Everywhere: Articles: Making Paper the Madagascar Way

The process of making paper in a quiet mountain town in central Madagascar is slow, careful and natural, much like the country's motto, "Mora. Mora." (which means "Slowly. Slowly").

Entrance Sign by N. Chrystine Olson

Where the paper is amde in Ambalavao, Madagascar

The area behind the Hotel Bougainvillea in Ambalavao supports a local paper making shop. Unlike the monsterous pulp and paper mills I remember seeing and smelling in the rural South of my childhood, this is an intimate operation. Small batches of beautifully decorated sheets are rough textured, layered with bright dried flowers in primary colors. Malagasy women pound the cooked wood, pour out the paper paste and dry the sheets in the sun. The floral touches are delicately added, producing works of arts formed into cards, bookmarks, photo albums and personal journals. Gorgeous, unique offerings you can easily bring back from the world’s fourth largest island.