Mahaleo

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'Mahaleo' (free in Malagasy) is the name of a music band from Madagascar.

The band was founded in the early 1970s, during the protest movement that led to the end of the neocolonial government. There are seven musicians: Dama (Rasolofondraosolo Zafimahaleo,) Dadah (Andrianabela Rakotobe,) Bekoto (Rabekoto Honoré Auguste,) Fafa (Andriamanantena Famantanantsoa,) Nono (Andrianabelina Rakotobe,) Charles (Andrianaivo Charles Bert) and Raoul (Raosolosolofo Razafindranoa.) They formed during the rotaka of May of 1972, as young students, they sang and played for the protesters. They remained a band and continued playing and performing together on their way to completing their University degrees in as various fields as sociologists, medecine and agriculture.

The music style of the group is mainly rooted in traditional tones from the Malagasy highlands (Hirahira vokatry ny tany,) with strong influences from Africa, Polynesia and Malaysia, added to the influence of occidental pop music that were very common on radio broadcasts in the 1960s and the 1970s. Their favorite instruments are the guitar -- which all of them play, even Fafa has been occasionally seen playing along on one of their hits Isekely --, the Kabaosy and the Farara (harmonica.) Their songs feature other instruments as well going from the piano, electronic synthesizers to the accordion and various percussion instruments. A lot of the quality lies as well in the variety of their voices to produce very subtly different harmonies depending on which band member is participating in which voice position.

The band's lyrics are about everyday life in a committed way, together with love, friendship and death themes. This style was new and fresh at the time when the band started, and the population liked it as this was close to the aspiration for a Malagasy identity after the colonisation: the group became quickly popular throughout the country.

As the years passed and the members of the band matured in their respective careers, they started to write songs more relevant to the difficult conditions of life of the Malagasy people and the underdeveloped state of the nation: environment, poverty, education, violence... The group has toured extensively in Madagascar, performing hundreds of concerts. The Malagasy diaspora often invites Mahaleo to perform concerts outside of the country -- in France most often although they also have performed throughout Europe and North America.

The political commitment of the group members can be seen in their personal careers: Dama was elected twice as independent député at the National Assembly, Bekoto specialises himself as an advocate for farmers, Charles takes care of a NGO that promotes the development in rural and peri-urban areas. During the campaign for the presidential elections in 2002, one member of the band helped Marc Ravalomanana by performing.

In 2005, the group took part in a movie, Mahaleo, describing its own history and provides a contemporary vision of Madagascar.

This film called Mahaleo contains pictures of Madagascar, a lot of music from the band, and we see each of the band members, in his everyday life. We can also see the group writing music, and performing it in front of a big crowd.

In 2007, the band is still active and draws crowds for every one of their shows. The appeal spans more than 3 generations of Malagasy fans and show no sign of waning. Whether they play they 'classics' from the 1970's, their 'political songs' from the 1980s, their 'socially responsible songs' from the 1990s or their current hits, the response remains the same as this ageless group continues on.