[3] He began his education on the island of Sainte Marie, but soon left to finish his studies at the seminary at Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar.

Having travelled to Paris he was able to not only gain entry to the Sorbonne[4] and took courses in administration,[3] but also to get his first collection of poetry, On the Steps of the Evening, published.

In Paris, he met the Senegalese poet and politician Léopold Sédar Senghor and Alioune Diop who all participated in the important African studies journal Presence Africaine.

[6][3] His 1940 work Sur les marches du soir dealt with the forced exile of Queen Ranavalona III.

[7] As a journalist at this time he interviewed Ho Chi Minh including his association with the Malagasy politician Jean Ralaimongo.

He was one of the main speakers and earned a place at the top table of this important conference, which was funded by UNESCO and was still celebrated 50 years later.