UNESCO is strengthening its support for Madagascar by providing $120,000 in aid for the rehabilitation of the Vavitiana Museum and community radio stations in Toamasina, which were severely damaged by Cyclone Gezani. The announcement was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Mamitiana Rajaonarison and Louise Haxthausen, director of UNESCO's Regional Bureau for East Africa, in Mahazoarivo.
This contribution will enable the restoration of the Vavitiana Museum, located in the Ampasimazava district, as well as community radio stations affected by the disaster. Inaugurated in 2020 in a renovated colonial house, the museum is one of the main repositories of cultural heritage in the Atsinanana region. Its name honors Timasy Vavitiana, a famous 18th-century healer historically associated with the site.
The museum houses over 1,800 archaeological objects, photographic collections by Jacques Faublée from the Geneva Museum of Ethnography, and exhibitions dedicated to Betsimisaraka traditions, port heritage, and the history of the slave trade, notably through the slave cave.
Beyond this financial aid, discussions between the Malagasy Government and UNESCO covered several national priorities. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the importance of education, particularly through school construction and development of training programs meeting labor market needs.
Discussions also addressed the project to create a museum dedicated to the memory of victims of the 1948 events in Ampitifirana Ankatso. Both parties expressed their commitment to intensifying cooperation in biodiversity preservation and promoting bamboo cultivation, considered a sustainable solution to deforestation.
Through this new contribution, UNESCO reaffirms its commitment to Madagascar for cultural heritage preservation, strengthening community media, and sustainable development.