This article explores intricate interconnections between music, tourism and development in Madagascar and Europe. We analyze three trajectories of actors in humanitarian work whereby a relationship of exchange, friendship and mutual support has devel­oped between members of humanitarian organizations and artists. In some instan­ces, this relationship has been triggered by a prior experience of tourist visits to Madagascar, and in others has led to it. Using data from our fieldwork in Madagascar and Europe, our paper develops the hypothesis, that the cultural practices (here music), and in particular their actors, the musicians, create a third dimension in the duality development-tourism, which overcomes the frequent misunderstanding between NGOs' members coming from Europe and local Malagasy people whom they have come to assist. This triangle of mutual support rebalances some of the inevita­ble inequalities arising from one-way practices.