The article describes a remote and less-visited wilderness in northeastern Madagascar, characterized by lush rainforests, unique wildlife, and distinct cultural practices. It recounts an experience of kayaking down a mangrove river, where ancestral tombs reflect the integration of nature and heritage. The local practice of exhuming loved ones years after burial and celebrating their memories with festive gatherings highlights the Malagasy approach to death and grief. The narrative emphasizes the journey to Cape Masoala, culminating in the enchanting surroundings of the Masoala Forest Lodge, illustrating both the environmental beauty and cultural richness of the region.
Here on a river island where the wild ducks fly, we glide past the tombs of ancestors. Malagasy cemeteries are in spots like these - sublime and sequestered reserves of nature.
In this part of Madagascar, if you can afford it, you exhume your loved ones years after their burial, and host a party for their bones.
It's good for my 12-year-old daughter to hear how other cultures deal with death, how they turn grief into a party and what they expect from their ancestors.
But right now we are at the peninsula's very tip, Cape Masoala, which required another three-hour Zodiac ride to reach.
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