Zebu cart

It's sunrise over Sambirano with a beautiful view of the valley to the east and the island of Nosy Komba in the distance to the north from the bridge in Ambanja. A small traffic jam into the town centre builds up as every morning. This congestion, however, is not caused by motor vehicles but by zebu carts. The drivers and passengers of these ox-powered carts have been moving slowly and steadily since darkness until daybreak carrying fresh fruits and vegetables from the countryside. They are on their way to sell their crops in the town's lively marketplaces.

Zebu carts, known as Charrettes à zébu, are common in and around Ambanja and across much of the country.

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.

The design and model are always the same: A simple two-wheeler that easily attaches to one or more zebus.

These charrettes remain as practical and relevant among farmers today as they have for hundreds of years.

A charrette takes about one week to build and costs 1,800,000 Ariary (USD 400).

Thanks to the thousands of Malagasy farmers for preserving the environment by their traditional mode of transportation.

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