Purple Corner

December 2019, 3 PM, Jacques tells me we’ve been picked for this massive project on the RN2. I was already in customs at Ivato with the family, and with a few interviews lined up, potentially going back to work at #YUL. That place has been a big part of my journey since 2000 – my…

#architecture#madagascar “The Wood Architecture course given to third-year students in the Professional License program of the ESSA Agro-IST Wood Program was concluded with the presentation of tutorials: specific details on traditional constructions from the History of Scandinavian, Iroquois, Trano Kotona, Tsugite houses, and assemblies for better Fire Resistance in front of a panel of exceptional…

it’s no big deal just the usual non-lethal warfare thrown all over town now that my kids are exposed weekly to this new lifestyle, I’d rather learn more about what might come to us in case things escalate and spread to our corners of town (which is more likely to happen since they tend to…

From my youth, I immersed myself in the realm of Magical Realism, captivated by the cinematic rendition of Isabel Allende’s novel, “The House of the Spirits.” This experience propelled me into the enchanting pages of Gabriel García Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” which served as the source of inspiration. Currently, I’m on page 30…

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life. I’m still working through it personally, but the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me?’ I will always say, ‘Yes, I know how to do that. I will do…

This poignant image shared today by one of my former students, Sevanis Rasolofoniony, captures the aspirations and dreams for a “modern” urban landscape in Madagascar, . It depicts a planned neighborhood in Antananarivo, spanning 67 hectares, which transformed the cityscape from a vernacular hilled capital to a hub of new business, housing, and commercial centers between…

#throwback#notetoself It took me six months to finally plan our last June three-day trip, and I can’t help but worry about when I’ll be able to afford the next one. My kids are incredibly understanding, but I realize I can’t stretch their patience too far. We only travel abroad about once every four years, and…

Since immersing myself into History and stories, I’ve come across the word “polity” quite often. I later discovered that it translates to “politie**” in French. A lady pointed out that I frequently referred to current and past forms of governance as “régimes” in our conversations and asked why. I simply explained that it has been…

#urbanplanning#socialhousing#antananarivo Backyarding, a term I found myself repeating as we wandered through the passageways. I’ve always found the word “corridor” a bit confining – it seems to encase you within its walls. Surprisingly, you adapt to the concept quicker than you’d expect. our pace steady between walls. No fancy “tamboho gasy” out here, yet you…

“Oh! You noticed the greenery too? It’s amazing how many neighborhoods are now embracing gardening and taking care of their trees! We’ve been working in this area for nearly 5 years, and I genuinely believe that it’s changing for the better, slowly but surely,” exclaimed the engineer from our team, responsible for supervising the heavy…

Life in Madagascar can be unforgiving. Yet, you have to experience it firsthand to truly understand the significance of being here—among hardworking, good-hearted people, our people, dedicated to working on our land. The rich red of the lateritic soil, the hopeful blue of the ocean merging with the sky, and the remaining green patches of…

FT : Everything I, an Italian, thought I knew about Italian food is wrong https://www.ft.com/content/6ac009d5-dbfd-4a86-839e-28bb44b2b64c photo The ingredients of cacio e pepe, gricia, carbonara and amatriciana. The idea is that the addition or subtraction of specific ingredients transforms one classic pasta dish into another © Joao Fazenda Disrupting well established doctrines and ideologies while using…

NPR : Nigerians are rattled by prices that just keep going up. How are they coping? https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/07/13/1187451945/nigerians-are-rattled-by-prices-that-just-keep-going-up-how-are-they-coping?fbclid=IwAR29CIaNFY1TqvJUR-8MaY-IO3EcBluQDO7nNZlZxtUP8s0yuxP7bVt07l0 photo Beautician Murphy Oyewole tends to a customer at his salon at Balogun Market, where the rapidly rising cost of fuel has been stressful for vendors and customers alike.Manny Jefferson for NPR One year ago, on July 11th,…

NPR : The Dutch are returning looted artifacts to Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Does it matter? https://www.npr.org/2023/07/11/1186912682/the-dutch-are-returning-looted-artifacts-to-indonesia-and-sri-lanka-does-it-matt?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&fbclid=IwAR29CIaNFY1TqvJUR-8MaY-IO3EcBluQDO7nNZlZxtUP8s0yuxP7bVt07l0 photo : Cultural artifacts are handed back to Indonesia during a ceremony in Leiden, Netherlands, Monday, July 10, 2023. The Netherlands and Indonesia on Monday have hailed the return of hundreds of cultural artifacts taken, sometimes by force,…

Atsinanana Rainforest or The Madagascar lowland forests or Madagascar humid forests is found on the eastern coast of the island home to a plant and animal mix that is 80 to 90% endemic. Only 10.79% of the ecoregion is in protected areas even though the Rainforests of the Atsinanana are inscribed on thhe List of…

Dans la très longue grande série “Diaspora”, je tente avec les moyens du bord (Internet et ChatGPT) de retrouver les communautés des “Lost People” à travers le monde depuis le 10è siècle à nos jours. Au fil des découvertes, je me rends compte que j’ai encore tant à apprendre de notre Histoire mais que je…

This story is widely known …abroad and very few in Madagascar are aware of what had happen to the “lost people”. Kidnapped or sold Malagasy that were taken abroad as for as Americas. Tromelin’s forgotten people were stranded for years on a sand bank in the Indian Ocean when the French sailors and merchants who…

Retracer les exils forcées malgaches depuis le 10è siècle m’a permise d’en lire plus sur l’Histoire à travers les histoires. Il y a encore tant à découvrir vue l’absence de supports vulgarisés, faciles d’accès, disponibles à tous. Un élément qui a marqué dans ces écrits étant la grande difficulté lors des voyages. Il y a,…

Si maintenant nous avons retrouvé la trace par ADN des ancêtres austronésiens des malgaches, les Banjar du  Kalimantan arrivés vers le 8è siècle durant l’ère proto-islamique bien influencés par l’Hindouisme et le Sanskrit après avoir colonisé les Comores, l’Histoire a démontré aussi que des africains ont été déplacés vers l’archipel indonésien durant la domination islamique…

The first colour I thought of for Madagascar was a pinkish tone. The pink hue of a collection of houses in a particular village I remember seeing. But I hesitated… something about that pink felt too artificial to truly represent what Madagascar is to me. I began my hunt for the true colour of my…

septembre 2019, durant le lohataona bien sûr, nous passions beaucoup de temps à sensibiliser sur des thématiques #architalks comme la transition énergétique, la construction durable, la préservation du Betsimitatatra et des amis venaient s’arrêter à Mahamasina le temps d’un bref échange et des nems et des THB. C’est là dans cette ambiance que débute le…

I am Malagasy. Architect Member of the Order of Malagasy Architects and Graduate Member of the Royal Institute of Architecture of Canada. I am very proud to have joined these 2 institutions and I always make it a priority to encourage good practices, sharing and ethics. https://linktr.ee/jogany I have 4 children and I have been…

There is no school of architecture accredited by the International Union of Architects in Madagascar (pop. 27,690,000). There has not been enough lobbying with teachers, institutions and authorities to rigorously resolve this deficiency in a definitive way. Education recognized by the UNESCO-UIA Charter is a body of trainings (including lectures and workshops) that will have…

“Normal Science, the activity in which most scientists inevitably spend almost all of their time, is predicated on the assumption that the scientific community knows what the world is like. Much of the success of the enterprise derives from the community’s willingness to defend that assumption, if necessary at considerable cost. Normal Science, for example,…

TRANO Architecture was founded in 2014. TRANO’s projects comprise a series of private/public commissions and collaborations with Madagascar-based architects, who are well-recognized for their achievements in the field of Architecture and Design throughout the Indian Ocean region. Project types range from luxury resorts to social housing, shops, religious institutions and public buildings. visit our website for more http://www.trano.mg/

comme quoi les petites histoires dans la grande Histoire peuvent nous emporter dans des périples sans queue ni tête mais qui au final nous permettent d’appréhender le monde autrement. de mon île isolée du bout du monde, on ne se permet pas beaucoup de loisirs et encore moins d’échanges intellectuels à moins d’appartenir à tel…

I am still half way through Michele Rakotoson’s Ambatomanga book and since I needed more background informations specifically regarding Malagasy past on Slavery and our fights against any kinds of colonization, I ended up NOT finishing her book but also got entangled into the most amazing human social adventure possible. I began the journey in…

Ce pays comme beaucoup, d’autres de par le monde et pas seulement les pays du Sud, a pris la ligne idéologique de trier les faits historiques et, le manque de gros bon sens, de matériel et de moyens financiers aidant, en est arrivé à dilapider le reste de patrimoine qui a pu assimiler au fil…

I will not share pictures or media articles about latest heartwrenching headlines. obviously everybody thinks it happened far far away in some remote region where nobody goes. I am very sad to wrong everyone and will bring this to my personal experience (since you have noticed everything out here is all about me.myself.I and my…

#architecture#madagascar parce que mon dernier post sur la Pratique de l’Architecture à Madagascar a fait pleurer 3 ou 19 individus dans la place, je voudrais partager en toute neutralité les conditions d’admissibilité dans les pays où j’ai pratiqué (Madagascar et Canada) et je resterai très encyclopédique sur les autres cas. Lien de l’article frisant le…

Mon parcours en Architecture n’est ni brillant, ni exemplaire, j’ai juste réussi des études typiques et surtout très pragmatiques. Si en 2022, maintenant rentrée définitivement à Madagascar, je ne cesse de prôner l’initiative de créer une École d’Architecture au pays c’est que je considère qu’il ne faille pas être “un enfant de…” avec des mentions…

I was lucky enough to be a very proud owner of Colors Magazine July 1991 1st publication. I got it for free when shopping at UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON (still my favourite brand). we were back in the US for the summer staying at Boston College Campus. I was just 9 at that time but…

I re-discover this gem of an article and de fil en aiguille I found Blank on Blank series. I feel fulfilled now. full circle. back to Go. Ladies and gentlemenBoys and girlsThe chocolate roomHold your breathMake a wishCount to threeCome with me and you’ll beIn a world of pure imaginationTake a look and you’ll seeInto…

Congratulations you have wonIt’s a years subscription of bad puns.And it makes your story our concernAnd you set it up for returnsMy opinions. Mmm. Mmm. (x4)And there seems to be a problem here.Your state of emotion seems to clear.You rise and fall like wall street stockAnd you had an affect on our happy talk.Our opinions.…

#history parmi les plus anciennes photos de Mahamasina, se retrouvent toujours celles avec le Fokontany d’Amparibe-Avaratr’Imahamasina en arrière-plan. pour parler “pundit de l’urbain” : ce quartier est très très hachuré en rouge dans le ZPPAUP, genre il est même zone de sauvegarde, un site important quoi. un très vieux fokontany du IVè arrondissement en somme.…

j’ai croisé ce post ce matin sur le mur du groupe ARTS,CULTURE, Vie Communautaire à Antananarivo Madagascar et comme j’ai rien à faire à part rédiger des kilomètres de cahiers de charges et touça, j’ai creusé un peu sur le quotidien des malgaches pendant la petite phase “British” durant la 2è Guerre Mondiale. Ce petit…

#architecture #madagascar #sustainability #photoduplateaudelihorombeoùjinxpasmaisonaimeraitymonterunbeauprojet TRANO Architecture team is back on the road. Some towards the South, others to the East and in the coming weeks the North and Mid-West.Why is that ? We have decided not to limit our commitment to the development of Madagascar to Tananarive Center-Ville or Ilafy (we have had a lot…

Ambohibary Sambaina dans le Vakinankaratra une des vallées les plus fertiles du pays qui nourrit Antananarivo de fruits, légumes et de riz. Je n’ai que des certitudes sur le devenir de ce pays magnifique qu’est Madagascar. Plus de 550 000 km2 de ces cultures, collines, plaines, forêts et des rivières oh la la que de…

well sorry for this one it will indeed be very much Netflixed and Disney Plused since we are, in most parts of the world and in my mind surtout, all stuck online not socializing therefore slackhtivisting our best out of this pandemy. in the XXIst century, Hamilton is Latino, Jefferson is Creole, Alexandra Schuyler is…

Je prépare en ce moment mon 1er grand article à paraître dans un magazine architectural de renommée internationale. pas de pression. c’est ma 4è collaboration à des ouvrages ou des travaux avec des maisons d’édition et des entités étrangères. je suis pas mal fière je l’accorde. le boulot est énorme. au début je n’y comprenais…

Mes cousins proches viennent de perdre leur grand-mère et je voulais reposter cette photo de notre rue pour célébrer nos grands-mères centenaires qui ont vécu presque toute leur vie au coeur d’Antananarivo. La rue Colbert, que j’ai connue comme étant la Rue Paul Dussac du nom du colon communiste qui a préparé les malgaches vers…

Isn’t it rich? Isn’t it queer? Losing my timing this late in my career But where are the clowns? There ought to be clowns Well, maybe next year

Une communauté de blogueurs matures. Une communauté familière mais surtout mature Si dans les années 2000, on s’amusait à se “troller” sur les modes, les courants musicaux, l’appartenance politique, à la veille de 2020, on s’est bien assagis. On observe avec inquiétude, un brin de panique, ce qui se défile sous nos yeux : la…

Antananarivo is a 4-Century-old city. Andrianampoinimerina, as a wise king, knew what rice fields brought to his nation. Their presence even in its capital marks the importance of his power but above all the social pragmatism of this great strategist. Today the hydraulic engineering of the great plain of the Betsimitatatra dating back to the…