“Zanaka mpitandrina ny tenany, teraka tamin'ny 1 oktobra 1923 (tapabolana sisa manko) ary Ankadivato ilay fonenana nahalehibe azy. Notezaina tanatin'ny fitiavana an'Andriamanitra sy ny tanindrazana tahaka ireo hafa novolavolaina tanaty lasitra protestanta nandritra ny fanjanahantany”

“He was born, Georges Andriamanantena, on October 1, 1923, the son of a Protestant priest in Ankadivato (a neighborhood of Antananarivo). He was brought up in the respect and love of God and country, in the Protestant tradition that prevailed during the colonization times.”

On his father's side, he descended from a long lineage of Protestant priests (fifth generation), and as tebokaefatra says, on his mother's side, he descended from the village of Amboanana, which was

“…ilay vohitra kely ao atsimon'Arivonimamo, izay nisehoan'ireo Menalamba sahy nanohitra voalohany indrindra ny Fanjanahantany teto Madagasikara. Araka izany koa dia mba nandova ny ran'ireo tia tanindrazana tsy nanaiky hozogain'ny vahiny.”

“…the little village south of Arivonimamo, where originated the Menalamba, the fiercest and first opponents of colonization in Madagascar. Rado inherited the patriotism of his forebearers who refused foreigners' rule. “

As many Protestant youth then, he belonged to the scoutism movement, and his father strengthened the values provided by it, with the “fireside” education held at home, where a love of the Malagasy language and appreciation of the arts blossomed in him and his siblings. He studied in various Protestant schools in the capital and then went to Strasbourg, France to study journalism. He valued his independence and even though he held a well paying job for a time at the then important Preservatrice ASsurances in Antananarivo, he resigned that job and preferred to found his own newspaper “Hehy”, with his brother Celestin. He later worked for the Ministry of Culture.

He showed multiple talents and tried his hand at painting, sculpting and engraving. He also composed religious hymns, showing here his Christian upbringing. But he is mostly well known for the poems he never ceased to write, until he was physically unable to do so.

He published ten books of poems, among which Dinitra (1973), Ando (1977), Zo (1989), Sedra (1993), Ny teny Malagasy (1994), tsy maintsy mipoaka ny sarom-bilany (2002, ny Voninkazo adaladala (2003) and ny fiteny roa (2008). Many of his poems were put into music by the most famous of Malagasy artists. And Dinitra was compulsory reading in high schools. Vola posts one of his poems which was adapted into a song by many artists.

He enjoyed fishing and playing with his grandchildren. He was a proud recipient of most Malagasy honor marks.

Most importantly, Rado was a staunch supporter of the Malagasy language and supported “Fanagasiana“, or the use of Malagasy (instead of French) in education. Fanagasiana failed mainly because of political games that politicians played on the student population. Rabelazao posts the entirety of a talk Rado held at the Malagasy Academy of Sciences in Antananarivo, where Rado explains why Malagasy (and not Malagasy mixed with foreign words) is the best language for communicating development goals and win the Malagasy population's hearts and support.

“…ny fo no tanamilina ao anatin'ny olona, ka manentana ary manome azy toetra entiny miatrika toe-javatra iray. Ny enti-manentana ny fo kosa anefa, dia ny Teny ihany.
Koa raha te hanentana ny fon'ny vahoaka amin'ny Fampandrosoana isika dia ny Teny Malagasy ihany no afaka manao izany. Dia teny malagasy madio, tsy safiotra na vandambadana. Teny malagasy feno ohatrohatra amana ohabolana sy hainteny, fa ireny no mamoha varavarana ny fo. “

“One is led by one's heart, which motivates and decides its point of view of things. What motivates the heart is the Word. So if you want to motivate people's heart with Development, we should use Malagasy words to do that. Malagasy words only, not mixed up ones. Malagasy language with proverbs and hainteny (Note of the translator : a Malagasy form of expression that uses allusions and metaphors), because they are the keys to Malagasy people's hearts.”

Rabelazao relays Rado's humorous example to illustrate his point :

“Tsaroako tsara, fony vao azo ny Fahaleovantena, ka nentanina tamin'ilay fambolem-bary “en ligne” ny Tantsaha sy mpamboly vary. Nahatsikaiky sy nampalahelo anefa, fa noheverin'ny any ambanivohitra ho anaran'olona ity “ligne” ity, ka maro no nilaza hoe : “Aiza ho aiza, tompoko, no misy ity Raline ity, mba hakanay toro-hevitra amin'izay nataony ?” Teo vao nikoropaka ny manampahaizana nitady teny malagasy, ka voatery nitety tanàna sy vohitra, nilaza fa “voly tora-tady” no dikan'io fa tsy izany “Raline” izany. Ho efa nahomby hatrany am-piantombohany anefa ny tetika, raha nogasiana hoe : “Manaova voly tora-tady !”"

“I remember, right after Independence, when peasants were urged to grow their rice “in line”. They believed “in line” was a person's name and asked :”Where is this inline person, so that we may ask him for advice?”. That is when the educated people started looking for Malagasy words and had to travel all over, to say that “in line” actually meant “voly tora-tady” in Malagasy, and was not a “in line”. Their project would have succeeded since the very beginning, if they had simply used Malagasy words :”Manaova voly tora-tady!”

MESSAGE
You are going to see her, but…
Do not tell her about my suffering,
Let her ignore the bite of pain,
that is tearing up my being,
in the web she trapped me in,
My sweating heart that chokes me silently
at midnight
when I ponder my fate,
Do not let her know !

… If she were to ask
I beg of you to lie for once !
Tell her my thoughts have forgotten all about her
Flowers have grown on the past ashes blown by the Adaoro
These journals have been incinerated and all but cremated
…As for my white hair,
and the lines of my forehead
please hide, hide them!
Do you understand?

One last thing
One demand ! See if she is happy.
These are the signs for you to know :
“In her bedroom: there are flowers that will be pink
At her bedside : the picture of her lover… whoever he may be”
If you see those, then she is happy
so do not even talk about me
as happy is what I wish her to be.

This is my message. Please do not forget.
And Adieu !
But before you go,
this hand of yours, do not touch anything with it,
until it links to hers…

Yes, that is it. Have a good journey.
And please do close that door
On my tears.
January 1966.

HAFATRA
Ho any ianao,kanefa….
Aza ataonao fantany izao fahoriako izao
Fa aoka hiafina aminy
Ny ketoky ny jaly
Nanempaka ny aiko,tanatin'ny longoa
Izay namandrihany ahy…
Ny dinitry ny foko manorika ahy mangina,
Fa sempo-tsasak'alina
Misaina ity anjarako,
Aza ataonao fantany!

…Raha manontany izy,
Iangaviako ianao handainga indray mandeha !
Lazao fa nanadino ny momba azy rehetra
Ny saiko manontolo.
“Rako-boninkazo hoe ireo lavenon-dasa
natoraky ny Adaoro”
Ireto diary ireto lazao fa efa may
Sy tapitra efa kila…
….Fa ny volofotsiko,
Ny ketrokentron'handriko
Afeno dia afeno !
Azonao izany ?

Etsy kely koa
Hafarako ianao !Jereo raha sambatra izy !
Mba hamantaranao dia ireto no fambara :
“Ao an' efitranony :misy voninkazo
Tsy maintsy mavokely…
Eo an-doha-fandrianany :
Ny sarin'olotiany…na iza n'iza izay “
Raha izay no hitanao dia efa sambatra izy
Ka aza asiana resaka momba ahy akory,
F'izany rahateo no niriko ho azy…

Izay no hafatrafatro
Ka tazony tsara …Ary dia veloma !
Saingy etsy ange !
‘Ty tànanao ity, aza akasi-javatra
Mandra-pifandray ny tànanao sy ny azy…

Eny e ! Ampy izay.Tongava soa aman-tsara !
Dia akatony mora
Io varavarako io
Fa hitomany aho…

Rado, janoary 1966

Mandria am-piadanana, Rado.
Rest in peace.

The role of the diaspora in the development of Madagascar has been discussed previously in the Malagasy blogosphere. Bloggers recently discussed the impact of living abroad on the behavior of Malagasies and how it alters their relationships with their friends and relatives back home.

News2dago narrates how a close friendship with an old friend from school slowly vanished because that friend left for France:

“Nisy ranamana izay niray dabilio tamiko ary tena akama be mihitsy izy io tany @ taona 1992 tany ho any izahay no nihaona farany rehefa azo moa ny Bacc dia nanam-bitana ranamana ka lasa tany frantsa nanohy ny fianarany. Ny tena moa dia teto @ tanana ihany safidy moa io tsy misy omena tsiny mihitsy. Nivadika teny ihany ny volana sy ny taona tsy dia henoheno intsony ranamana taty aorina fa misy inona ary olona sendra nahalala azy no niteny tamiko oe nanam-bady izy! Ny tena moa manoratra email ihany fa tsy misy valiny intsony e!”

I had a good friend throughout high school. He was my benchmate. I last saw in 1992 after we both received the baccalaureat ( high school diploma), my friend got lucky and pursued his college studies in France. I chose to stay back home, a personal decision, no one to blame here. Years went by and news from my friend, initially frequently received, gradually faded away. One day I learned from a common acquaintance that he actually got married. I kept sending him emails but to no avail.

News2dago adds that he too had a chance to go to France in 2005 but after careful consideration, decided to stay at home. He cites a few reasons: the camaraderie seems lost among Malagasy people once in France, everyone for himself, no bonding over playing cards, plus he used the money to move abroad to create his own current project. “This is better than having to deal with those guys abroad with their fancy diplomas.”

He adds:

“Ny namana taloha ary ity toa mody fanina izany satria niantso azy efa in-3 aho t@ izany fotoana izany dia noraisiny t@ voalohany nandeha ny resaka ary natsidiko ny teny hoe “hibôsy kely any @ lisany any lesy aho raha sitram-po ny Tompo a”, “hay ve hoy ranamana”, “miantso anla ihany aho rehefa tena tapa-kevitra e”. Nanomboka teo dia lasa messagerie vocal foana ny finday-n'ilay ranamana”

I called him once to chat a bit and reminisce. I told him that god's willing, I might go there for work and be one of you guys. “Oh really ?” he replied then. Since I said those words, whenever I call him, I always get his voicemail.

In a related story, news2dago said that his niece came back to Madagascar from France to get married with a fellow Malagasy she met there. They had th whole wedding planned to the T, even bringing a professional photographer from France. They asked to use his internet connection to plan their holidays to Mahajanga after the wedding. Yet they did not deem necessary to say goodbye when they left the country back to France. Living abroad really does change a man.

Reacting to the story, Ravatorano believes that feigning indifference or ignoring former friends is not limited to compatriots abroad. However, he believes it is a minimum to respect people who helped you out. Simp quipped: ” Forgive them for they are only human… good deeds are the seeds of good fortune and bad deeds are like karmic Damocles sword.”
lehilahytsyresy gives a possible explanation for forsaking real friendship for utilitarian friendship (mg):

“Rehefa voaporitra mafy ao anaty fiaraha-monina gejain'ny concurrence ady-saritaka isan'andro isan' andro izy, dia normal raha toa ka raiki-tapisaka ao an-tsainy koa izay fomba fisainana “namana-raha-misy-patsa” izay, mba hahafahany mi-survivre. Rehefa avy eo koa anefa, dia tsy afaka intsony ilay toetra ka na dia ny havana koa aza, dia lasa anaovana “havako-raha-misy-patsa”.

“When Malagasy abroad are squeezed by the reality of life abroad, rugged competition and everyday life stress, it's normal that the “friendship if rich” attitude prevails, it's necessary for survival. However, that behavior becomes ingrained into them so even with relatives, it eventually becomes “related if loaded”.

Dr. Nabulo Mabaso, Deputy Medical Director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Ithembalabantu “People's Hope” Clinic in Durban expresses his satisfaction that support for marginalized communities (sex workers, men who have sex with men, and indigeneous people) was emphasized by conference organizers. However, he explains that this focus should extend to other marginalized communities and even currently isolated nations:

“There is still limited access to treatment. For example, my neighboring country, Zimbabwe, it might be politically unstable, but there are people on the ground who are suffering and because of sanctions that are being imposed funders are not going to Zimbabwe. At the end of the day, it's the lives of individuals and I hope the theme of universal access is really put into practice”.

George Kanuma lives in Bujumbura and is an activist for the France-based association Africa Gay and is a member of ANSS (National Association for HIV-Positive and AIDS patients in Burundi). He is content with the renewed emphasis on MSM (Men having Sex with Men) and sex workers at the conference (fr):

However, in some French-speaking African countries, discrimination is still very strong, he explains (fr):

“Il y a certain pays comme le Cameroun ou le Sénégal qui criminalise encore l’homosexualité [..] Il y a des cas aussi comme au Ruanda, la présidente de l’association gay et lesbienne au Ruanda ne peut toujours pas quitté son pays, parce que la police de l’immigration a pris son passeport.”

A few countries, like Cameroon or Senegal, still criminalize homosexuality. [..] There are also cases like the one in Rwanda, where the president of the LGBT association cannot exit her country because the immigration police is still holding her passport.

The Fimizore project in Madagascar was one of the recipient of the 2008 UNAIDS Red Ribbon Award. Balou, a trans-gendered sexual worker and her colleague Jeannie, are members of the project and they both weighed in on their hope and concerns for the conference. Like Kanuma, they both emphasized the need to end marginalization of sexual workers if we want to effectively fight HIV/AIDS (mg):

“Ny fanilikilhina indrindra no manankana ny MSM sy ny TDS hikarakara ny fahasalamany […] Io moa dia eo ihany ny fomba-drazana antsika malagasy, raha ohatra hoe msm dia tsy tafiditra am-pasan-drazana. Raha amin’ny autorites dia mahafa-po fa raha amin’ny societe civile, mbola mila fivoarana.”

Marginalization is what prevents MSM (men having sex with men) and TDS ( sexual workers) from taking care of their health [..] There are also the walls of traditional Malagasy culture. For instance, if you are a MSM, you will not be allowed to enter the familial cemetery (when you pass away). The official authorities have made great strides but the civil society has still a long way to go (in ending marginalization).

Finally, marginalized communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS are not only products of cultural intolerance or political agendas. They are also the result of economic hardships or plain geographical locations. In this video, on The Hub, Dr. Phillip Njemanze, in Imo State, Nigeria, explains the struggle for HIV positive people in rural areas to monitor their immune system:

“In rural areas in Imo State, CD4 testing is non-existent. This means for 3.5 million people you have only two centers that can measure CD4 count in the whole state [..] The most important thing would be, to be able to move around with the test and go where the patients are.”

Je regrette profondément que le président de la République de Madagascar ne m'ait pas accordé la moindre chance pour pouvoir remplir l'exaltante mission dont je rêvais depuis longtemps.

I profoundly regret that the president of the Republic of Madagascar has not given me the smallest chance to fulfill the exciting mission I have been dreaming of for a long time.

The reasons for the ambassador's departure are not clear. Some have speculated Malagasy President Marc Ravalomanana many not have appreciated Le Lidec's habit of being in countries during times of crisis.  Le Lidec was in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in October 2000, when Laurent-Désiré Kabila was murdered, and in Cote d'Ivoire from 2002 to 2005, during the armed rebellion against Laurent Gbagbo.

Probably thinking that Le Lidec's presence during these turbulent times was more than a coincidence, some journalists close to the Malagasy government have wondered about French intentions in the Great Red Island:

Il vient pour tuer le President.

He is here to assassinate the President.

The French press has been quick to ridicule Marc Ravalomanana's aversion to Gildas Le Lidec, reporting on the Malagasy President's supposed superstitions:

La raison de la défiance dont est victime le diplomate tient, selon les responsables français, à la personnalité du président Ravalomana, “un homme jeune à la fois moderne et superstitieux, voire arriéré.

According to French leaders, Ravalomanana's personality is the reason [Le Lidec] has fallen victim to this distrust; Ravalomanana, a “young man, both modern and superstitious, even backward”.

Sylvain Ranjalahy, a Malagasy journalist, sees in the public nature of this incident a sign of rupture in Franco-Malagasy relations.  Although this type of information is usually not disclosed to the general public, the French ambassador publicly accused the Malagasy President of being responsible for his persona non grata condition.

Some in African blogospheres, including Ivoirian blogger Théophile Kouamouo, seemed to agree with Ravalomanana's distrust of the French ambassador:

Le Lidec semble étonnamment présent quand les présidents se font tuer, ou vivent des tentatives d'assassinat, surtout dans les pays où la France est potentiellement fortement impliquée.

Le Lidec seems to be magically present wherever presidents get killed, or experience assassination attempts, especially in countries where France is potentially strongly involved.

Others see in the “expulsion” of the French diplomat as a sign that African presidents have lost their meekness and timidity towards their former colonizers. The following comment by Rakoto, a reader from Madagascar, in response to Kouamouo's post is particularly telling:

… ça discréditait un président que n'apprécient guère certains milieux.
Un journal français l'a même traité “d'arriéré”. Que diraient ces “vazaha” si notre Presse utilisait des qualificatifs équivalents à l'égard de leurs hommes d'Etat ? Une mentalité raciste et méprisante n'a pas été éradiquée chez les anciens colonisateurs et certains compatriotes psychologiquement “aliénés ” leur emboîtent hélas triomphalement le pas.On a donc mis sur le dos du président Ravalomanana, à qui on ne pardonne pas non plus l'utilisation de la langue maternelle dans l'enseignement primaire, ce qui est une querelle franco-française ; Ce faisant, on se défausse de ses turpitudes sur quelqu'un qui, pour le moment, n'a pas rejoint la “France-Afrique”. Ce qui est clair c'est que, dans le départ de l'ambassadeur, ni la superstition, ni le côté arriéré de notre président ne sont en cause.

“…it's discredited a president and that won't be appreciated in some quarters. A French newspaper even called him “backward”. What would these “vazaha” (translator's note : Vazaha means white foreigner, but is mostly used to designate French people) say if we used similar adjectives towards their statesmen? The former colonials and some of their mentally ill countrymen, who joyously follow in their footsteps, still hold onto old racist ways of thinking. They have blamed President Ravalomanana, whom they have also not fogiven for the use of the mother tongue in primary education (Translator's note : The Malagasy government has decided to use Malagasy instead of French), for what is really a Franco-French quarrel.  This way they deflect their weaknesses on someone who, for the moment, has not joined the “France-Afrique” clan. What is clear is that the departure of the ambassador has been caused by neither the superstitions nor the backwardness of our President.

This skepticism of the Malagasy President's responsibility in the matter is echoed by this Malagasy comment on the Serasera Forum:

Raha tena i filoha hajaina marina no nitondra ity baolina ity, nahoana kay no ingahy Ambasadaoro no nampilAza azy voalohany t@ mpanao gazety, ARY t@ andron'ny fety nasionaly firantsay? Mahagaga!!!
Raha tena i filoha hajaina marina no tena mazana t@ ity aferafera ity, nahoana ingahy zokinibe Ramarisely toa nihanahAna sahala @ zanak'Akoho natelindrRamenarana t@ io fotoana io? Io ihany dia efa manambara amiko fa TSY nampoizin'ingahy zokibe Ramarisely ity fanambarAna nataon'i ambasadaoro ity.

“If really the president was the one holding the cards, why was the ambassador the first to announce this to the press, AND on the French National Day ? Amazing!!!
If really the president was the one to blame why was the Minister of Foreign Affairs so taken aback? This tells me that the Minister of Foreign Affairs did not expect this announcement from this ambassador.

A French netizen, responding to an article in Le Monde, “French Ambassador expelled from Madagascar for giving the evil eye,” wonders if all this could have been avoided:

“Pour autant, si la raison est vraiment un problème de superstition, c'est une faute de notre diplomatie de ne pas l'avoir prise en compte lors de la nomination de notre représentant. Tout ceci n'enlève rien à son talent, bien entendu. Tout simplement une erreur de “casting”

“Anyway, if it was really a matter of superstition, it is the fault of our diplomacy not to have taken it into account during the nomination of our ambassador. This does not lessen his abilities, of course. Simply a casting mishap.”

While another Le Monde reader wonders if this was a repercussion of Ravalomanana's allegedly bitter personal experiences with the French administration:

Peut-être faut-il aussi rappeler le sentiment anti-français du président malgache. Peu de gens savent que ce sentiment est né alors que le Président actuel n'était qu'un petit industriel et qu'il s'est vu maltraité par le consulat lors d'une demande de visa. Faut-il aussi rappeler les sarcasmes entendus dans la bouche de nos diplomates toujours si arrogants lorsque ce petit industriel devenu plus grand a accédé à la mairie de Tananarive. Et nos diplomates continuent de railler…

Maybe one should remember the anti-French feelings of the Malagasy President. Few people know that these feelings originated from when the current resident was just a small-time industrialist, and saw himself mishandled by the consulate when asking for a visa. One should remember the sarcasms uttered by our diplomats who were still arrogant when this small-time industrialist grew in stature and became the Mayor of Antananarivo. And our diplomats keep on mocking…

And another sarcastically comments on the “backwardness” of African societies:

L'horoscope de l'ambassadeur était en contradiction avec celui du président malgache ? Mon Dieu ! Mon Dieu ! L'Afrique est bien sur la voie du modernisme ! Aucun doute …

The ambassador's horoscope contradicted the Malagasy president's? My God! My God! Africa is really on the way to modernity! No doubt…