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Portait of architect Joan Razafimaharo
Design Indaba
Cape Town, South Africa
Malagasy architect Joan Razafimaharo was selected by Design Indaba to take part in our collaborative initiative with Google Arts & Culture, titled Colours of Africa. Africa is known for its bold, unapologetic use of colour. Stories are told in pigments, tones and hues; a kaleidoscope as diverse as the cultures and peoples of the continent. For the initiative, we asked 60 African creatives to capture the unique spirit of their country in a colour which represents home to them. The projects they have created are personal and distinct stories of Africa, put into images, videos, texts and illustrations. Each artist has also attempted to articulate what being African means to their identity and view of the world.
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- Title: Portait of architect Joan Razafimaharo
- Original Source: Design Indaba
- What it Means to be African: The Malagasy and the African share colours and creativity. Past generations have paved the way for young people to follow, passing on the strength to make Africa a land of the future.
- Subject: Joan Razafimaharo
- Rationale: THE MUSIC DIDN'T STOP 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 country and recruited help along the way. The following paragraphs are extracts from the journal I kept on my Colours of Africa search. Off-season, the Lohataona – our word for spring, marked the end of the lockdown in Madagascar. Although the sky and the sea have been closed, life on the island continues. People want to believe that nothing has changed and yet everything has changed. We were focusing on the outside world, scrutinising the latest numbers and trends, waiting for tourists to come back, for our products to export. I asked Vanf, a good friend of mine, to explain the meaning of Lohataona. Vanf is a great chronicler, guardian of knowledge and kind-hearted enough to share his encyclopedic knowledge of Malagasy culture. Lohataona, he taught me, is guided by the traditional calendar inherited from our Muslim heritage. I asked him what colour comes to his mind when he thinks of our island. “Just go with ochre,” he said to me. Ochre is the colour of our homes. Ochre; the colour of the earth, the walls, the colour of the paste the workers mix up from cement, water and cow’s blood. By the time Lohataona arrives the seeds that hang from the ceilings in every house in the countryside are waiting to be sown. I ask Bekoto Paysans, a sociologist for rural causes and also one of the last members of Mahaleo most acclaimed Madagascar music band, to be my guide through the twists and turns of this seasonal awakening. Together we visit studios and ateliers. We discuss the shades of tannins, of wood, of mangrove, of natural dyes. As the days pass by I resist the colours that were suggested to me. Time slowed during lockdown. We were already by definition the land of “Mora Mora” – of “take it easy”. But it slows even more now. I visit the tombs of the ancient kings, and there again I find an ochre shade. Old walls made of compacted earth that mark out where the old guardians of the country now lie in peace. I take the black burnt wood colour of the trano, the first homes that were built in Madagascar. The word itself means to be together all day. It speaks to our history, to our culture. I take the ochre colour of the tamboho, the compacted earth walls. Ochre is the colour of home.
- Project: Colors of Africa
- Location: Madagascar
- Lead Quote: Ochre; the colour of the earth, the walls, the colour of the paste the workers mix up from cement, water and cow’s blood.
- Hex Code: D2883F
- Colour Choice: Malagasy Ochre
- Biography: Joan Razafimaharo is an architect from Madagascar. In her experimental work, she integrates all aspects of the architectural process: master planning, formal architecture, interior design, landscaping, furniture design and branding. Sustainability is also a major focus of Razafimaharo’s practice. Her projects take into consideration tropical environment, affordability and reliable building materials as well as effective ventilation principles. Razafimaharo’s own practice is still in its formative days, but before establishing her own studio she gained work experiences at different architectural firms in Canada and Madagascar. Trained in urban planning, she graduated in 2007 with a master’s degree in architecture from the École d’Architecture de l’Université de Montréal. She actively promotes architecture as a profession around her country, engaging in think tanks and workshops on contextual topics ranging from her involvement with local communities and government institutions.
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