Last updated on 30/11/2024
Last updated on février 19, 2020
Fleur de Bitume. A Malagasy illustrator on the rise. Having started to professionalize in 2018, the « digital drawings » of this young woman are distinguished by their thematic, mainly focused on women and the promotion of women.
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Ambitious and passionate, Fleur de Bitume granted us an interview session to pass on a beautiful message to all Malagasy women who dream of undertaking or simply of reaching their goals: « What you dream of undertaking, you can always succeed! »
Fleur de Bitume, inspired by the woman, inspires the woman
Lalamanjato Faniry or « Fleur de Bitume », from her artist’s name. Passionate about drawing since she was a child, this illustrator decided to live from her passion. She began to enter the professional world of drawing in 2016.
« I’ve been scribbling since I was a little girl. But I stopped doing it a little bit in high school and college. I completely stopped once I started working. I took over in 2016, when I was already working. We don’t know where the love of drawing came from, but it came back! » ,says Fleur de Bitume with a smile.
From there, Fleur de Bitume was influenced by her designer friends. She bought her first graphic tablet in 2016 and began to professionalize in 2018.
The artist’s drawings are mainly focused on women. Indeed, Fleur de Bitume is herself inspired by the Malagasy woman, the center of society’s attention on a daily basis, and often subject to pressure, stereotypes and judgements. In front of this, Fleur de Bitume wants to pass on a message of love, strength and encouragement to all Malagasy women and girls.
The artist has also become a model of inspiration for many Malagasy women and girls who actively follow his Facebook page, comment, share, and sometimes even send her little words of encouragement, thanks, suggestions, etc…
Among her most appreciated drawings, one about the pressures faced by girls living in a patriarchal society and another about the #MySkirtMyRight (#Majupemondroit) controversy in April 2019.
Discover Portrait-Interview de Fleur de Bitume on our Youtube Channel:
Malagasy women must dare
For Fleur de Bitume, this job is not just a passion or a livelihood. It is a real commitment.
This is how she sends a nice message to all Malagasy women who dream of undertaking or succeeding in something they care about. Indeed, considering the cultural context that focuses on the woman, mother, role model of the child, the family, the society, the country, but also given that the field of entrepreneurship is still little known in Madagascar, few Malagasy women dare to dream and start to realize their dreams.
« We have always been taught that we women must depend on those around us. I don’t mean the husband, but really the people around us. This is not true. We have a great strength that men do not have. If you wish to undertake, I have only one thing to say: Dare! If you want to, you can dream everything and make it happen, » said Fleur de Bitume.
Digital drawing
Fleur de Bitume is one of those artists who make « digital drawings ». This requires a certain technicality as well as materials.
« You have to use a graphics tablet. It works like a slate. You draw on it, and the tablet is connected directly to the screen by a cable. So the drawing directly appears on the screen. To make the drawings, just use the usual shortcuts: Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+S, etc. », explains the illustrator.
It takes a day to a week to make a drawing, depending on needs and inspiration.
As far as the design market in Madagascar is concerned, it is booming. According to Fleur de Bitume, the concern lies in the offers, which still remain very little in Madagascar. On the other hand, Madagascar being a low-cost country, the rates, even for international customers, do not correspond to the real value of the artistic product. This is deplorable because talented artists are numerous in the Big Island.
Translated by Naval Louivà
