Ravinala Thatch

Ravinala thatch is the traditional roof covering of eastern Madagascar, made from the large fronds of the traveller's palm (Ravenala madagascariensis, Malagasy ravinala). The plant is so useful for building that on the east coast both the roof and much of the house can come from it: the fronds give thatch, and the trunks are pounded flat into planks for floors and roofs.

Houses

East coast houses are typically low, rectangular and raised on stilts, with a steep peaked gable roof and slightly overhanging eaves that throw rain clear of the foundations. The largest are found in the south-east among the Antemoro, Tanala and Antefasy, reaching about 5.5 m (18 ft) long, 2.7 m (9 ft) wide and 4.6 m (15 ft) high; elsewhere on the coast they average about 3 m by 2.4 m by 2.7 m (10 by 8 by 9 ft).

Other plant roofs in Madagascar

• Raffia palm replaces ravinala in the north.
• Palms are used in the west around Mahajanga.
• Rushes are used in the south-west around Toliara.
• Reeds are used near rivers, and grasses are used almost everywhere.
• Rice straw thatched houses in Antananarivo until fired clay roof tiles, introduced by Jean Laborde in 1831, began to replace it.

Current use

In the unweighted 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey sample, thatch or palm leaf, grass bundles and palm, bamboo or zozoro together made up over three-fifths of recorded roofs, more than metal sheet. Plant roofs therefore remain the majority roof covering in Madagascar.