OANA app blends Malagasy tradition with artificial intelligence
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The team at 3.14 launched the OANA application in Antaninarenina, Madagascar, to combine traditional knowledge of the Fanandroana with modern technology.
The Fanandroana is a Malagasy cultural practice involving the study of days and their influence on life events. OANA allows users to explore this practice through their birth information, a calendar view, or by searching for favorable dates for specific activities like commerce or marriage.
The application features six sections, including one that maps around 600 sacred sites in Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion, islands in the Indian Ocean, with GPS coordinates and cultural details. OANA also incorporates Lumina, an artificial intelligence program designed to specialize in the Fanandroana. The creators of OANA worked with Malagasy astrologers, known as mpanandro, and different cultural groups during several years of research.
They designed the app to make this ancient knowledge accessible to younger generations while still respecting the role of the mpanandro in traditional ceremonies and practices. The app’s name, OANA, reflects Malagasy terms meaning both “there is” and “there is not,” representing the complex nature of the Fanandroana.
