Fahavalo, Madagascar 1947

In Madagascar in 1947, the word “fahavalo” referred to the rebels who rose up against the colonial regime. It meant “enemies” (of France). The last witnesses to the rebellion talk about the insurgents’ long months of resistance in the forest, armed only with spears and talismans. Rebel soldiers and family matriarchs, interviewed in villages where the insurrection took place, remember these events. (Montreal World Film Festival)