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'''It's sunrise in Sambirano and a beautiful view from the bridge in Ambanja is emergingunfolding. The valley towards the southeast and the island of Nosy Komba in the distance to the northwest. A small traffic jam is forming on the narrow bridge, mostly made up of zebu carts rather than cars.'''

Zebu carts, known as Charrettes à zébu, are common sights in and around Ambanja and across much of the country. These charrettes remain as practical and relevant among farmers today as they have since ancient times.

Dozens of workshops produce charrettes in Ambanja. One of them is led by Mr Theodore, who, along with his team of six skilled carpenters, manually assembles around 50 charrettes per year without using electrical power tools.

It is the countless Malagasy farmers who deserve the most recognition for not polluting the air by their traditional eco-friendly mode of transporttransportation.