Antananarivo, September 2013
At Anjanahary (Antananarivo), the largest and oldest cemetery in Madagascar, life never ceases. Created in 1880, the necropolis welcomes French soldiers for the first time during colonization (1895-1960) and Malagasy who fought for France during the Second World War. Major political and intellectual figures of Madagascar also rest there in peace and many malagasy notables have already reserved their place.
For decades, the mass grave, located on the periphery of the cemetery, has been hosting all the anonymous people of the capital. The administration calls them Rakoto (the equivalent of Dupont or John Doe in Malagasy).
Day and night, teams take turns : three guards watching the necropolis of 12 hectares. Will o' the Wisp, looters of tombs, corpses brought from the morgue in the middle of the night ... everything can happen.
24 hours in the company of the living and the dead.
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Text: Solofo Ranaivo, journalist
