Mastering the art of public speaking, Malagasy style

The art of ?kabary?

In the 19th Century, English missionaries started to document the Malagasy Public Speaking tradition, including the ?kabary?, through their transcriptions of the royal speeches.

The ?kabary? is in fact a ritual, a circumstantial speech which precedes every major event (familial, or public) which punctuates every Malagasy native?s life, from the cradle to the grave. Official ceremonies do not escape this rule.

Today, the ?kabary? constitutes an oral tradition which is still alive and well, and very much in practice. The format has hardly changed at all. The speech always starts with compulsory apologies (fialantsiny), designed to prevent regrettable consequences which could result from an inadvertent disregard for certain social etiquette mores, such as speaking out of turn, before an older brother; thank you?s (directed to God, the ancestors, the authorities, and the audience) are next, along with salutations; then, and only then can the ?mpikabary? (speaker) get to the real meat of the subject, careful to always pay particular attention to the kind of speech he is delivering. It is here where it really shows that the ?kabary? is a spoken art form, in a class by itself. Figurative styles, metaphors, analogies, and parables abound. The masterful weaving of carefully chosen proverbs (?ohabolana?), and poetry (?hainteny?) distinguishes an accomplished speaker from a mediocre one.

A growing attraction

By virtue of the fact that the ?kabary? is uniquely Malagasy, it holds an significant place in their eyes. However, its importance does not end there. It is an educational tool, an instrument of meditation and contemplation, a medium used for transmitting Malagasy wisdom, and social graces.

That is why the ?kabary?, today, is the object of an unprecedented growing attraction by young, and old alike in social, and professional circles. The initiated experts are keenly aware of the need to preserve, reassert, and disseminate this art form by training interested parties, whose numbers are growing continuously. To become an accomplished ?mpikabary?, you need to undergo a six month long apprenticeship.

This month, 66 ?mpikabary?, of which 53 are from the capital, and 13 from Mahajanga, just completed their apprenticeship in the oratory art, and its various forms. This graduating class of newly-minted traditional public speakers, the youngest one of whom was only 11, included students, clerics, doctors, nurses, teachers, and soldiers. The next training is scheduled to start around the first of September.

Translated by J. F. Razanamiadana