Rainisoalambo

In the 19th century, the revival movements spreading across Europe also found their way to Madagascar, where they came to a man named Rainisoalambo. He lived alongside the Betsileo princes in a rural village called Ambalavato in what is now the Haute Matsiatra region. He was descended from a line of diviners who were responsible for educating the princes, and he was raised in their midst. Rainisoalambo was chief of the royal guard, and he served as the public voice of the sovereign because of his great gift for witty banter and public speaking. His skill in persuasive argument led many to demand his services as a kind of lawyer. He almost always won the case he argued, and people who needed someone to speak for them frequently hired him. Rainisoalambo was also renowned as a traditional healer and diviner.