Mireille Mialy Rakotomalala is a leading figure in Madagascar within the fields of music, culture, education, diplomacy. Former Minister of Culture of Madagascar, Professor at the Institute of Civilization of the University of Antananarivo, Member of Madagascar's National Academy of Arts, Letters and Sciences, Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Territories of Overseas France, and was a representative of the Republic of Madagascar to the International Organization of Francophonie and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Madagascar to Japan.
Born in Antananarivo, Mireille Rakotomalala[1] is a classical pianist who became the first Malagasy to win the First Prize of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Her concert career began when she toured Germany at the age of fifteen.[2] Her experiences also led her to earn degrees from the National Conservatories of Music in Kiev, Ukraine, and St. Petersburg, Russia.[2]
Mireille Rakotomalala has been a notable advocate and researcher of Malagasy culture. In 1986, she founded a research laboratory within the Museum of Art and Archaeology, now the Institute of Civilization of the University of Antananarivo.[2] There she guided thesis and dissertation works and fostered exchanges with local and foreign institutions, including Indiana University (Bloomington), Tokyo University of the Arts, and the Austrian Academy of Sciences.[3]
Politics
Her commitment to Malagasy culture prompted her to engage in the political sphere. She was elected as a Parliament Member in the city of Antananarivo[2] and then held the position of advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Culture and Communication[2]·.[4]
Her commitment to the cultural dialogue between Madagascar and Japan led to her appointment as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Madagascar to Japan.[5]
Others
In addition to her political duties, she has chaired cultural, educational and charitable associations, thus contributing to the promotion of Malagasy culture. These include the Comité national du patrimoine de Madagascar (CNPM)[6]·,[7] the Amis du patrimoine de Madagascar (APM),[8] Mikolo ny Kolotsaina (MI.KOLO)[9] for the preservation and promotion of the city's heritage, the Ligue de Madagascar de l'enseignement, de l'éducation et de la culture populaire[4]·[10]·,[11] the Ligue Internationale de l'enseignement, de l'éducation et de la culture populaire[4]·,[12]Jeu de Go Madagascar (Association I-GO Madagascar) and the Rotary Club Antananarivo Ivandry.[13]
She is also a full member of the Madagascar's National Academy of Arts, Letters and Sciences[4]·[14], an associate member of the Academy of Overseas Sciences of the French Republic,[4] and was a representative of the Republic of Madagascar to the International Organization of Francophonie[4]·.[15]
She was an executive member of the Association of Alumni and Friends of Japan in Madagascar (AAAJM), where she has been president for three consecutive terms since 1986. Since 2021, she is the honorary president.[16]
Awards
Mireille Rakotomalala was awarded several titles and distinctions
She also received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star (Order of Japan).
Artworks
Mireille Rakotomalala, Senior Lecturer at the University of Antananarivo[3]·[4], is an ethnomusicologist[4] with contributions to the study of Malagasy music. Her notable artworks include:
Bibliographie critique sur l'ethnomusicologie malgache, Travaux et Documents n23, Institut de Civilisations (Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie) 1986, Antananarivo[2]
Évolution de la Musique malgache et ses courants d'influence In, bulletin de l'Académie National Malgache des Arts des Lettres et des Sciences, 1986, Antananarivo[2]
Drums of Madagascar, in Drums: Heartbeat of Africa, Publication by Gallery Hamrad, African Art, Edition Esther Dagan, 1993, USA[2]
Réflexion sur la Musique malgache et son évolution, in Cahiers du Cite, Nouvelle série n3, 1996, Antananarivo
Dances of Madagascar, in the spirit of dance in Africa. Evolution, Transformation, and continuity in Sub-Saharan, Edition Esther Dagan, 1997, Canada[2]
Performance in Madagascar, in The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Editor Ruth M. Stone, p 781-792, 1998, New York and London
La musique dans l'histoire, Edition ANAKO, 220 p., 2003, France
Pratiques musicales à Madagascar, in KABARO, Revue internationale des Sciences de l'Homme et des Sociétés, Diversités et spécificités des musiques de l'Océan Indien, VoL II-3, Université de la Réunion, Édité par Y.S. Live et J.F.Hamon, le Harmattan, 2004, Paris
Les instruments de musique dans la tradition malgache, Vienna Series in Ethnomusicology, Éditeur August Shmidhofer, Institut de Musicologie, Université de Vienne (Autriche), Edition Tsipika, 2009, Antananarivo
Madagascar: History, Culture, and Geography of Music, in the SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture, Edited by Janet Sturman, 2019, London
Rakotomalala Mireille, Les instruments de musique de Madagascar, in Chapter Routledge Malagasy World, sous presse, USA and London.
References
↑ Malanjona Rakotomalala (2001). Madagascar: Les ancêtres au quotidien (in French). L'Harmattan. p.38. ISBN2-7475-0019-5.
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