Stories from Quick Reads and Malagasy
Scroll Through Madagascar History Via Vintage Photographs
Access to the visual history of most former colonial countries in Africa is usually a challenging proposition because former colonial powers restrict access to historical archives. Helihanta RAJAONARISON and Tsiry Fy-Tia SOLOFOMIHANTA in Madagascar sought to solve this issue and make the history of Madagascar more palatable to the general...
The Collapse of Civilisation Is Already a Reality for the Children of Ambovombe, Madagascar
A scientific publication in the Journal of Ecological Economics argues that “over-exploitation of either Labor or Nature will result in a societal collapse” if nothing is done to prevent it. Based on a mathematical model, the study explains (via The Guardian) that the convergence of ” the stretching of resources due...
Ex-President's Return Triggers Media Warning from Government in Madagascar
The political situation is tense again in Madagascar after ex-president in exile Marc Ravalomanana's return to the country. The conditions under which he came back and the subsequent house arrest and deportation to the North of the country are strongly debated on most malagasy media outlets. Heninkaja Rakotomanantsoa, managing editor of...
What If 75% of All Cities Were Deprived of Electricity by Design?
There are about 105 cities listed in all of Madagascar. The Minister of Energy Fienena Richard recently announced that 80 cities of Madagascar are curently deprived of electricity because JIRAMA, the public company in charge of providing electricity across the territory is running short on fuel. As a result, JIRAMA...
Locusts Invade Madagascar's Capital City
#valala pic.twitter.com/YHzOx5Q8QU — Vaintche Rahouli (@vincraholi) August 28, 2014 Twitter and Facebook users from Madagascar's capital city, Antananarivo, have posted several photos of locusts invading the city. Locust invasions are not unusual in Madagascar, especially after tropical storms, but they are very uncommon in larger cities. Locusts can have a...
2 Journalists Arrested for Alleged Defamation of a Minister in Madagascar
Two journalists from the daily paper Madagascar Matin were placed under arrest at Antanimora's jail, in the capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo. Earlier this morning (July 23), both of them were summoned to the Brigade of Fiadanana for a hearing. Solo Rajaonson, another local journalist, posted the following update in...
“How are We Malagasy Supposed to Provide School Supplies and Medications for our Children ?”
Malagasy blogger Tojo Fehizoro posted a spreadsheet that summarized the minimum cost of basic supplies for a Malagasy family of 4 with 2 children, 10 and 7 years old respectively. The spreadsheet lists the cost and description of each item [mg] and the combined salary of both parents: Monthly Income Monthly...
Madagascar to Start Distributing Crude Oil Locally and Hope to Boost Job Market
L'Express reports that the Madagascar Oil Group will start testing distribution of 55,000 to 73,000 barrels [fr] of crude oil from Tsimiroro, Madagascar onto the local market. It is part of the new government strategy to ingnite economic recovery and strive for energy independence [fr]. The oil exploitation is also expected to create new jobs for local...
The New Government of Prime Minister Roger Kolo Announced in Madagascar
Tananews in Madagascar has published the full list of the 31 members of the new Malagasy government [fr]. Mitsangana Madagascar notes that the list includes 6 women and that 7 ministers were already part [fr] of the previous transitional government. Former prime minister Beriziky wished the new government well on twitter :...
First Tweet from President of Madagascar is the Ultimate Meta Tweet
The newly elected president of Madagascar Hery Rajaonarimampianina created his twitter account on March 23, 2014. Here is his first tweet : It is quite possibly the most meta tweet ever from a head of state. Only media mugol Rupert Murdoch might challenge the level of “metaness” of his first...
Young Woman in Madagascar Kills Herself after Photos Were Re-posted on Facebook
Koolsaina writes that a Malagasy girl killed herself [fr] after photos of her were posted on a Facebook page that showcase photos of young women from Madagascar without their consent. A call to Facebook administrators was initiated to take down the page. As of today (March 16, 2014), Koolsaina reports...
Saving Primate Lemurs
A group of researchers from Madagascar, Canada, UK and USA published a detailed report in Science that alerts on the possible extinctions of 90% of the known lemurs of Madagascar following the prolonged political crisis in the country. One of the researcher, Christoph Schwitzer, explains to the Scientific American the dire consequences...
Madagascar Still Awaiting a New Prime Minister, Government
A full month since President-elect Hery Rajaonarimampianina took position as the new head of state in Madagascar, there are still no indication who the new prime minister will be and what government he/she will assemble. Ma-Laza argues that the main issue is not really the identity of the prime minister but...
Malagasy React to SI Swimming Suit Issue and Model's Take on Madagascar
The 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimming Suit Issue was shot on Nosy Iranja (Iranja Island), Madagascar: Nosy Iranja is known as the Turtle island for the Hawksbill Turtles came to shore to lay their eggs. It is also known for the spectacular sandbank that bridges the two nearby islands. Russian Top...
INFOGRAPHIC: Pursuit of Happiness in Africa
The Afrographique blog mapped the happiness index for the African continent. Topping the ranking are Angola and Mauritius who hold the same happiness index as Albania and Russia, respectively. In related news, the Pharell’ single “Happy” has been used by dancers around the world to celebrate the new year 2014....
Discovering Malagasy Diverse Street Food
Malagasy cuisine is a mix of its many diverse influences from Asian, African and European migrants that have settled in the Island. It makes for a rich culinary experience, as seen from its multitude of snacks and street foods. Hanta Ramanatsoa highlights some of those on her facebook page, la...
A Business Model Competition to Ignite Start Ups in Madagascar
Harinjaka, founder of the co-working space Habaka and Madagascar-based blogger, created the 2014 Antananarivo Start Up Cup [fr] whose objective is to select and support the best business ideas in Madagascar. He thinks that there is a bright future for entrepreneurship and innovation [fr] in Madagascar. Here is a poster for the event [fr] :...
Madagascar Goes to the Polls, Four Years after the Coup
Tomorrow, Madagascar is set to hold elections, four years after a coup plunged the country into political, economical and social turmoil: Thirty-three candidates are competing tomorrow to replace Rajoelina, who deposed President Marc Ravalomanana almost five years ago, causing the African Union to suspend the country and donors including the...
Madagascar Agency Suspended from Network Tracking Money Laundering
Lambo T. reports [fr] on the website of La Gazette de La Grande Ile that Samifin [mg], the agency in charge of cleaning up the financial sector and combat transnational illegal operations in Madagascar has been suspended from the Egmont Group of financial intelligence units. Egmont is an international network that helps tracks...
Privileges Granted to Ex-Presidents in Madagascar
Reporter Rianasoa posts the image of a document that stipulates what ex presidents will be entitled to in Madagascar. These privileges include but (not are not limited to) the services of five household helpers and two drivers, and a stipend of 6,000,000 Ariary (about $2700 USD/month): Loi N°2013-001 relative aux privilèges...
Surprise Candidates for Madagascar Elections
Update: Here is the full list of the 49 candidates [fr] for the presidential elections. It does not include the current president of the transition. As the deadline to submit candidacies for the Malagasy presidential elections ends today (28/04), a few surprising candidates have allegedly come forth. While the earlier candidates...
