Waking up in Western Madagascar with the Sounds of Nature and Countryside
Calm Morning in Madagascar
The roads in this part of the island are tough. It takes days of driving to get here from the capital, crossing several rivers and going through bandit country. Cars on the road are rare, and development is practically non-existent. It’s a part of the world that is completely unreachable for more than 6 months every year.
As a result the soundscapes are practically free from industry, aircraft or road traffic sounds. Every now and then a distant vehicle might pass by. Apart from that, the influences of humans over the soundscape are limited to organic elements. From roosters calling around 3am to kids yelling because they love how their voce reverberates in the space created by giant baobabs – it all blends in with the sound of insects and birds.
I set up my recording rig on the side of the road and left it there for 14 hours. Footpaths criss-crossed the landscape everywhere so it was difficult to predict where people would walk, but I felt like capturing this fascinating soundscape was worth the risk of getting my equipment stolen. Fortunately that did not happen and I can now share this beautiful recording with you.
What I love the most about it is the sense of community that becomes apparent. People live nearby, walk on this road to and from the market, hang out, call one another – all amidst a very lush dawn chorus that does not seem bothered by any of these human elements. I haven’t heard a better example of this anywhere else in Madagascar.