Community Spotlight
20
Meet the people who add zest to life in Luxembourg
Madagascan
The 8th continent OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020
or many people, Madagascar conjures up the 2005 Dreamworks animation about a group of zoo animals who end up in the Madagascan jungle. Social entrepreneur Roxane Rajabali says it does not do her native island justice. For one, “there are no zebras there!” Rajabali’s link to Madagascar stretches back several generations when her great-grandparents emigrated to Madagascar from India following the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947. Although she was born in Paris and lives in Luxembourg, Rajabali lived in Madagascar from a young age until the age of 18 and to her, it remains “home”. “We’ve a lot of natural resources. Just 20 minutes out of the capital you find places that aren’t exploited at all,” Rajabali said. “The people are always smiling. It’s good to live in Madagascar.”
While studying commerce in Paris, the expat kept her homesickness at bay by cooking the kinds of food she ate growing up, a fusion of Indian, Indonesian and African cuisine. “But, in the shops, I could only ever find the same big brand spices. What is more, many of them were diluted with other ingredients.” The experience planted the seed of an idea and in 2018, Rajabali launched The Spice Collection, selling around 30 different exotic spices in fun, elegant tins. Of the selection, 70% derive from Madagascar. “I can be sure of this because I regularly return and have an association which regroups small producers. It helps the local population with good infrastructure.” Furthermore, for each spice sold, Rajabali’s association plants a tree in Madagascar. “We’ve planted around → 6,000 trees since we began.”
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JEFF ERPELDING The cardiologist founded Tsara Fo to offer practical experience and support training in the health sector
Photo → Mike Zenari
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