Ambohitsara (Madagascar)

This village of approximately 2000 inhabitants is mainly peopled by members of the Antambahoaka ethnic group, which originates in the region. The main economic resources of Ambohitsara are the plantations of rice and fruit trees, but also of coffee, vanilla and cloves for the local and national market.

The village is known for a statue wrapped in mystery: the Vatolambo, or "wild boar stone". This stone elephant is a sacred shrine for the inhabitants of the village and according to the legend was brought back from Mecca by their ancestors. In fact, the stone is more likely to have been sculpted in Madagascar and then transported to Ambohitsara by river, which does nothing to solve the mystery of its origin and does not explain the presence of an Asian elephant in Madagascar, even one made of stone...