Berthe Raharijaona

{{short description|Lawyer in Madagascar}}

Berthe Raharijaona (1908–2003) was a lawyer in Madagascar.

She attended Jules Ferry High School and later served as honorary president of the school's alumni association. She became the first Malagasy woman to receive a degree when she was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1929.{{cite news|title=Madagascar: Berthe Raharijaona décédée à 95 ans !|url=http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200302030073.html|accessdate=26 November 2017|work=Afrique de l'Est|agency=All Africa}} She was a member of the Malagasy Young Women's Christian Union and later in life, she commissioned studies into the bible and its translation into Malagasy.{{cite journal|last1=Combeau-Mari|first1=Evelyne|title=The Protestant Mission and Youth Movements|journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport|date=1 August 2011|volume=28|issue=12|pages=1625–1646|doi=10.1080/09523367.2011.592756|s2cid=144352989|issn=0952-3367}}{{cite book|last1=Lupo|first1=Pietro|title=Dieu dans la tradition malgache: approches comparées avec les religions africaines et le christianisme|date=2006|publisher=KARTHALA Editions|isbn=9782845866621|page=63|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vonSKtjm1fAC|language=fr}}

Raharijaona was the first female lawyer to be called to the bar in Madagascar.{{cite news|title=Défaitiste|url=https://www.ladepeche-madagascar.com/actualite/defaitiste/|accessdate=26 November 2017|work=La Depeche de Madagascar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401075555/https://www.ladepeche-madagascar.com/actualite/defaitiste/|archive-date=1 April 2018|url-status=dead}} She was an honorary advocate at the Court of Appeal and also represented clients at the Supreme Court of Madagascar.{{cite book|title=Bulletin de l'Académie malgache|date=1987|publisher=Impr. officielle de la colonie|page=xviii|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F7AaAQAAMAAJ|language=fr}}{{cite web|title=Madagascar, Cour suprême, Chambre administrative, 01 août 1984, 85/82-ADM|url=https://juricaf.org/arret/MADAGASCAR-COURSUPREME-19840801-8582ADM|publisher=Juricaf|accessdate=26 November 2017}}

Raharijaona was also an academic writer, writing articles for the Malagasy Academy's journal on Malagscy law and also having works published on the historical rulers of Madagascar, particularly women rulers.{{cite book|last1=Sermet|first1=Laurent|title=Une anthropologie juridique des droits de l'homme: les chemins de l'Océan Indien|date=2009|publisher=Archives contemporaines|isbn=9782914610926|page=28|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f1KJKOA6XLsC|language=fr}}{{cite journal |last1=Nativel |first1=Didier |date=2004 |title=Les héritiers de Raombana. Érudition et identité culturelle à Madagascar à l'époque coloniale (fin XIXème siècle-1960), Abstract |url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-histoire-des-sciences-humaines-2004-1-page-59.htm |journal=Revue d'Histoire des Sciences Humaines |language=fr |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=59–77 |doi=10.3917/rhsh.010.0059 |issn=1622-468X |doi-access=free |accessdate=26 November 2017}} She was vice-president of the Moral and Political Sciences Section of the Malagasy Academy. The academy held events in 1987 to celebrate Raharijaona's 55 years in academia.{{cite web|title=Communication jubilaire pour les cinquante cinq ans de vie académique de Mme Berthe Raharijaona-vice président de la section des sciences morales et politiques-avocat honoraire prés la Cour d'appel|url=http://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=Q00001047|website=Bulletin de l'Académie Malgache|publisher=Africabib|date=1987}}

Raharijaona was married to Jean and had a daughter, Suzanne, who is a sociologist working with the Malagasy Institute of Scientific Research (a local branch of the Institut de recherche pour le développement). Berthe died in early 2003.