Madagascar is a very beautiful and very peaceful country. Yet, it remains on the list the poorest countries in the world. Malnutrition, malaria & other preventable diseases kill many children as well as adults at an early age. you can read more about it’s history and culture below.

Primary target area: Diana region of Northern Madagascar

Natural History:Isolated for 65 million years, Madagascar is the oldest island on earth, with a natural history that is unique, largely due to it’s isolation and diverse habitats. Eight whole plant families exist only in Madagascar, as do close to 1,000 orchid species (89% of Mada’s flora is endemic), 170 species of palm (Three times more than the rest of Africa and 165 of which are found nowhere else), around 370 kinds of reptiles, five families of birds, and almost 200 different types of mammals. It is particularly famous for its baobob trees, lemurs. Chameleons, and geckos. Unfortunately, many of the islands most fascinating inhabitants have long since disappeared. There are fossils of herbivorous crocodiles, huge tortoises, dwarf hippos, and lemurs (a primate) the size of gorillas. Perhaps the most amazing of Madagascar’s extinct animals was a flightless elephant bird or ‘Aepyornis”. Standing over three meters tall, it would have made an ostrich seem like a goose. The largest weighed in at more than 500 kilograms and is though to be the largest bird that ever lived. Thankfully, in light of the country’s rich natural habitat, Madagascar has been designated a Biodiversity hot spot by Conservation International, and there is much activity regarding its study and conservation underway.
Madagascar’s history:Archaeologists believe that the first people arrived in Madagascar from Indonesia/Malaya about 2000 years ago by outrigger canoes via Southern India and East Africa. Though Madagascar is geographically clumped with Africa, culturally, it more closely resembles Indonesia. In fact, if you took a Malagasy and placed them on the island of Fiji, 80% of the dialect would be the same. Different sections of Madagascar are populated by different tribes, each with their own unique body features, dress, and traditions. For example, the highland tribes more closely resemble Indonesians, while the south and west is inhabited by more African appearing tribes. Madagascar was first sighted by the Portuguese in 1500, though there is evidence of Arab settlements on the coast. There were unsuccessful attempts to establish British and French colonies during the next few centuries, which failed due to disease and hostile local people. In the early 1700′s, the island became a haven for pirates and slave traders, who both traded with and fought the local kings who ruled the clans of the east and west coast. Missionaries tried their hand at colonization and conversions, mostly with poor success. The French ultimately got the upper hand following the French-Malagasy War, and in 1896, Madagascar became a French colony. Following a bloody uprising against the French in 1947, Madagascar finally gained its independence in 1960. It’s worth mentioning that Britain played an important role in Madagascar’s military history. 46,000 Malagasy were recruited to fight during WWI. In terms of its government, Madagascar has been ruled by monarchies, military dictatorships, Christian-Marxism philosophy, and various versions of a democratic republic. It is currently governed by a presidential system, under a constitution (though I am still unclear about the balance of power.)

Economically, in the last 30 yrs, Madagascar has declined from being modestly prosperous to becoming one of the poorest countries in the world. It is dependent on massive support from the IMF, the World Bank, the European Union, and various other bilateral donors such as France and the US. The economy is agriculturally based, with rice being the largest export crop. Other important sources of income include Vanilla (Madagascar is the world’s largest producer of Vanilla and 80% goes to US ice cream production), prawns, and mining (semi-precious stones such as sapphire; mica, and chromite), and of course, tourism.

Madagascar is a land of diverse climates and peoples. There are high mountains, dense rainforest, tropical coast lines, Savannah grasslands, mangroves, coral reefs, and deserts. It has a tropical climate, with a summer wet season from November to March, and a winter dry season from April to October. In our experience, the weather is fantastic…dry, cool in the evenings (60s) , and sunny and warm in the morning (70s) and warmer still in the afternoon (low 80s). The sun sets every day at 6pm sharp.

The Malagasy have a complicated set of beliefs and customs. Despite the various tribes or clans, the country shares not only a common language (with various dialects), but a belief in the power of dead ancestors. This cult of the dead is actually a celebration of life since the dead ancestors (razana) are considered to be potent forces that continue to share in family life. Calamities are usually blamed on the anger of razana, and a zebu bull may be sacrificed in appeasement. Respect for their elders and courtesy to all fellow humans in part of the tradition. The Malagasy worship one god, Andriamanitra, who is neither male nor female. Many rural people also believe in ‘secondary gods” or nature spirits, which may be male or female, and can inhabit trees, rocks, or rivers. Death is an immortal state, and thus is seen as a change, not an end. A special ceremony marks this rite of passage, with feasting and the sacrifice of zebu. Every tribe has its own funeral rituals. The strangest (and disturbing) ritual I heard of is the procedure following the death of a noble of the Menabe Sakalava people. The body may be placed on a wooden bench in the hot sun until it begins to decompose. The bodily fluids are then collected in receptacles and drunk by relatives in the belief that they will then take on the qualities of the deceased (I wonder if this is done if the relative is particularly grumpy or lazy.)

There are three important concepts in the Malagasy culture: Fady, Vintana, and Tody/Tsiny. Fady: The dictates of the razana (ancestors) are obeyed by a complicated set of fady. Fady is usually translated as “taboo”, but it actually is the beliefs related to actions, food, or days of the week “when it is dangerous to…”. They can vary tribe to tribe, and person to person. For example, among the Merina tribe, it may be fady to sing while you are eating (violators will develop elongated teeth). For the Andranoro tribe, it is fady to ask for salt directly, so one has to request “that which flavors food.” Some animals are fady to kill, and thus have had a conservation benefit. There are also social fady’s, such as for certain tribes, it is fady to work the land on Tuesdays, or have a funeral on Thursdays. And a tribe to the southeast has a sacred women’s forest along a stretch of river where only women may bathe. Here it is fady to cut trees or clear vegetation. Fady’s are not intended to restrict freedom, but rather ensure happiness and improve the quality of one’s life. Vintana: Along with fady is a complex sense of destiny called vintana. Vintana has to do with time