Poet and performer Geraldi Antonello Tilahimena, known as Tagman NamgaT, is currently in residence at the Institut français de Madagascar (IFM) working on the writing and staging of One Mamy Show, a humorous one-man-show by Mamy Ralijaona scheduled to premiere in March 2027.
At the IFM's request, Tagman NamgaT is focusing primarily on writing and directing, with the goal of progressively building the show's universe. This residency represents an important step before the performance reaches audiences. For Tagman, the challenge is to bring his stage and writing experience to a humorous project. "I am first and foremost a performance poet," he explains, though he has also worked as an actor and director in several productions. His writing explores interpersonal relationships, "ranging from consuming passion to offbeat humor." He advocates for structured, thoughtful and technical writing, while increasingly incorporating prose in recent years.
A well-known figure in Madagascar's slam poetry scene, Tagman NamgaT was crowned national slam-poetry champion in 2016. Active since 2008, he conducts slam-poetry workshops and participates in various performances as a performance poet, stage manager and director. In October 2023, he wrote, directed and performed in La Pomme at the IFM alongside Barry Benson, a satire about the place of people with disabilities in society.
His career extends beyond Madagascar's borders. He represented Madagascar at the World Slam Poetry Cup in Paris in 2010, where he placed third, and at the Indian Ocean Slam Poetry Cup in Réunion, where he finished second. His poetry has also taken him to France, Réunion, Switzerland and Belgium. In January 2023, he was appointed Knight of the Order of Arts, Letters and Culture for his contribution to the development and promotion of literature.
Author of two poetry collections, Love Stérile (2021) and Si vis pacem amorem para (2025), Tagman also reflects on romantic relationships in his work. Originally conceived as the first two parts of a trilogy, the works follow a journey from birth to the difficulty of loving, then from the loneliness of romantic loss to the desire for renewal. A third installment could, if realized, "close the loop by speaking of the union of two people."
With One Mamy Show, Tagman NamgaT opens a new chapter in his artistic journey: that of a humorous creation he accompanies from writing to staging, before its presentation to audiences in March 2027.