Donia Festival

Background

    In North-Western part of the big island of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean there is the little Island of Nosy Be.
Little island of about 300 Km2, Nosy be has about 45 000 inhabitants. Its population is quiet diversified and colored. It’s characterized especially by its effusive welcome and friendliness.
In 1994, some Tour Operators in Madagascar, locals and other economic operators of the island made a crazy challenge: Organize a music festival in their little island.

None of them had knowledge nor special experience about organization of such a festival. Then they created the COFESTIN which is “Comité d’ Organisation du Festival de Nosy Be” (Organization Comity of the Nosy Be Festival) and thanks to their will, obstinateness and perseverance, they organized the very first Festival of Nosy Be: the “DONIA” which means “la vie” “wonderful life” in Sakalava language (one ethnic group in that North Western part of the island) that occurred in Mai 1994.

    With derisory means, lots of imagination, eagerness and sweat, the COFESTIN covered the stadium of the capital Hell Ville, with a very empirical scene of raw wood log, covered by tarpaulin, animated by a mere and little sonorisation rental brought by a truck. 4 evenings of concerts with local famous group, some other artistes from the whole Madagascar. Sportive animations, social and cultural event were organized as well included an opening carnival.

20 years latter, DONIA is still there!

    Artistes from all over the Indian Ocean come in the island to produce, on a scene that is worthy to them, built on strong and covered after the Donia in 1999), with a professional sono of 80 kw and with 100 kw of light and projectors.

    DONIA is covered by media that grows in number year after year.
In each edition, the Festival welcomes about 45000 to 55000 spectators upon 4 evenings of concert.
For the opening carnival, the whole Nosy Be is mobilized, for an alive and very colored feast. Diverse activities and all types of meetings during the Donia (Sport, conferences, sensibilisation, information, education, spectacles for kids …)
A little adventure of some cronies has now become a great regional festival, known all over the Indian Ocean.

DONIA and professionalism 2006 / 2008

    Franck Simon and Daniel Boisson have brought the Professionalism to DONIA festival. Each artist, media, invited person, get a program of the Festival. Each tourist obtains a little guide about the Donia. Everything is organized in a professional way and all the participants admit it. Yet the COFESTIN remains a vain association for it has got debt from 2005. Any interventions couldn’t have been performed in level of social; many critics fall over the COFESTIN which the target was always the same: all incomes shall be invested in social actions.