It is great to immerse yourself in a new place for four weeks. It doesn’t make me an expert. Far from it. But it does give me a chance to form a viewpoint, triple check with other people, and finally read up on all information available.
Still I need to emphasise, the comments below are only my views. I feel that Madagascar is one of those countries that garners varied opinions. Some would love, and some would hate it. I personally found it to be a fascinating place.
Firstly, everyone is so smiley and either waves at you or passes a word of greeting. Particularly true of the children, who have a glow and cheekiness.
Religion doesn’t seem to be so important, although everyone I asked said that it was.
The Malgalasy people, interestingly, don’t consider themselves to be part of the African continent. They talk more of their mixed race origins and the 18 tribes, feeling that it is this that makes them stronger and more resilient. No racial animosity was revealed, although I noted that most people in Tana, the guides, hoteliers and politicians all seem to be of lighter skinned Indonesian origin.
Poverty is everywhere and getting worse. The World Bank says that 79% of the population now live below the poverty line. It is horrible to say this, but I have seen worse poverty. The type where foraging in rubbish and washing in stagnant water is the norm. I did not see this nor any malnurished children, but then famine like conditions were recorded in the south of the country in 2021.
Everywhere you hear the frustrations that life should be better for the people : “ we are mineral rich”, “ the best rice gets exported” , “ the government is corrupt”, “western companies take all the money out”. Talking to one person in a French owned hotel in Nosy Be, he told me that people working in the tourism sector get €100 per month, and I knew that the hotel, with its 50 rooms, fills in the high season at €120 per night. A second example, I bought 50 vanilla pods for my lovely friend Denise for 15,000 Ariary’s. This translates to 5 pence per pod. She tells me that in the UK, at a well known ethical food retailer, these are £3.25 per pod.
Life expectancy is low because there is insufficient/no health provision. I saw this for myself in Nosy Komba. The three-year old daughter of the turtle guide had contracted typhoid. She had spent three days in a government hospital, but it was only once the project paid for her to go to a private health clinic that her survival was secured.
Politics simply does not function here. I will keep this short by saying that the authoritarian playbook is being followed : political families, corruption, media and structural manipulation, electoral fraud, and generally keeping the people poor and ill educated (Unicef says that 1.7 million children do not go to school and 22% of 5-14 year olds work, mostly in agriculture). The effect of this is the people have little hope, and also international funding is intermittent.
I didn’t meet anyone with a smartphone. Internet is available, but not affordable, and Netflix… what is Netflix? And when you think I am writing, and posting, this blog 38,000ft up in the air crossing the Red Sea on TK161 Tana to Istanbul. How different our lives are.
There is little interest in conservation, because it has zero impact on the lives of 99% of the people, and for the 1% who are involved, the gains are so small.
I hate to end on a low note, but I have little hope for the environment here. Earlier in the week I had thought, yes, nature would probably be taken to the brink, but then the international community would step in to save it. Now I realise, we are already at the precipice. I really want someone to shout me down in flames on this, but I was shocked by the lack of proliferation in the forests, particularly of birds. Where are they all the birds?
There are bare deforested hillsides everywhere you look. 350,000 trees were felled in protected areas between 2010 and 2015, but then only 30% of the population have electricity ( interesting fact – for comparison – 91% of people in the world now have access to electricity). Trees are still being cut down to make charcoal for cooking. It’s time to give everyone a €200 solar panel !
In picture, once forested land, now over to rice. Cyclists carrying charcoal.
This country’s problems are complex and numerous, but it has so much potential.
Potential, as yet, unrealised.
