Régis Gizavo - Ho Anareo (For You) 

King of the Chromatic Button Accordion!!!!!!👍👍👍👍👍👍

Thanks for your input Bine Marina Thiana. Could you tell us more please? To quote Wikipedia: "The two-octave diatonic accordion (gorodo), popular across Madagascar, is believed to have been imported by French colonists after 1896." Source: Emoff, Ron (2002). Recollecting from the Past: Musical Practice and Spirit Possession on the East Coast of Madagascar. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-6500-6

Good morning Jan Tak, my answer is a little bit long but please be patient to read it until the end. :) 1. Well, 20 years ago, I found an old accordeon in the basement of our house, and asked my father whose that musical intrument was. He answered that his grandfather played it. And then, he started to tell the story that in late 19th century, a Russian boat sank in the west coast of Madagascar; and then, the local inhabitants rescued the whole crew. Among the crew was my father's ancestor. The only thing that bound this person to his country was the accordeon. That's why he transmitted the skills to his children. But my father decided to cease the transmission of the skill toward us. Later on, at the university, I met a friend who told me exactely the same story but she said that they were German not Russian. This one sounds to me to be the "real" story because many of Malagasy words that are used in the west coast are from the German language. And the accordeon is more plaid in the western part of the island where the German installed after being rescued. The accordeon do not have the same cultural "value" in the whole island, it is more valued culturally in the west. 2. There are many ways of pronouncing accordeon in Madagascar: it can be Agordeo, akordeony, agordio, gorodao, etc. As language reflects the origin of one instrument, we can relate the first way of pronouncing it to the German or Russian pronounciation. 3. In your quote from wikipedia, there is an important word that should be considered "is believed". It means they are not 100% sure. And, they are right of being unsure because when the French arrived in Madagascar, the island was not "uncivilized" as they thought. It was hard for the French to set their cultural superiority in the country. They started to descriminate the other "white" people; they tried to establish the racial theory to make them the "utmost" superior. Not only did they discriminate the white, but the local people also. 4. I tried to get the bibliography of Emoff R to judge his book. But unfortunately, I cannot have access to this through internet. However, if his work was based on Grandidier, Flacourt, or other Malagasy scientists who follow the french colonizers' writer, I can assert that what those writers said are just false. They were focused on diminishing the others' culture and improving the image of France. 5. Madagascar was in contact with many pirates from all over the world. Maybe it was introduced for their entertainment. For those reasons, I maintain the idea that the accordeon was not introduced by the French in Madagascar. Maybe, they expanded its use in other regions of the island but definetly, they did not introduce it in Madagascar.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I love music, and the history of it, and your very personal family recollections are invaluable in this regard. I really, really appreciate your effort. :-)