Some news from Madagascar

I have been in Madagascar for ten days now and is the time for a first feedback from the field. At the present, I am inquiring about Antananarivo (Tana) this very big city where there are so many contradictions, notably this incompatible trilogy between road traffic, car model and unbreathable air. Antananarivo is the back of a sleepy and dreamy dragon with twelve vertebrae: the hills of Tana. As every single myth figure, it does not let you without surprises. Every day, the situations are unexpected and different. The daily scenesare noisy markets, smiling people.

Sometimes, even those living there can not recognize it. The general situation (at least my vision after about ten days here) is rather complex and subtle. I could speak for hours about the help freeze by the international backers as well as the level of participation of the people to the country life that is the level of democracy. This word, so short and with so many applications, looses its very sense in this context, since most of the inhabitants are still analphabets. I shall also speak about the economic origins of the consequences which have visible effects on the civil society: unemployment for example, with all the things that accompany it, positive (redeployment as a peddler) as well as negative (immoral, sometimes illegal, actions like rose wooddealing, flour smuggling…). I shall tell the story of every Malagasy family, the tenacity of every single woman living in the street with her children, sometimes under one year old, near the urban traffic. I could also speak about the neglected children, the exploited one, the orphans and the religiously excluded children. I could speak about the women who earn their living not only for themselves but also for their four to five members family, and also of their sons, for whom begging is a mission; a (small) participation to face the family expenses, or also a financial contribution for the “famadihana” (a costly funeral ceremony).

And all those people may carry out these activities only as life evidence.

I could speak about all this and more, but still is the extent of the different issues (that I would not be able to describe entirely in this article).

What is the population awareness about children and mother in difficult situation in the institutions? And what does the society do? It seems that a part of the Antananarivo inhabitants is indifferent to the problems of the street children, or “Quat’mis”. Their answer is rejection, contempt or simple tolerance sometimes.

I want to tell you an anecdote (of course, I would not draw a generalization out of it but I think it is quite representative of the vision of some people about street children): I was sat on a bus, going to the center of the city. At a bus stop, a girl got on the bus and asked the passengers for money. My neighbor then imitated a gun with his dirty hands and aimed at her. The girl went out, as swept by his fickleness. With a look of satisfaction on his face, my neighbor turned to me and said something in Malagasy. I looked at him and asked him why he acted this way. He did not understand, maybe… I repeated my question and his face became gloomy. He looked down in shame, unsatisfied not to have found a partner for validating his disgraceful attitude.

Children (boys as well as girls) are employed for several works, from cart traction to mobile selling of newspaper or cigarettes. This is even considered as a way to learn the“real life”. Therefore, there are parents to criticize the education system since they find it too theoretical and think it will not give to their children the keys for succeeding in life. Children learn fast and they are less likely to oppose exploitation.

I am still analyzing certain aspects (since I have to consider the overall situation) but I feel as if a proportion of the population (only) makes proposals that can not be implemented since they are not directly concerned by the problem. In their view, only people working in this field, “experts” and NGO members should deal with that issue.

There is a broad network of NGO with diverse origins (public, catholic, local, foreign NGO). They work with and for the helpless and destitute people, as the street children and mothers. I am currently discovering their reality and trying to discern their approach, working methodology and philosophy.

Fabrizio De Angeli

Traduction: Yoann Cancan

Pictures: Fabrizio De Angeli