Baobab Collection, the ultimate luxury candle brand from Belgium, have launched their stunning annual limited edition collection. This time, Baobab have teamed up with a Malagasy tribe. The inspiration came from their landscapes and stories of local families and their ancestors. The tribe itself goes back as far as 4,000 years and they are the first people of Madagascar. But, today, they are sadly threatened with extinction. There are only about a dozen Mikeas who live in the traditional way in the forest, while the rest have been forced to live in extreme poverty. The collaboration between the Mikeas and Baobab collection will see a portion of the profits donated to the tribe’s school.
Each candle tells its own story…
Fotsy Hazo means, grey tree in Malagasy. This particular candle has a red ochre base color; a reference to Madagascars reputation as the red island, because of its rich earth. The grey tree motif is derived from the colors of the Mikea forest, a dry forest with hundreds of plant species endemic to that region.
The Tsiva candle is covered in black raffia with natural raffia pattern to contrast. This particular candle is made by female artisans from Madagascar, known for their ancestral hand-crocheted riffia technique. Looking closely, we can also spot two small spears which are apparently similar to those used by Mikea hunters.
The Babou candle, pays homage to the root that has allowed the Mikea people to survive in a dry forest as it has the capacity to store large amounts of water and sugar, but the tribe keeps its location secret if you ever go looking. Boabab say that the multi colours used on the candles exterior are a celebration of life, joy and the Malagasy artisans’ incredible mastery of colour.
The Manou candle is covered in natural raffia with small black patterns that resemble seeds. Again, this candle has two small black horns which are used as a reference to the warrior traditions that the candle itself was inspired by.
Mena Hazo means red tree in Malagasy. This particular candle represents the forest that the Mikea people originally resided in and the trees that catch fire in this endangered forest.