Elie Rajaonarison (November 15, 1951 - November 27, 2010) was a poet, artist, professor and civil servant from

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. Considered the standard-bearer for modern Malagasy

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

,Auzias & Labourdette (2008), p. 142 Rajaonarison's published poetry anthologies earned him international recognition and have been translated into French and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Biography

Elie Rajaonarison was born on November 15, 1951 in

Ambatondrazaka Ambatondrazaka () is a city (commune urbaine) in Madagascar Ambatondrazaka is also the capital of the Alaotra-Mangoro region and the Ambatondrazaka District. Geography The city is situated south of Alaotra, the greatest lake in Madagascar. ...

, a town in the central highlands of

. His marriage to Mamisoa Ramananarivo as a young man produced three daughters. A prolific poet and advocate for Malagasy traditional culture and the arts, Rajaonarison founded the Malagasy poetry association Faribolana Sandratra to advance the development of poetry among Madagascar's youth. He was credited with inspiring a new generation of Malagasy poets and artists through his advocacy and highly attended public performances of his works, which were regularly held at the Centre Germano-Malgache (CGM) in

Antananarivo Antananarivo (French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("An ...

. Provocative folk-fusion singer

Samoëla Samoëla Rasolofoniaina, better known as Samoëla, is a Malagasy vocalist and composer of contemporary folk fusion and roots music that draws upon musical traditions throughout the island of Madagascar. He typically sings and plays acoustic guita ...

referenced Elie Rajaonarison in a song entitled "Soly" on his first album, ''Mampirevy'' (1997), advising those with troubled hearts to find solace in his poetry (''"Omeko anao ny tononkalon'i Elie Rajaonarison..."''). Rajaonarison has also translated several poems by

Jacques Prevert Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

from French into Malagasy. Rajaonarison was an active advocate for preserving and advancing

's wide range of performing arts. He developed a theatrical piece in partnership with the Centre Culturel Francais called ''Tana-Cergy'', which was performed by a troupe of Malagasy and French actors and toured widely in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to positive reviews. In the interest of exposing Malagasy people to the wider world of theater, Rajaonarison successfully undertook the translation of

Bernard-Marie Koltès Bernard-Marie Koltès (; 9 April 1948 – 15 April 1989) was a French playwright and theatre director best known for his plays ''La Nuit juste avant les Forêts'' (''The Night Just Before the Forests'', 1976), ''Sallinger'' (1977) and ''Dans la ...

' works from French into Malagasy. His photography, a second passion, earned him accolades in artistic circles. He wrote and directed several films, and worked with other concerned artists to found the Malagasy National Committee of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) to advocate for the protection of Madagascar's tangible cultural and historic heritage. Rajaonarison served as Secretary General to the Minister of Culture in the 1990s under President

Albert Zafy Albert Zafy (1 May 1927 – 13 October 2017) was a Malagasy politician and educator who served as President of Madagascar from 27 March 1993 to 5 September 1996. In 1988, he founded the National Union for Democracy and Development (UNDD). In ...

, and was formerly a member of the AVI political party of Norbert Ratsirahonana. A faculty member of the

University of Madagascar The University of Madagascar was the former name of the centralized public university system in Madagascar, although the original branch in Antananarivo is still sometimes called by that name. The system traces its history to 16 December 1955, an ...

at Ankatso,

, for over 25 years, Rajaonarison was promoted mid-career to head the Department of Sociology. His classes and research explored Malagasy culture,

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, arts and world view. He was noted for his strong convictions, love of Madagascar and warm personality. On November 27, 2010, Rajaonarison died of food poisoning at the age of 57. He received state honors and his death was widely mourned in Madagascar.

Notes

External links

* Samples o
Rajaonarison's poetry
(in English)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajaonarison, Elie Malagasy male poets People from Antananarivo 2010 deaths 1951 births 20th-century Malagasy poets 21st-century Malagasy poets Malagasy translators 20th-century translators Deaths from food poisoning 21st-century translators International Writing Program alumni Malagasy male writers People from Alaotra-Mangoro 20th-century male writers 21st-century male writers Malagasy-language writers

Biography

See also

Notes

External links

References