Lazaina Off The Beaten Path

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Ranivo Maritiora tomb uses to attract locals who either are pilgrims, either hit the area for some historical trip. At primary school, Ranivo was amongst most-cited martyrs in history lessons.

She (yes, a SHE) was born around 1832-34 (sorry, don't know exact year). On March 28 1849 (at 16), she was reportedly attending the killing of four of her friends, as martyrs. The four bodies were rolled from the top of Analamanga hill, at Ampahamarinana: a cliff next to the Manjakamiadana palace, from where Queen Ranavalona I used to put to death Christians (as she wanted to keep the traditional belief system).

That day, Ranivo Maritiora was shown the atrocity to be convinced to leave Christianism. In vain. She didn't & asked to be put to death as a martyr. She was then proclaimed "sick in the mind" & was just sent home & sold (as a slave). Her death occured far far later: in 1854.

On picture 1, her tomb... a large large tomb compared to the average.

Picture 2, Jean Laborde's oven.. Jean Laborde was a kind of engineer (shipwrecked in the 1840s) who helped many of the 19th cent Kings & Queens to plan works & executed them himself (w/ the help of a few Europeans & thousands of locals). Reported to have introduced some technology in weapon making, in industrial domains (produced iron, steel, muskets, gunpowder, light cannons, metal-working lathes, watermills, glass, machine-spun cotton, spinning machinery...). Not a popular person because sent by Napoléon 3rd to establish French influence on the island... but was in acquaintancy with the Kings & Queens. The same Ranavalona I who countered European influence (incl. Christianism) was so grateful she gave him distinctions. Very little she knew about the turns of history when she asked him to create the country's engineering & industrial complex.

Now, why are Ranivo Maritiora tomb & Jean Laborde's oven (to make cannons) in the same compound ? After all, Mantasoa industrial & engineer complex is some 200km from Tana & not in Lazaina.Will have to fetch the reason.