_Monument in Mistamiouli_

In June 2009, a Yemeni Airbus 310-300 plunged into the Indian Ocean in bad weather off the Comoros archipelago, killing 152 people who were on board. The sole survivor was a teenage girl.

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To mark the second anniversary of the catastrophe a monument in the memory of the franco-comorian victims was raised at the entrance to the town of Mitsamiouli in the north of Grand Comoro (the largest of the Comorian Islands). The monument was created by a partnership between the Comorian architect Nadia Moussa and Paris based franco-comorian architect Mahmoud Keldi.

Its simple rectangular granite and metal form marks a spot near the shore. The metal panels reflect the sun rays and one single metal-clad slit frames the view to the ocean beyond.

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Credits:
location: Mistamiouli/ The Comoros
client: Ministère Français des Affaires Etrangères / Ambassade de France aux Comores
architects: KELDI ARCHITECTES in association with NM ARCHITECTES
completed: 2011
photos: courtesy Keldi Architectes and NM Architectes
 
Country background: The Comoros (officially the Union of the Comoros), is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, between Mozambique and Madagascar. Its capital is Moroni, on Grande Comore. In addition to many smaller islands, the country consists of four major islands: Grande Comore, Mohéli,  Anjouan, and southeasternmost Mayotte. Mayotte, however, has never been administered by an independent Comoros government and continues to be administered as an overseas department by France. Since independence from France in 1975, the country has experiencednumerous coups d’état and, as of 2008, about half the population lives below the international poverty line. (source: Wikipedia)
The Islands have played an important role in the history of the area, having been involved in the ancient maritime trade of the Indian Ocean for many centuries and this is reflected in the population: Peoples from Africa, Arabia, Asia, Europe, and Madagascar have all contributed to the mixture.