary school studies, Dadah's older brother Nono likewise became a close friend of Raoul, the older brother of Dama. The high school offered a music program in which Dadah, Nono, Charle, Bekoto and Fafa participated together, with Fafa as a vocalist and Bekoto as a pianist. Beginning in 1970, Raoul became enamored with the acoustic guitar. He met frequently with Dadah and Nono to play together using guitars he constructed from wood and bicycle brake cables available at a workshop attached to a center for the deaf and blind where his father worked; the trio began performing at school parties and events. As teens, the trio often listened to a radio show hosted by popular Malagasy journalist and ethnomusicologist Latimer Rangers, who recorded, broadcast and promoted contemporary and traditional music from villages across Madagascar. Rangers also broadcast foreign artists who were relatively unknown to the Malagasy public, such as Bob Dylan, described the meaning and history of the protest song and other foreign genres, and drew connections between Malagasy musical styles and American Blues music, South African music and other genres.
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