Part retrospective, part tribute, this exhibition is dedicated to Emile Rakotondrazaka, better known as Ramily or Dadamily. Indeed, Ramily is the father of contemporary black-and-white photography in Madagascar. The exhibition is a time-space highlighting the genius of a photographer, initiator of black and white photography, and an outstanding laboratory technician.
Emile Rakotondrazaka, nicknamed Ramily, or Dadamily, was born on September 25, 1939 in the Antohomadinika district of Antananarivo. The eldest of 10 brothers and sisters, he is the son of carpenters Rakotozafy and Razanapanalina.
At the age of ten, in 1949, he was raised by Pasteur Rasolonjatovo, who had a son who was a photographer. His first encounter with photography came when he followed his adopted brother to carry out "identity card operations" in the towns and villages of Madagascar during this period of colonial rule.
In 1956, at the age of 17, Ramily worked as an assistant photo lab technician at PHOTOFLEX, located in Analakely on Avenue de l'Indépendance and run by French photographer Mesli d'Arloze. His talents in darkroom photo development techniques are beginning to attract attention. His employer greatly appreciates his mastery of chemical processes. Ramily excelled as a laboratory technician.
In 1968, he opened his first development laboratory - still very modest, but already well known - in the historic district of Ankadifotsy, in the basement of a bookshop run by his wife.
Two years later, in 1970, he moved to Itaosy, where this time he relocated his larger, more sophisticated development laboratory. A first for Madagascar. He then set up a photography studio. Later, he even started a wood framing workshop.
Between 1970 and 2000, Ramily successively exhibited his work at Air Madagascar, the Centre Culturel Albert Camus (now the Institut Français de Madagascar), the CITE (Centre d'Information Technique et Économique), the Alliance Française de Tananarive and even in the streets of Antananarivo, with a group of photographer friends. He has also taken part in several editions of the Mois de la Photo and the Photoana festival, as well as a biennial of photographic encounters in the Indian Ocean, all of which took place in Antananarivo. On two occasions, the international magazine Revue Noire even devoted articles to him.
Ramily is also a founding member of two photographers' associations, including the Association des Photographes de Madagascar and the Association des Photographes de Tananarive.
Among his most recent public appearances, in 2007 he took part in an international contemporary art exhibition, "30 et Presque-Songes", initiated by Joël Andrianomearisoa in Antananarivo.
A photographic icon, Ramily is the benchmark for silver prints. His work reached its peak in the 1970s. He stopped his career as a laboratory technician in 2003, the year he suffered a heart attack. Ramily passed away on March 26, 2017 in Antananarivo, leaving behind hundreds of poetic landscapes, meticulously crafted prints, the black-and-whites of wedding and solemn event shots, and above all an incredible passion for photography generously shared with younger generations of photographers.
Curators: Joël Andrianomearisoa and Ludonie Velotrasina
