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The island of Madagascar is now becoming a place for shipbuilding, thanks to a workshop known as ‘The Village’ which was launched in 1993. Since then, it has hand-crafted ships for the King of Spain and even the Pope.
The island of Madagascar is now becoming a place for shipbuilding, thanks to a workshop known as ‘The Village’ which was launched in 1993. Since then, it has hand-crafted ships for the King of Spain and even the Pope.The Village exhibited ships built indigenously at the Homo Faber biennial fair in Venice on 30 September 2024. Homo Faber is an international celebration of the world’s best craftsmanship.
The Village’s goal is to make Madagascar an international jewel of craftsmanship – it is one of the poorest countries in the world, so this type of investment and prestige is important for growing the local economy. Thirty-two craftspeople are employed at this miniature shipbuilding yard in Antananarivo. Some of them have been there since the foundation of the company and were trained by the founder.
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The Village obtains plans from museums, shipping associations, or marine architects to reproduce accurate miniature versions. Malagasy women build a model ship at the Le Village model ship-making company in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
It mostly makes boats from the age of sail because information about modern battleships is highly sensitive and not shared by the various navies. The price of the models starts at 150 euros but can reach upwards of 10,000 euros for the larger pieces.
