Full steam ahead for the Indian Ocean! The Indian Ocean is a vast stretch of water bordered by four continents: Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Antarctic. Its waves break on the coasts of numerous islands and landmasses. For centuries now, the mariners of Europe, India, China and Malaysia have been exploring the eastern seaboard of Africa, from Somalia to South Africa, as well as the multitude of islands and archipelagos that lie scattered across the Ocean. They discovered a huge diversity of cultures, landscapes, flora and fauna and carried away in their holds a multitude of influences.

They dropped anchor off the coast of these welcoming shores and contributed to the creation of fascinating hybrid societies. The island paradises that form a constellation in the waters of the Indian Ocean fill our imagination with images of mysterious lands, dotted with dormant volcanoes that occasionally wake up, set in the red-ochre earth that contrasts with the surrounding lush vegetation. This year, the Village du Monde invites you to discover this treasure trove of cultural riches, set in verdant jungle landscapes where mist-shrouded volcanic peaks rise to the towering summits of Reunion Island, Mauritius and the Comoros Archipelago.

For this edition, Paléo Festival is teaming up with Nouvelle Planète, a Swiss foundation created in 1986 that is committed to providing access for all to water, education and health care in Madagascar. In the Village, Nouvelle Planète will be presenting its approach and its various projects. The foundation also aims to set up self-help projects in Madagascar in order to collaborate with local teams and to help build the infrastructure necessary to improve daily living conditions on the island.

Around the Nouvelle Planète stall, numerous other stalls will be celebrating Malagasy craftsmanship, and many others, and providing you with the opportunity of sampling culinary delights from the region, including food from Erythrea and Mauritius. Between tradition and modernity, the Village du Monde will provide a fitting backdrop to the shows and concerts of artists from the various ethnic groups and cultures of the Indian Ocean region.