Moramanga

Moramanga lies in the Ankay country between Madagascar's central highlands and its forested eastern coast. The valley of the Mangoro is associated with the Bezanozano, whose homeland lay along routes connecting Imerina with the coast. The name Bezanozano refers to the many very small braids traditionally worn in the hair. Trade with European ships and coastal merchants enriched the region during the eighteenth century.

In the early nineteenth century the expanding Merina kingdom brought the Bezanozano under its authority. Their labour became important to the transport of goods between Antananarivo and the port of Toamasina. Carrying loads across the steep country between plateau and coast was demanding work, and the obligations imposed on the Bezanozano weighed heavily on their communities.