Madagaskar - Du Schöne

Madagascar - You're beautiful, this is how the island in the Indian Ocean is sung about. And not without reason: 500 kilometres away from Africa and separated from the rest of the world for more than 60 million years, a unique fauna and flora has developed here that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Only 2000 years ago the first settlers came to the island. The different origin of the Malagasy tribes is still noticeable in their ways of life and their traditions. But one thing unites the different tribes of the island: The reverence for nature, which is reflected in the faith and mythology of the people. The film takes us on a journey across Madagascar, from the extreme thorn forests in the southwest with their mighty baobabs to the rain-rich primeval forests in the northeast. The eerie cries of lemurs, cute rattas and mysterious chameleons are omnipresent. On our journey we meet the Madagascans again and again in their daily life. Fishing and shipbuilding have a long tradition on the coast, while in the interior rice, coffee and vanilla are laboriously cultivated and harvested. What they all have in common is the cult of ancestors, which still plays an important role even today, regardless of all religions and ethnic origins. But what is most impressive and stirring is the irrepressible joy of life of the Madagascans, which is expressed in music and dance.