 | Madagascar General Tips | Tips 31 - 40 of 72 |  |
Popular General Tips | Other General Tips Tips | All Tips (72) I am currently reading a history book on Madagascar. It is the first (and so far, the only one I've ever heard of) to be released in English. It explains a lot: from the origins of Madagascarian (Malagasy) people, through the occupation of the island, the kingdoms, early contacts with Europeans, French colonial era to nowadays Madagascar. Some anecdots may enlighten on local customs and culture as well.
It is "A history of Madagascar" by Sir Meryn BROWN, a former British ambassador in Madagascar. ISBN 09506284 5 X
History... Ambohimanga played an important role in Antananarivo, Merina clan histories and so the sacred hill did even on Madagascar's.
Picture: view on the Laniera plains that Nampoina had fit for rice cultivation. The plains extends in Northern Tana area.. surrounding Ambohimanga, Malaza, Lazaina, Sabotsy-Namehana, Anosy.. many of those areas being part of Ambohimanga municipailty. Malaza, my village is. Leave a Comment
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Madagaskar has landscapes from desert to rain forest. Like this the weather is very diverse. But don't go in February!! Then it is raining almost everywhere. In February the air is very humid - at least in Tana.
In the south are the deserts, where it does not rain much in years. Leave a Comment
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Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. My best memories are the visits to various projects to help children: 1) The children's hospital in Antananarivo 2) Association Mikolo for orphans near Antsirabe and 3) La Ribambelle near Tuléar (doctor's post, maternity clinic and center for handicapped children). Please read about it in my Travelogue! It's so easy to help and it really makes a difference. Leave a Comment
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Traditional houses in Madagascar are built from wood or clay. In the north we saw most houses were built from wood with leaves for roofs. In the hills south of Antananarivo it was mostly clay in the color of the soil, sometimes red sometimes more yellowish.
Today we see a new method the brick. Driving east from Tana we found a brick factory. Molds were filled with clay and than dried in the sun. After that they were piled up with straw in between. The straw was lighted and the bricks were baked this way. It was a very labor intensive method, because the bricks have to be transported (on the head) several times to the several stages. Leave a Comment
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We visited a market in a small village east of Morondava. When we heard music on the market we started dancing. We had already discovered that music is a great way to make contact with Malagasy people, but we never expected to be cheered like the Spice Girls on tour. I am convinced that many of the wonderful people in this village will not forget this afternoon in april, which makes my memories even more special! Leave a Comment
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...visit Isalo, Ranomafana, Perinet, Ifaty, Fort Dauphin, Canal de Pangalanes.....etc etc.Try to learn a little of the language. In Tana bookshops you can buy a basic English Malagasy dictionary (the money goes to the red cross!). It is much fun and people value it greatly.
Stimulate the local economy. Madagascar is an extremely poor country where most of the tourist industry is in hands of vazaha. Look for small local restaurants or go shopping for 'mouf' (bread) and fruit on the market. Leave a Comment
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Since August 2003 Madagaskar has a new currency called Ariari. the smallest note 2000 Ariari is worth aboth 1,5 Euro. The change became nessessary as the Euro removed the French Franc and the Madagaskar Franc was well connected with the French. Leave a Comment
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The Time Zone at Madagascar is GMT/UTC +3 hours!
The Dialling Code is 261
Electricity: 127/220V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Just helpfull I tought! Leave a Comment
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A famadihana is a reburial ceremony. The entire family gathers to celebrate the turning of the dead. Malagasy people believe the body dies but the soul does not. So this way the people still living can celebrate together with those who are dead.
The dead are taken out of the tomb and there is a huge party with singing and dancing. There are speeches in which the dead are told what happened in the past years. After more dancing and music the dead are given new shrouds and are laid back in the same tomb.
We were lucky to witness this ceremony in a small village not far from Antsirabe.
It all started with food, rice with meat. After that we followed the music to the tomb. The dead were already taken out. There were long speeches, of which we didn't understand anything except the word Vazaha (foreigner). And then was dancing and music. After the death were given new shrouds, just winded around the old ones, we were asked to leave. This way they could rebury their loved ones without cameras and Vazaha eyes. Leave a Comment
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Capital: Antananarivo
Independence: June 26, 1960
Population: 14,000,000 (est.)
Languages: Malagasy, French
Religions: Indigenous beliefs, Christian, Muslim
Currency: Malagasy franc Leave a Comment
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