Betafo
Encyclopedia
Betafo refers to (1) a town and surrounding district in Vakinankaratra
Region, Madagascar
, and (b) a village in the district of Arivonimamo
, in Itasy
Region. The village's inhabitants are said to be divided between descendants of andriana ("nobles') and descendants of former slaves ("olona mainty"). This aspect was the subject of a study by anthropologist David Graeber
. His book, "Lost People: Magic and the Legacy of Slavery in Madagascar" contains a detailed recounting of the village's oral traditions, full of stories of scandalous murders, magical battles, forbidden romances, and spiteful ancestors sending fires and hailstorms from their tombs.
The irrigated rice paddies of this region are emblematic of this technology throughout the highlands and were nominated to the Tentative List of UNESCO
World Heritage Sites in Madagascar in 1997.
Vakinankaratra
Vakinankaratra is a region in Madagascar.*Capital: Antsirabe*Chief: Lantoniaina RabenantoandroThe region is divided into six districts and 86 communes:-Districts:*Antsirabe I*Antsirabe II*Ambatolampy District*Betafo District*Antanifotsy District...
Region, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, and (b) a village in the district of Arivonimamo
Arivonimamo
Arivonimamo is a city in Itasy Region, Madagascar.Arivonimamo is connected by the national road RN 1 to Antananarivo and Tsiroanomandidy . The Antananarivo international airport was there until replaced by Ivato in 1967....
, in Itasy
Itasy
Itasy is a region in central Madagascar. It borders Analamanga region in northeast,Vakinankaratra in south and Bongolava in northwest. The capital of the region is Miarinarivo, and the population was estimated to be 643,000 in 2004...
Region. The village's inhabitants are said to be divided between descendants of andriana ("nobles') and descendants of former slaves ("olona mainty"). This aspect was the subject of a study by anthropologist David Graeber
David Graeber
David Rolfe Graeber is an American anthropologist and anarchist who currently holds the position of Reader in Social Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London. He was an associate professor of anthropology at Yale University, although Yale controversially declined to rehire him, and his...
. His book, "Lost People: Magic and the Legacy of Slavery in Madagascar" contains a detailed recounting of the village's oral traditions, full of stories of scandalous murders, magical battles, forbidden romances, and spiteful ancestors sending fires and hailstorms from their tombs.
The irrigated rice paddies of this region are emblematic of this technology throughout the highlands and were nominated to the Tentative List of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Sites in Madagascar in 1997.