As part of a traditional trip to Africa organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), we visited Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, between Feb. 13 and 15. The name of the city, sitting on seven hills with a population of 2 million, means “a thousand cities” in the official Malagasy language. Antananarivo is briefly referred to as “Tana,” while Madagascar tends to be abbreviated “Mada.” With a population of about 20 million, Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, having a surface area of about half a million square kilometers. Unlike many African countries, it does not have security problems. The people of Madagascar are rather peaceful, hardworking and kind. Unlike many countries in Africa, it has a traditional structure that attaches importance to family. They care for children, women, the elderly and the dead. The majority of the population is Malay. In addition to an Indian minority, mostly active in trade, there is also a Chinese minority and Arabs who are the descendants of Muslim traders. There is also an ongoing inflow of Chinese businessmen who invest in construction and other sectors, which started in the 2000s.Being a former French colony, Madagascar is still under French influence, particularly visible in political, cultural and economic areas. The French control domestic and foreign trade. This is also the case for the food, beverage, communication and textile sectors. The French are followed by the Indians in terms of business activity. The mining sector and shopping center chains are largely owned by South African companies. The Malagasy have started to prefer Anglo-Saxon countries for immigration, such as the US and England. France, where about 500,000 Malagasy people live, has lost its former luster. The US is starting to invest increased importance in this country. A giant building under construction for the US Embassy is a concrete sign of this interest. The reason for increased US interest in this island, it is said, is motivated by its desire to exert control over the Indian Ocean as well as its newly discovered rich oil deposits.
Although it has a wealth of natural resources, Madagascar is largely neglected. It is the largest producer of vanilla in the world, and it also produces rice and pepper. It has mines of gold, emeralds, rubies and other precious stones. Recently, rich oil deposits have been discovered in this country. Moreover, with its temperate climate all year round and rich vegetation and plenty of beaches it is a good candidate for becoming a new tourism hotspot. However, the middle class in the country has been wiped out by the never-ending political crises, and this has created a big gap between the rich and the poor with monarchy, a tentative introduction of socialism during the Cold War, and the political crises going on for the last 10 years. Former President Marc Ravalmanana, who seized power after a civilian coup in 2001, was accused of using the country’s revenue for personal interests (such as buying a private plane for $60 million) and selling land the size of Belgium to South Koreans who wanted to engage in agriculture. Ravalmanana, however, denied the accusations and claimed that the French were meddling with the affairs of the country. He wanted to establish closer relations with the US and Germany, where he attended university. Those who opposed Ravalmanana gathered together around Andry Rajoelina, the mayor of the capital. A young politician at the age of 30 and educated in France, Rajoelina came from a royal family. When Ravalmanana closed down a TV station owned by the mayor and began to exert political pressure on him, people started to hold rallies, in January 2009. Led by Rajoelina, people attacked the presidential palace on Feb. 7, 2009. French legionnaires and South African private security officers who protected the president opened fire on the crowd, killing 104 people. This further fomented chaos and turmoil. Ministerial posts started to go back and forth between the government and the opposition. In March 2009, the army sided with Rajoelina, and the former president had to flee to Cape Town, similar to Africa’s other coup-planners and dissidents. However, the political crisis could not be stopped as the ministers and prime ministers continued to change constantly. There is a wise saying in Africa: “African leaders are like walnuts as they fall when they are ripe.”
