TEDxManjakamiadana

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Christian Ratompoarison

  Food Engineer & PhD in Human Nutrition

  Christian Ratompoarison is a food engineer and PhD in human nutrition, specializing in the valorization of Madagascar's food resources. Struck by the paradox that Malagasy people rarely benefit from the quality of their own agricultural products, he redirected his career toward research and nutrition to help build a more equitable food system. His doctoral thesis on edible insects as a nutrition solution in Madagascar led to peer-reviewed publications and a contribution to the World Bank report *"Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa: The New Circular Food Economy"*. In 2019, he co-founded and now chairs Coopérative Mirary, a social enterprise developing nutrition-sensitive value chains that combine local food resources with traditional know-how and community participation.

• Harnelle Rakotobe

  Executive Director, ONG IVORARY

  Harnelle Rakotobe is Executive Director of NGO IVORARY (Integrity for Development), where she works to transform Malagasy citizens — especially youth and women — from spectators into active shapers of public life. Her mission spans civic participation, ethical leadership, and good governance across public and private sectors. A public law expert holding a Master's from the University of Antananarivo, she is currently pursuing a PhD on the protection of fundamental rights in illicit asset recovery. As an independent legal consultant, she has contributed to national reforms including Madagascar's 2025–2030 National Anti-Corruption Strategy, and designs training programs for youth leaders and human rights defenders. Beyond her professional roles, Harnelle is a mother and spouse who believes leadership begins at home — openly navigating the balance between family life and public responsibility as part of her vision of inclusive, people-centered leadership.

• Herimampita Rarivomanantsoa

  Director of Bioethics & Applied Ethics Center

  Herimampita Rarivomanantsoa PhD. is a Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at the University of Antananarivo, with over fifteen years of experience developing applied ethics grounded in Madagascar's social, cultural, and political realities. He holds the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Applied Ethics — the first of its kind in Southern Africa — and directs the Centre de Bioéthique et d'Éthique Appliquée (CBEA). He also chairs the Research Ethics Committee, leads the Philosophy department at the Faculty of Letters, and serves on the executive committee of AFELSH for the Indian Ocean region. A co-founder of the identity studies research center CRECI and member of the LPHPE laboratory, he regularly consults on bioethics, applied ethics, and university governance. His work sits at the crossroads of academia, institutions, and civic life — driven by a demanding vision of innovation built on social justice, transparency, and human dignity.

• Maria & Santa

  STEM 4 GOOD Madagascar

  This is the synthesized bio from earlier — already under 1000 characters? Let me check and trim if needed. --- Alinoro and Santa are two young Malagasy women united by one conviction: science, technology, and human connection are the building blocks of a more inclusive Madagascar. At 18, **Alinoro Maria Ramamonjisoa** is a robotics enthusiast and STEM 4 Good member who represented Madagascar at the 2024 FIRST Global Challenge in Athens, winning a gold alliance medal. She advocates for girls in science and has interned in renewable energy. **Santa** is a mentor and community builder driven by Social Sciences and Human Development. She joined STEM For Good in 2022, accompanied the Malagasy team to Singapore in 2023, and builds learning communities through digital transformation programs for women. Together, they embody what STEM 4 Good stands for — not just teaching technology, but using it to liberate, connect, and empower.

• Maria Ramamonjisoa

  RAMAMONJISOA Alinoro Maria, 18 ans, est une jeune passionnée de robotique, de sciences appliquées et de leur potentiel pour transformer la société malgache. Ancienne élève du Collège Saint Michel Amparibe, elle a suivi un parcours en baccalauréat technologique tout en s’investissant activement dans des projets éducatifs et scientifiques. Membre engagée de la communauté STEM 4 Good, elle milite pour une démocratisation de l’accès à la robotique, notamment auprès des jeunes filles. En 2024, elle a fièrement représenté Madagascar au FIRST Global Challenge à Athènes, une prestigieuse compétition internationale de robotique sur le thème Feeding the Future. Aux côtés de son équipe, elle a remporté une médaille d’or en alliances, marquant un moment fort pour la jeunesse scientifique du pays. Soucieuse de contribuer à la transition écologique de Madagascar, elle a effectué un stage dans le secteur des énergies renouvelables, où elle a participé à des projets concrets pour une croissance plus verte. Parallèlement à ses engagements technologiques, elle développe des compétences en communication, notamment à travers le kabary, l’art oratoire malgache, et des concours de culture générale. Animée par une profonde volonté de transmettre, elle aspire à inspirer les jeunes — et particulièrement les filles — à s’engager dans les carrières scientifiques, à croire en leur potentiel, et à devenir les bâtisseurs d’un Madagascar plus innovant, inclusif et durable. RAMAMONJISOA Alinoro Maria, 18 ans, est une jeune passionnée de robotique, de sciences appliquées et de leur potentiel pour transformer la société malgache. Ancienne élève du Collège Saint Michel Amparibe, elle a suivi un parcours en baccalauréat technologique tout en s’investissant activement dans des projets éducatifs et scientifiques. Membre engagée de la communauté STEM 4 Good, elle milite pour une démocratisation de l’accès à la robotique, notamment auprès des jeunes filles. En 2024, elle a fièrement représenté Madagascar au FIRST Global Challenge à Athènes, une prestigieuse compétition internationale de robotique sur le thème Feeding the Future. Aux côtés de son équipe, elle a remporté une médaille d’or en alliances, marquant un moment fort pour la jeunesse scientifique du pays. Soucieuse de contribuer à la transition écologique de Madagascar, elle a effectué un stage dans le secteur des énergies renouvelables, où elle a participé à des projets concrets pour une croissance plus verte. Parallèlement à ses engagements technologiques, elle développe des compétences en communication, notamment à travers le kabary, l’art oratoire malgache, et des concours de culture générale. Animée par une profonde volonté de transmettre, elle aspire à inspirer les jeunes — et particulièrement les filles — à s’engager dans les carrières scientifiques, à croire en leur potentiel, et à devenir les bâtisseurs d’un Madagascar plus innovant, inclusif et durable.

• Mialisoa Randriamampianina

  Executive Director, TI-MG

  Mialisoa Randriamampianina (Mialy) est Directrice Exécutive de Transparency International Initiative Madagascar (TI-MG). Ancienne rédactrice en chef et journaliste, elle a toujours placé les récits et les voix au cœur de son parcours. Aujourd’hui, elle s’engage à faire émerger celles que l’on n’entend pas: les femmes malgaches, souvent dissimulées derrière la tradition, la pression sociale ou encore les silences de l’histoire. Par sa passion pour l’HIstoire et son intérêt à la construction de celle-ci, Mialy cherche à transformer ces récits d’expériences invisibles en leviers de changement, convaincue que la justice et l’intégrité commencent par la possibilité de dire et d’être entendu.

• Michèle Rakotoson

  Writer

  Michèle Rakotoson is one of Madagascar's most celebrated authors, writing in both French and Malagasy across novels, plays, and journalism. Her honors include the Grande Médaille de la Francophonie from the Académie Française (2012), the Commandeure des Arts et des Lettres Malgaches (2015), and the Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique for *Ambatomanga, le silence et la douleur* (2023). Her books include *Lalana* (2025), *Dadabe* (1985), and *Juillet au pays* (2016), alongside plays such as *Sambany* and *Un jour ma mémoire*. After nearly thirty years in France — as a literature teacher, radio journalist at RFI, and head of literary programming at Radio France Internationale — she returned to Madagascar and founded Opération Bokiko, a movement of young book advocates working to develop public reading culture in rural communities. She remains a regular columnist for *Les Nouvelles* in Madagascar.

• Mose Njo

  Writer & Conceptual Artist

  Mose Njo is a Malagasy writer, conceptual artist, and indie technologist building quiet revolutions through words, code, and care. He is the founder of Lisy.app — a constellation of projects including *Lisy Mianjoria*, a sci-fi novel in Malagasy; *Lisy Atlas*, a minimalist multilingual dictionary and culture explorer; and *1817*, a bilingual reading and listening platform blending audio storytelling, language learning, and cultural preservation. His work centers language, memory, and meaning — making room for the often-overlooked: introverts, the neurodivergent, those who don't fit the mold. Through minimalist design and locally-rooted storytelling, he reimagines how we read, learn, and relate — especially in Malagasy. His mission: build for those left out of traditional systems, and turn what makes us different into what makes us full of wonder.

• Pr. Jonah Ratsimbazafy

  Pr Jonah Ratsimbazafy

  A Malagasy researcher trained in Natural Sciences at the University of Antananarivo, he earned his DEA in Paleontology and Biological Anthropology before completing his PhD in 2002 at Stony Brook University, New York. One of Madagascar's most published scientists, he has accumulated around twenty awards in lemur conservation, including Disney's Conservation Hero (2015), lifetime awards from the ATBC and African Primatological Society (2019), and the Seacology Prize (2023). He currently serves as President of GERP (Madagascar's Primate Research Group) and recently became the first African elected President of the International Primatological Society. He is also a member of the Akademia Malagasy, the African Academy of Sciences, and The World Academy of Sciences. He continues his fieldwork to this day — discovering new lemur species and fighting for the conservation of Madagascar's endemic primates.

• Riantsoa Randrianantenaina

  Founder of Avijoro Madagascar

  Riantsoa Andrianantenaina is an economist, sustainability advocate, and social entrepreneur working at the intersection of health economics, climate resilience, and data analysis. Trained in macroeconomics and social sciences, he offers consultancy that bridges rigorous analysis with real-world impact. He founded Avijoro Madagascar, a platform connecting young innovators and seasoned experts to co-design sustainable projects, and leads Inspire Partner, an audiovisual agency amplifying Madagascar's voice on critical issues. In 2023, he represented youth at CoY18 and COP28, bringing Madagascar's climate and biodiversity realities into global conversations. A builder at heart, Riantsoa believes sustainable change happens when the right people collaborate across disciplines.

• Santa Raharimalalaniaina

  Mentor engagée, communicante passionnée et tisseuse de liens humains, Santa est convaincue que la véritable transformation émerge de la richesse des interactions. Pour elle, chaque échange sème une graine de savoir, chaque rencontre ouvre un chemin de croissance non pas uniquement personnelle, mais profondément collective. C’est cette conviction qui nourrit sa passion pour les Sciences Sociales, et plus particulièrement pour le Développement Humain. A travers son parcours journalistique, elle aime raconter l’humain, donner voix aux expériences, et partager les histoires qui révèlent notre capacité à apprendre ensemble, à évoluer ensemble. En 2022, elle rejoint la communauté STEM For Good Madagascar. En 2023, elle accompagne l’équipe de Madagascar au FIRST Global Challenge, les Jeux Olympiques de la Robotique à Singapour. Ce rôle reflète pleinement sa vision du mentorat : une expérience vivante et partagée, où les savoirs se co-construisent dans un climat de confiance, d’écoute et de respect mutuel. Elle y cultive non seulement l’innovation, mais aussi l’esprit d’équipe, l’inclusion et la force du lien humain. A travers des programmes de transformation numérique destinés aux femmes, elle développe des communautés apprenantes basées sur la solidarité, le partage d’expérience et l’intelligence collective. Pour elle, la technologie n’a de valeur que si elle permet de relier, d’émanciper et d’humaniser. En ligne comme sur le terrain, elle agit pour rendre le savoir accessible à tous, notamment à travers une plateforme éducative dédiée aux opportunités numériques et aux métiers de demain. Cela reflète une même ambition : démocratiser le savoir, stimuler la curiosité, et reconnecter les individus à leur potentiel. Son engagement : éveiller en chacun la liberté, la conscience et la responsabilité. Pour Santa, c’est dans la puissance de nos connexions humaines que naît un avenir riche de sens.

• Tinawati Soesianto

  Founder of Teach For Madagascar

  Born and raised on an island east of Sumatra, Indonesia, Tinawati Soesianto began her journey as editor-in-chief of her high school magazine and a dedicated youth mentor — roles that took her across Asia and eventually to Washington, D.C., where she earned a degree in journalism. In September 2013, following an unexpected dream of an island, she flew to Madagascar. She began teaching at St. Michel, then at the Catholic University of Madagascar in 2014, where she founded Teach For Madagascar — a grassroots, volunteer-driven movement mobilizing university students to provide education to vulnerable children and support rural public schools. Today, Tinawati splits her time between Antananarivo and rural communities. When not working, she can be found feeding street dogs, walking through the bush, or sitting with strangers to hear their stories. Her passion for Asian-African histories endures — but most of her time belongs to Teach For Madagascar.

• To Ranaivoharijao

  Editor-in-Chief & Co-Founder of Tolona

  To Ny Fitahiana, 26, holds a Master's in Social Sciences and a Master's in Public Law earned in Madagascar. He is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Tolona. — a journal and movement launched in June 2024 to give voice to a generation written off as resigned. *Tolona.* is militant literature rooted in Malagasy realities, carried by young people from every province and the diaspora who believe the written word can awaken a dormant national consciousness. A self-described "vahoaka madinika" — ordinary working citizen — he is also a writer, community manager, and consultant. He believes ideas are weapons and dignity is non-negotiable. His mission: make Malagasy youth heard — not through folklore or pity, but with rigor and an uncompromising voice.

• Valimbavaka Raherimananjara

  Researcher & Public Policy Analyst

  Valimbavaka Raherimananjara is a Malagasy researcher working on political monitoring, economic trends, and social issues — with a focus on practical solutions for Madagascar and the region. A Chevening Scholar, she holds a Master's in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of York, alongside master's degrees in accounting, auditing, and management science from the University of Poitiers and INSCAE. She contributes articles and policy analysis to African publications and is committed to expanding education access for underprivileged children. Her work spans research, finance, and community projects — all oriented toward youth empowerment and sustainable development in Madagascar and beyond.