In Madagascar, the Rova, a royal site nestled at the top of the hill of Manjakamiadana, in the upper town of Antananarivo, and residence of the sovereigns of the 19th century reopened its doors to the public on Monday, June 19th after three years of work.
Tananarivians and tourists rushed on Monday to discover the renovation of the site and in particular the interior of the Queen’s Palace, which burned in 1995 and of which only the facades had been rebuilt. This Palace has been rehabilitated into a museum. This work has sparked controversy due, in particular, to the construction of a concrete amphitheater within the walls of the Palace.
Lalatiana Rakotondrazafy, the Malagasy Minister of Culture and Communication, highlighted that the rehabilitation will make it possible to highlight the Malagasy heritage. She stated that it is “very symbolic, it’s a whole story of Madagascar which will regain all its dignity after so many years of closure”. She added that these collections had once been exhibited and that France, for example, returned the queen’s canopy, which is still a very symbolic object. Additionally, she mentioned that Madagascar’s participation in an auction in London also returned other objects.