Mahaleo is a folk-pop band from Madagascar that is widely viewed as the most popular Malagasy

group of all time. The band was founded by Dama (Rasolofondraosolo Zafimahaleo) with six of his
classmates after first performing together during the rotaka student protests at their high school on
13 May 1972. Mahaleo's lyrics draw upon the indirect language of
traditional hainteny and ohabolana (Malagasy poetry and proverbs) to expose contemporary political
and social issues and invite listeners to identify their own solutions.
Mahaleo performs a genre they pioneered, called tsentsigat, that draws from the acoustic folk and
protest song genres as well as the diverse musical traditions of Madagascar. Each of the band
members sings, and all but one also play acoustic guitar.