Germain Randrianarisoa – better known to music fans as Rajery (pronounced "Rajer") – is a talented songwriter, composer, singer and percussionist. Rajery, who grew up in a poor peasant family in Madagascar, lost all the fingers on his right hand when he was just 11 months old. But that did not stop the determined young musician going on to become Madagascar's "prince of the valiha" (or "vali"). This tubular harp, made from bamboo and bicycle brake cables, emits a sound somewhere between the harp, the harpsichord, the kora and the sanza. The instrument, which actually comes from Indonesia, has become to Madagascar what the kora is to sahélien countries – and Rajery is the island's undisputed star.

After being discovered at the "Musiques métisses" festival in Angoulême, Rajery has gone on to perform at leading world music festivals around the globe. And he is currently very much in the music news with his second album, Fanamby, a subtle fusion of traditional and modern music, fresh upbeat melodies and swing. Besides assuring a full-time music career, the 37-year-old valiha-player with the permanent grin is also an active campaigner working on behalf of handicapped people and street children. Rajery, a specialist in music therapy, recently opened a music school for the street children of Antananarivo where he also oversees a workshop manufacturing valihas.

RFI: You've put a tremendous amount of time and effort into helping the street children of Antananarivo. What made you want to get involved in working with them?
Rajery: Well, the way I see it, the role of artists and musicians in society is to help educate people. The songs I write are full of lyrics about everyday life. I feel myself to be a very committed artist and I try to carry out the ideas in my songs and put them into action in my life. That's why I decided to set up my own music school. I've also been an active campaigner for the abolition of child labour and put a lot of effort into raising public awareness about handicapped people. The reason I throw myself into this work body and soul is because I feel it's all part of my role as an artist. After all, I was born to live and die in society.

RFI: Can you tell us something about your music school?
Rajery: Well, it's actually a valiha school. I set the school up in '94 with financial support from Unesco and Handicap International. We created a special workshop alongside the school where we make the instruments too, because it would be a bit strange to have a valiha-player who isn't familiar with the behind-the-scenes secrets of how the instruments are made. In my book if you haven't seen the valiha being made you're not a real valiha-player!

RFI: So how does one go about making a valiha?
Rajery: Well, it's a pretty complicated process really. You have to know and respect certain customs such as not chopping your bamboo when there's a full moon. Once you've cut your bamboo you have to treat it and that means leaving it to dry in a well-ventilated spot away from heat or direct sunlight or alternatively, burning it. Once the bamboo's dry, you strip off the first layer of bark then varnish the stalk to protect the second skin. The next step is to attach the strings and that's where the real difficulty lies. The strings are actually made of bicycle brake cables – we use the back ones because they're longer! Anyway, the cables are nailed into the joints of the bamboo…

RFI: And how long does the whole process take?
Rajery: Well, if you subtract the time it takes to actually go out and chop the bamboo I'd say once your bamboo's treated making a valiha will take about three hours. But then again if you're not happy with the sound your instrument makes and you want to restring it to make it sound better the whole process can take up to a week.

RFI: Is it difficult playing the valiha when you're handicapped?
Rajery: Well, in my case it's been a long story and yes, it's been a great struggle at times (laughs). The thing is, I don't play the way other musicians do. Normally you play the valiha with ten fingers, but I've only got six including the stump on my right hand. But I consider myself lucky to have those six fingers and believe me I make good use of them! You have to really work your fingers to draw a good, clear sound from the instrument and when I first started out I often ended up with blood all over the strings. Throughout the whole of the first year I played the valiha my fingers hurt a lot. But I discovered I had this inner strength, something inside that was absolutely pushing me to keep on and that's because I really love the instrument. When I first started playing I did it in secret though. I didn't want anyone to see me play, not even members of my own family, because I had a lot of hang-ups about it. I was afraid people would make fun of me so I taught myself to play in secret.

RFI: And now you're the best valiha-player in Madagascar…
Rajery: No, there are lots of other good musicians besides me. I've heard people say I'm the best, but all I can say is I know how to get a great sound from the instrument!