The rules are simple. One team throws the little wooden jack out onto the ground. Then players take turns rolling or tossing their metal balls towards it. Whoever ends up closest at the end wins points. You can even knock other people's balls out of the way - which makes it a brilliant mix of skill and cheekiness.
Madagascar was once connected to France, and lots of things from French daily life took root on the island - bread shops called boulangeries, the French language in schools, and games like petanque. It became a Malagasy favourite and is now played all over the country, on sandy patches in towns and on flat ground in villages.
Petanque does not need much. Just a flat patch of ground, a small target ball, and a set of metal balls. You don't need to run. You don't need to be the strongest. What matters is aiming carefully, and being kind even when your friend's ball just knocks yours out of the way.
Malagasy children sometimes learn petanque from their grandparents. It is one of those games that ties generations together - the same rules, the same shapes of ball, played the same way for decades. Madagascar's national petanque team is one of the best in the world.