Most Malagasy households own aluminum pots and pans from Ambatolampy in their kitchens. It's essentially what they cook with. This town, located about 70 km south of Antananarivo (on RN7), is synonymous with aluminum foundry work. It's a very distinctive craft, uniquely Malagasy!

The origins of Ambatolampy's famous foundry

The Randrianantoanina Foundry Randrianantoanina. A native of Ambatolampy established a foundry upon his return from the front, three years before the end of World War I. He drew inspiration from what he had seen in Europe and the remaining ruins of Jean Laborde's foundries in Mantasoa. He introduced to Madagascar the laterite casting technique and crafted bronze bells with his workers. His singular story is worthy of a film: imprisoned in 1947 on suspicion of supplying weapons to Malagasy insurgents, escaped and went into hiding in 1949, returned discreetly to Ambatolampy in 1951 where he introduced the first pots and pans. Recipient of the Malagasy National Order during the First Republic...

Alumada, the excellence of Malagasy aluminum foundry work. After Randrianantoanina's death in 1993, the legacy continued as his expertise had been passed down to his sons and several other workers. Today, his foundry, Alumada, is directed by his granddaughter, Stéphanie Ramanantoanina, a master foundress artist. The raw materials are carefully selected and consist of aluminum extrusion scrap from Europe. This is food-grade white aluminum sourced from beverage cans. The metal is melted to create statuettes, ashtrays, unique decorative objects, jewelry... Custom text, company logos, lacquering, and packaging can be added to these personalized art objects.

The making of pots and aluminum art objects

The famous aluminum pots and pans

It's possible to visit Ambatolampy and explore the artisanal foundries to discover how pots, pans, and other aluminum objects are crafted. The most renowned are kitchen utensils: pots, pans, skillets, spoons and teaspoons. The town has around a hundred small family-run workshops, passing their expertise down through generations.

Beverage cans, bolts, and woodworking scraps serve as raw materials. Aluminum pieces are melted, then the boiling liquid metal is poured into molds crafted by hand. Workers use no protective gear and work with remarkable dexterity at surprising speed. A single artisan can produce up to fifty pans per day.

Recycled aluminum art objects

It's always impressive to watch aluminum melting and molding in action. The brick furnace is fueled by charcoal embers, heating the metal to temperatures exceeding 660°C. The mold, used only once, is created from a pattern inserted into a wooden box filled with very fine sand mixed with charcoal dust. However, the mixture can be reused multiple times. The molten aluminum is then poured into the mold through a narrow channel, and the entire assembly is immediately cooled with water before demolding. The rough-textured piece is subsequently polished to smooth and shine the surface.

Travelers love the objects that emerge: zebus, lemurs, chameleons, baobabs, and more. They make a truly Malagasy souvenir to bring back from your trip to Madagascar.