S4E7: Ralambo's Wars

One of the few surviving illustrations of Kelimalaza, drawn by one of its guardians in 1828. (Berg, 1998.) While the Tantara provides little detail about Kelimalaza beyond that it was made of metal and wrapped in banana leaf, this illustration depicts it as a trio of statuettes.

In the early 17th century, a raiding party of Sakalava soldiers entered Imerina. King Ralambo, faced with an existential threat, was forced to rely only on a combination of his own wit and divine assistance from the idol Kelimalaza. According to the Tantara, Kelimalaza assisted Ralambo in all of his shocking victories over his larger and better-equipped enemy armies. 

The Tantara also describes Ralambo's increasingly strained relationship with one of his sons during this time. While his younger son, Andrianjaka, proved intelligent, dynamic, and brave on the battlefield, the king's relationship with his elder son was far less positive. Andriantompokoindrindra, the elder son, was better known for his gaming addiction than anything else.

A board of fanorona 

The elder prince was consumed by an intense interest in fanorona, a Malagasy strategic board game. The prince's addiction was so intense that, on multiple occasions, Andriantompokoindrindra refused to assist his father during life-or-death scenarios, instead insisting on finishing his ongoing games of Fanorona. At one point, the prince even chastised the messengers who informed him of his father's precarious situation during an enemy siege by passive-aggressively announcing each move he made in his game in an effort to get the messengers to leave him alone. Ralambo was unhappy with his elder son's behavior and realized that the kingdom was better off in Andrianjaka's hands.