Zebu cart

It's early hours at the Sambirano crossing, there is a bit of a traffic jam, caused not by motor vehicles but by ox-powered carts transporting freshly harvested crops from the countryside into the central marketplace of Ambanja.

These humble two-wheeled carts remain as relevant today as they were 500 years ago, providing an indispensable way of transport for farmers distributing their agricultural crops.

Innumerable zebu carts can be seen in the town, region, and across Madagascar.

Dozens of zebu cart workshops exist in and around Ambanja.

One typical workshop run by Mr Theodore can be found in the centre. The wporkshop employs six workers, assembling about 50 carts per year, all with the same design model. Everything is done manually. One cart takes about a week to produce and costs 1,800,000 (about USD 400).

The tradition of these eco-friendly vehicles, keeps cars and pollution to a minimum.