Philibert Rabezoza, better known as Rakoto Frah, was a flautist and composer of traditional music of the central highlands of Madagascar. He rose to national fame in 1958 when he was selected by Malagasy President Philibert Tsiranana to perform on the sodina for the visiting French president Charles de Gaulle. His sodina flute was depicted on the 200 ariary Malagasi banknote in honor of his key role in revitalizing and internationally popularizing the sodine.
About Rakoto Frah in brief
Philibert Rabezoza, better known as Rakoto Frah, was a flautist and composer of traditional music of the central highlands of Madagascar. He rose to national fame in 1958 when he was selected by Malagasy President Philibert Tsiranana to perform on the sodina for the visiting French president Charles de Gaulle. His popularity declined in the 1970s but underwent a revival that began in the mid-1980s and continued until his death in 2001. Over the course of his career he recorded over 800 original compositions. His death was widely mourned and marked by a state funeral, and in 2011 a famadihana was organized to celebrate the artist’s life. His sodina flute was depicted on the 200 ariary Malagasi banknote in honor of his key role in revitalizing and internationally popularizing the sodine. The sodina is an end-blown tube traditionally made of bamboo or reed with three or six finger holes and a thumb hole down its length. It is believed to have arrived on the island with the earliest settlers from Borneo around 2,000 years ago and remains widespread throughout thecentral highlands. Rakoto’s father, a herdsman and farmer from Fianarantsoa, had previously been a singer at the Merina royal court before the colonization of Madagascar in 1897. He was orphaned at the age of 12, preventing him from further pursuing an education in the interest of earning a livelihood. As a child, he assisted his family with looking after the livestock and farming their plot of land.
He honed his skills by listening to village elders’ sodina performances, and three years later the boy formed a small musical group called Ambohijatobe that performed locally at traditional festivities. In 1935 he was nominated by the local governor to represent his district in a national musical competition organized by the French colonial authority at Mahamasina stadium in Antananarivo. Despite being struck in the face he completed his performance and was awarded first prize. In his early years he was given the nickname Rakoto by an older brother of the same name. He lived simply and died having earned little from his lifetime of musicianship. Upon reaching adulthood, Rakoto left the bakery to become a metalworker while continuing to performance on sodina in concerts and festivals. He dedicated himself full-time to performing traditional music in celebrations of the island’s transition to full independence in 1960. He first played at traditional ceremonies around the country, then expanded his performances from 1967 to include participation in international music competitions and festivals, and toured extensively in Madagascar and overseas. He died in 2001 and was buried in the capital city of AntananARivo. He is buried in a special ceremony held every year in the town of Ankadinandriana, near the city’s main square, where he was once a member of a local musical ensemble. He had a son named Rakoto, who was born in 1923.
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This page is based on the article Rakoto Frah published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 04, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
