I am quite sure that for a certain time she was the oldest person (116) in the world. She died in 2021. These photos was taken in 2020 about six months before she died. She lived in a tiny rural village in Madagascar: no paved roads, no electricity, no running water, no medical services. She was, however, surrounded by family.

There was a birth certificate, issued under the French administration, I did not see it, but my friend – her great, great granddaughter did. It was held by the lady’s nephew who lived beside her. The reason I believe her is that when I wanted to make her situation known, she refused, not wanting any publicity – absolutely no reason to lie.

She lived in a most basic hut in a small village in North-West Madagascar. She never saw the inside of a hospital.