“The reality as you know it on the ground in Madagascar is characterized by fatigue that is felt by the people of Madagascar, people who are hoping the crisis will come to an end. A crisis to which, after all, they are the hostages. Whereas the socio-economic situation in your country is getting worse day by day. The people of Madagascar deserve better destiny and that depends completely on you”

This sentiment seems to be shared by a large portion of the blogosphere who focused their attention on the other challenges affecting Madagascar. Several provinces are currently plagued by the cumulative disastrous effects of a severe drought, the toxic spill of a ship wreck that poisoned the livelihood of thousands of fishermen and the ecological disaster of illegal logging of the rain forests.
(Update: A power sharing agreement was signed by the 4 political movements over the week-end (BBC) where Madagascar will be led by 3 co-presidents. More analysis can be found on this political breakthrough on Reuters and Madagascar Tribune (fr) )

The ecological scandal of the Gulser Ana toxic spill

The Gulser Ana was a Turkish freighter transporting Phosphate that sunk off the coast of Madagascar, spilling toxic waste in the process and killing migrating whales and causing illness among the fishermen community. Although the disaster has been reported in a few media recently, the ship started to sink two months ago as Malagasy bloggers signaled on their blogs back in early September.
Tomavana wrote on his blog (fr):

En plus d’écarter le drame écologique du Sud de l’île des actualités nationales, la controverse politique autour de ces nouvelles nominations pose la question du suivi de ce dossier sensible

Joan asks simply: “Have you heard of the Gulser Ana ?”. In the comment section, Capt Collin Smith explores the possible causes of the grounding:

The only explanation which can exculpate the Captain and Officer of the Watch of this vessel is mechanical breakdown. Anything else is human error, and therefore incompetence, if not recklessness. How can a ship go aground in perfect visibility if the OOW and Captain are paying attention and properly trained? [..] Another practice to save money. The Captain and OOW should have been arrested when they got ashore, and held.

Mialisoa reports on her blog that (fr):

les habitants « souffrent de problèmes respiratoires, et de maladies cutanées et diarrhéiques ». Car non seulement ces personnes ont été exposées aux déchets toxiques, mais le nettoyage des zones polluées s’est fait sans vêtements de protection et sans équipements adéquats

The lack of report early on in the media prompted this reaction from Tomavana on twitter:

“@fanjakely j'ai l'impression que les habitants Sud #Madagascar sont des malgaches de 2nde zone. J'entends nos beaux discours mais nous sommes pas #Solidaire”

Ship wreck via http://mialisenfout.hautetfort.com

Unfortunately that was not the only source of worry in the region.

Severe drought

Rain has been very scarce in the Southern region. According to the Guardian, the unseasonal dry weather caused by climate change (10% increase in temperature) has prompted a severe drought and warning signs of famine for the past six months. Tovoheryzo Raobi Jaona explains how climate change has affected the south (fr):

“Avant, il y avait une sécheresse tous les dix ans. Or, depuis 2000, il y en a eu quatre”

Féroce Remanongona, an elected official goes further as to say (fr):

Nous prions le Grand Dieu que le cyclone passe chez nous. Même s’il détruit nos maisons, c’est mieux que subir la sécheresse

This is a powerful statement when one recalls how the recent cyclone devastated the majority of the region.

The Panos Insitute recently published a series called “Pushed to the Edge” about the effect of climate change on the Malagasy population in the Southern region. Here is a testimony from the report by Bruno:

I noticed that the weather had changed from our usual predictions, and the rainy seasons were starting very late… Not only was rice production affected, but also sweet potatoes and cassava. It was getting hotter and hotter, which made planting cassava challenging… When I harvested it, I discovered that the roots had become smaller, compared to my previous harvest. In terms of rice, I used to collect three to four large baskets and now I can harvest only one small basket. The change is so obvious that it makes me ask the question, “What is happening to the climate?”

A recent academic paper for the American Political Science Association by Richard Marcus illustrates the challenges of water resource management in the Ambovombe-Androy region. The paper states that

“Rural communities are suddenly faced with having to pay exorbitant costs for water. They are ill-prepared to carry out their municipal functions and unable to raise the level of user-fees or community taxes necessary to fund infrastructure development”

Stephane, a blogger from Foko Madagascar attended the UN conference on climate change in September and blogged about the challenges facing developing countries like Madagascar.

Finally, a resolution to condemn the plundering of natural resources in Madagascar has been introduced by Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) at the House of Representatives. Illegal logging of precious woods from the rain forest has been increasing with the political turmoil. Courier International and l'Express de Madagascar also reveals that the government allowed for exportation of precious rosewood in late September (fr). More details on the illegal logging of the rain forest are available here (fr) .

Many Malagasy bloggers/twitterers followed the exchange on the UN webcast and reacted instantly via twitter as the crisis in Madagascar took another improbable turn.
As Rajoelina was about to take the stage, Malagasy blogger Aliotsy noted:

Congo's rep just called on member states (SADC or UN?) to walk out on Rajoelina if he speaks. http://www.un.org/webcast/ #Madagascar #fb

Rashaja is a bit perplexed:

situation is quite funny actually…total mess, total confusion. President of Session and advisor not experienced enough? #UN #Madagascar

Samganegie adds (fr):

président de l'assemblé est même sorti de sa tribune, et ses assistant sont completement paumés !!#madagascar

Streetrover bemoans the state of politics in Madagascar:

Rajoelina shunned at the UN, its ambassador @ UN publicly named in an internatnl bribery scheme on the same day! #madagascar needs a break!

HairyT and Solofo agree that it was a low point in Madagascar's history:

RT @solofo: What a shame for #Madagascar . I don't care about #Rajoelina/ RT Pdt Prevented from Taking Floor at #UN

The pro-government blog Madagate weighs in on the incident (fr):

Ce moment irritant dans l’histoire de Madagascar fait déjà partie du passé. Car cette crise aura une fin, quoi qu’il puisse arriver. Pour le moment, la majorité des Malgaches de Madagascar commence à la vivre très mal car ils se perdent en conjectures.

In the meantime, Unrest has once again broken in the aftermath of the UN fiasco. Investgasy posted on twitter today:

#Madagascar: shootings in Anosy (Tana) right now, armed 4×4 are everywhere

. The report was later confirmed by Reuters, reporting tear gas launching and wanring shots fired at demonstrators.

Finally Jentilisa reports that young reservists of the army who fought by Rajoelina's side early in the crisis are now demanding that Rajoelina keep his promises (mg):

..ny rezervista tanora, nitolona tamin'ny andron'ny TGV, hidina an-dalambe izy ireo hitondra sora-baventy satria tsy tanteraka ny fampanantenana natao tamin'izy ireo, toy ny hanomezana asa ho azy ireo tahaka ny hoe fampidirana azy ho miaramila ary hotsinjovina manokana ny rezervista nanohana ny tolona.

Presidential elections in Gabon were mired with accusations of fraud as Ali Bongo, son of recently-deceased president, Omar Bongo, was declared the victor. Post-electoral violence lead to the torching of French consulate in Port-Gentil, a city that also hosts the offices of French oil company Total.

In Madagascar, promising peace talks initiated in Maputo by an international mediation group eventually fizzled and today, protests were violently repressed by the transitional government. In the capital, Antananarivo, a few protesters were seen harassing vazaha ( foreigners) near hotel Glacier as military forces repressed protests against the formation of a government that did not include all the political groups as was agreed during the Maputo peace talks.

And in Mauritania, General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who took over after a coup d' etat a year ago, saw his power legitimized in an election that his opponents consider as potentially fraudulent. Yet Mauritanians wonder why France was one of the first nations to recognize (fr) the outcome of the elections.

The notion of Francafrique is such a widely accepted concept that in January 2008, former French Secretary of State for Overseas Development, Jean-Marie Bockel, stated that he was willing to “sign the death certificate of Françafrique”

The cozy living conditions that African leaders enjoy in France has been well-documented. The map of real estate properties in Paris of family of African dictators published by Rue89 is a telling evidence that France's effort to distance themselves from dictators is more words than action. The NGO cellule Francafrique lists details of evidences supporting the Francafrique concept with reports and photos on flickr.

For instance, Malagasy and French blogs were quick to point out that French Ambassador Chataignier was the first foreign officer to meet with Rajoelina the day after the coup d'etat in Madagascar. Malagasy blogger NJ links to the following video that aims to explain how Francafrique works in Madagascar:

A reason bloggers often cite for France's involvement in Madagascar is the potential for oil farming in the region of Bemolanga. Total has acquired 60% ownership of the Basin and is expected to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day for more than 30 years. Reuters reports that the reserve of Tsimiroro could produce 1.7 billions barrels.

The enduring resentment towards France's actions for what is perceived, rightfully or not, as deleterious mingling into Africa's own development has sometimes taken violent proportions.

However, one Malagasy blogger Vony offers an alternative to anger towards French citizen in reaction to Francafrique. Vony writes in an open letter to French citizens in Madagascar (fr):

On dit que vous, Français, venez du pays des droits de l’Homme

Mais on sait aussi que vous vivez désormais dans un pays où la terreur règne,
Parce que Madagascar est aussi une partie de votre histoire, nous vous demandons
solennellement de nous soutenir et nous aider à retrouver notre dignité de
Malgaches et notre fierté de vivre sur cette île [..] Nous Malgaches au pays, en France et à l’étranger faisons appel à votre solidarité envers votre peuple ami et à votre foi en la démocratie et le respect des droits de l’Homme.
Parce que vous êtes aussi menacés par l’avenir sombre et désastreux qui nous guettent tous, , ne détournez pas les yeux mais tendez nous la main pour mieux dénoncer ce que vous ne toléreriez pas dans votre propre pays!

Tahina writes about yesterday's violence and how it brought back traumatic memories:

My bus line passes through the 13 Mai Square, a hot spot if not the hottest after the Ambohijatovo Park. And this logical question asked to the conducteur before getting on the bus “Do you go till Analakely?”, “Yes, Sir.” Along the street you pay attention to any abnormal things, people gathering at one place, suspicious traffic, you to stretch your ears to over hear others’ conversations. You take out your mobile and try to call someone who’s supposed to be downtown to know if he’s safe and ask him what he’s witnessed. All of that recalls me bad things. Things that I’m likely to live again in the days to come.

In Gabon, Malagasy blogger Harinjaka, who is currently based in Libreville, writes about potential evidence of fraud that led to Ali Bongo's victory:

of the cards featured in the image above, the one on the left is authentic, while the one on the right has been forged. The difference is quite clear - the one on the left has been stamped after the photo was attached, whereas the photo on the right was not stamped with the card, meaning that the photo can be changed - so that several people can vote with the same electoral card.

Here is a video of a Gabonese woman accuses France of being directly responsible for Bongo's fraudulent election (fr):

Such statements have often been dismissed in the West as nothing more than conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, the recent turmoils in Gabon, Mauritania and Madagascar have made Francafrique feel very real to African bloggers and citizens.

Malagasy Blogger Cyber Observer hints at one of the issues faced by journalists while performing their duties:

In most of Francophone African countries, journalists become the ”agents” or the ‘’spokepeople” of political movements or parties.

Over the past 4 weeks, we have spoken to 7 journalists, most of them testifying anonymously only about investigations they were conducting and how the ensuing threats aborted the publication of the information. four of them are from print media, one from radio, one from television and one is from an online news site. The following article is a collection of testimonies on what journalists are going through on a daily basis and their thoughts on the current state of Journalism in Madagascar.

VNR explains the atmosphere in the news room now:

”TM (a friend who works for another renown daily newspaper and also a contributor to news website topmada.com) and I were reticent to come talk to you because it is increasingly difficult to know who to trust in the community. I was told two weeks ago that it was my choice if I wanted to denounce the abuse of power by the current administration but that the team will not pay for my indiscretion and that I was on my own. I was investigating the appropriation of a private food factory by the government to provide discounted staple products to the population. My chief editor comes to me and say that the journal is not to sink because of me, that if I wanted to commit career suicide, I could not drag the whole paper with me. Another journalist, LA, from a different newspaper, also worked on the case. The security forces came to their news room and in no uncertain terms stated that LA was to: “resign or else”. Neither her findings or mine were ever fully published.”

TM adds:

“ Topmada.com has been a fairly successful news website, compiling reports from journalists like myself in a real time manner. It was updated twice a day since the beginning of the crisis but the owner's family was recently threatened so it has not published a new article since early June. I have submitted articles several times but was told no to bother writing anymore.”

Understandably, most of them did not want the names of their workplaces revealed. One of them, Evariste Ramanantsoavina, ex-journalist for Radio Mada, did not care for anonymity anymore since his name was already dragged in the public eye. He explains the circumstances of his arrest on May 5th, why he was freed and his perspective on journalism during the crisis:

formerly jailed journalist of radio mada via http://pakysse.wordpress.com

“ I am a mere sports radio journalist. At the height of the crisis in March, no one would come to work at radio mada anymore so I was left alone to mane the radio. I would read bulletin that were sent to me by the producers, most of them heavy on communique from former president Ravalomanana. I am an old man with health issues so by mid-April, I had to take a leave from radio mada. I heard that the new government was looking for me because I allegedly taught people how to make Cocktail Molotovs and throw them at armed forces on the radio. That is just a blatant lie. I was not working anymore at the time of the alleged accusation as I was in Antsirabe, getting treatment. As a matter of fact, after they arrested me, the judge found that there was not enough evidence to those charges and I was released. I thought of hiding for my family's sake when I heard the rumors. However, I figure I had nothing to hide and I am too darn old to keep running away so I decided against it. The part that saddens me is that many of my colleagues wrote about my arrest without even asking for my point of view. I was treated well in prison but I cannot say more about my imprisonment because there are more people still in prison. One day I will write about all of this but not now, the time is not right yet. I am grateful that some of my colleagues started a strike when they heard of my arrest and that bloggers wrote about it. After Malagasy people, truth has been the second most offended victim during the crisis. People would just write anything as long as it serves their interests.”

Not everyone agrees on the reason for information retention and the seemingly lack of punch of a few members of the media.

MMR, chief editor of a daily newspaper and a weekly magazine, has been in the journalism business for 25 years. He remembers the golden age of journalism in Madagascar, right after independence. He asks:

“ Do those people you interviewed still consider themselves the 4th power ? What a travesty. The independence of journalists has been an issue for a long while now. It has just been exposed in greater details during the crisis. Can anyone say that they are fully confident about the news they hear or read anymore in Madagascar ? There are many reasons for such a decline but no one wants to discuss it. There was a time when journalists played their roles of safeguard for democracy in Madagascar in the 60's. That epoch is way past us now. Consider this, I am the chief editor of two gazettes and I recieve 1.2 millions ariary (about $618/month). A new journalist receives about $320/month, that is quite limiting considering the increased cost of living. Additionally, a journalist is hard press to have what we know here as a vady asa ( a 2nd job) because being a reporter is too time consuming. Given those conditions, one can understand if not only they don't want to put their jobs in jeopardy but that a few journalists may consider sitting on a few critical information for under-the-table deals. Still, journalism is supposed to be about more than just a mean for living, and that notion got lost in the reality of politics in Madagascar for some times now”.

Still, stories of direct repression of freedom of press abound during the crisis from both sides of the political spectrum.

RL, reporter at MaTV, a national tv station who already tragically lost reporter Ando on February 7th, recalls the day armed forces stormed their news room without a mandate to look for incriminating footage of excessive use of firearms by soldiers. Commander Charles Andrianasoavina, notorious for threatening to shoot foreign diplomats, among others US Ambassador Niels Marquardt on March 17th, asked the MaTV team to quit reporting or posting photos of soldiers or they would close the tv station:
LR:

“ this story is neither new or secret. Everyone knows soldiers stormed the building and took some of our materials under the pretense of an investigation. Beside the TV channel, we also publish a print only gazette called “Ma Laza” and since the soldiers' visit, no one here signs articles with their real names.”

However, the issue of military repression is not limited to journalists. The following journalists have had specific stories about abuse of power, witch hunt and arbitrary arrest that they just cannot publish themselves. DN, a veteran of journalism in Madagascar, was following the arrest of Heriniaina Razafimahefa, executive director of ALMA, Asa Lalana Malagasy, a business unit belonging to former president Ravalomanana. . He was arrested on June 16 on charges of embezzlement and improper use of public funds. He learned that Mr Razafimahefa was denied familial visitation rights three weeks ago and that he has not been heard of since then. Similar stories about former staff members of Marc Ravalomanana being harassed and racketed by soldiers are legions. TA, a free lance journalist, learned that homes of close relatives of former head of MAP, a Ravalomanana supported project, were raided and that his brother was chased down by soldiers in the vicinity of Antananarivo before he could escape the country.

Much of the information was withheld from the public eye by different means whether by threats, bribes or intimidation. Not only a culture of transparency is yet to be implemented in Madagascar but dubious information are also being thrown out in public by the administration with dubious evidence. For instance, on July 21st , five names were published publicly as instigators of potential bombings in Antananarivo a few hours after the bombs were allegedly discovered.

A lot of effort still needs to be invested in support of the independence of journalism as a safeguard for democracy in Madagascar. There was a time when media deserved the title of 4th power. One wonders if there is still time for media to recover from the ashes of the current political crisis.

[ Most identities have been replaced by intials for safety reasons]

The free exchange of ideas, power of personal testimonies, and the quality of interventions during the meeting produced an enriching conversation that highlighted the need for a collective effort to report complete, factual information despite unfavorable conditions.

This meeting built on the foundation posed by the organizers and the participants of the first Malagasy Barcamp in October 2008.

One of the most striking aspects of the meeting was the substantial attendance despite recent reports from Reporters without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists that many journalists and bloggers received threats to themselves and their relatives during the crisis. Participants took a stand for freedom of expression, knowing well that their names and faces were now public knowledge and that members of former and current administrations were present in the room.

Audience at information meeting via ariniaina

The discussion had to happen because such authentic, powerful and apolitical testimonies were too important to not be told publicly and on record.

Here is an overview of the time line of the event:

An estimated 80 to 90 people came from 5 different regions and 4 different countries.

Alain Andriamiadravola, former journalist and now new media enthusiast, opened a meeting that turned out to be a free-flowing conversation with plenty of dissident opinions and unexpected authorities in the field of information and journalism.

I gave a quick overview of collaboration between traditional media and new media worldwide, its tremendous impact during crises and our hope that such a collaboration can come to fruition in Madagascar. A smaller meeting that was part of the American Cultural Center-driven “Friday talk” between journalists and bloggers allowed for an open friendly criticism of both sides and showed that there are room for partnership and mutual growth.

The poignant part of the meeting came when citizens from all over the country gave their account of how they used personal media to share what they saw during the crisis and how it cost them. Andry explained that his thirst for raw information drove him to be where trouble was brewing. Jentilisa explained that it was very odd that on black Monday (Jan 26th) people would announce that a building was burning even before it actually happened, hence suggesting that some events were probably planned and not just random acts of protests. Avylavitra told a story of how he feared for his life on March 28th when a soldier hold him at gun point and demanded his camera. Jaona from Fianaratsoa explained how his blog was mentioned at a public meeting as a threat to social order in Fianarantsoa and should be shut down. Many other bloggers/twitterers shared similar stories of major hardships while covering the crisis.

Thierry Andriamirado explained the increased relevance of online social networks in dispatching news about the crisis. Thierry was the first to exhaustively live-tweet the first tragic event of the crisis, “Black Monday,” and explained that he felt compelled to share the stories in real-time for a time-stamped digital record of the events.

Former minister of culture and communication Tsilavina Ralaindimby emphasized that such testimonies and citizens' willingness to report troubles are civic acts and must be protected at an institutional level.

Tsilavina Ralaindimby, former minister of communication, encouraging citizen journalism.

Barijaona Ramaholimiaso argued that his personal ethic as a blogger demanded that he reveal his true identity and pointed out that there is another form of pressure in Madagascar, the social peer pressure that prevents people from freely expressing their minds.

Christie Turner and Affick Gassard presented an initiative to promote the development of community radio in Madagascar. Some remote rural areas were aware of the development of the crisis thanks to a radio center that received online news feed through dial-up connection and broadcast the information to  rural communities.

Claire Ulrich gave a complete report on censorship online in the world building on examples from Iran and China, emphasized the importance of protecting first and foremost the well-being of journalists and bloggers. She also warned the audience to be mindful of the fine prints in the upcoming bill on the regulation of online communication in Madagascar. She also pointed out that both communities, traditional and new media, ought to come together to ensure that the memory of journalists killed during the crisis, like Ando and others, is never forgotten.

Finally, Harinjaka, Arinaina and Tahina presented the Foko Ushahidi platform, explaining how it came about and how SMS reports to a local phone number can be utilized for crisis reporting, but also other urgent humanitarian news and election monitoring.

Journalists also weighed in. Randy Donny, journalist and advocate of citizen journalism argued that there are no difference between journalism and citizen journalism in Madagascar. If anything he said, citizen journalist covered the crisis better because they were not under direct pressure from whichever regime ruled at the time.

The consensus at the end of the meeting was that the flow of information was/is severely affected bythe crisis. The information community came to a common agreement that we all needed to make a conscious effort to fight censorship and provide news free of government pressure. It was also an opportunity for people who followed the crisis through blogs to meet in real life the people behind the coverage.  For instance, Jacqueline, in the audience, was still beaming from chatting with blogger Jentilisa. She said

:” I read his blog everyday since January. It is just awesome to put a face and a personality on such remarkable people. “

Stay tuned for more on the current state of media in Madagascar.

Here are additional reports from the meeting:

Ariniana:
Tahina:
Avylavitra
Harinjaka:
sixthman:
photos
Madagascar matin ( print only version)

lullaby by Wide© Raf.f

Artist Gabriela Golder from Argentina has taken it upon herself to discover, record and collect lullabies from all over the world, and to find connections among them in the Arrorró project.  Rising Voices director David Sasaki wrote about the project on the 80+1 website, where he interviewed Gabriela on camera, and got authors and editors for Global Voices involved by inspiring many to record themselves singing the lullabies they remembered from their childhood.

David Sasaki wrote:

I sat down with Golder at El Hipopotamo in the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires to learn more about what has been discovered in the 200 videos that have already been recorded, and how the project will evolve over the next two months leading up to its simultaneous live exhibition in Buenos Aires and Linz. Our conversation was in Spanish, but I have added English sub-titles to the video:

Inspired by the lullaby project, he recorded himself singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, a song he remembered his parents singing to him to send him to sleep:

Our own Managing Director from Trinidad and Tobago, Georgia Popplewell also joined in, with Blanket Bay:

Lova Rakotomalala sang a lullaby from Madagascar about a duck:

Thanks to Onnik Krikorian and Veronica Khokhlova who suggested it, we bring you this Russian Animation Project that illustrates lullabies from all over the world with illustrations explaining the songs lyrics. Following, an Azerbaijani lullaby about a baby dreaming about his life, and a Ukrainian one where winter lulls babies to sleep. More lullabies from different countries can be found here:

This next one is a Brazilian song meant to scare babies into sleeping, suggested by Paula Góes: Ox with a Black face, where the Ox will take away the children who are scared of the black face. On the following video, a young girl is singing it:

Another lullaby with scary lyrics and an enchanting melody is the Shimabara Lullaby, roughly translated by Hanako Tokita as:

“I am too poor and not attractive so I won't be sold…. Please go to sleep or a trafficker
will come and get you… I wonder where all the girls are now and where they were sold to… Ororonbai, Ororoanbai…”

First of all, thanks to all the authors and editors who participated with sending in their childhood lullabies and recommendations, even if we couldn´t include them in this post. Please wait for Part II!

Thumbnail image modified from Wide© Raf.f's Lullaby … Moena

Recent weeks have seen an increase in acts of censorship, with in the arrest of reporter Evariste Ramanatsoavina, jailed on May, 5th, and the firing of Ravoajanahary Johary, director of National Television on May 19th. Journalists demonstrated for freedom of speech on May 15th, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters without Borders (fr) reported

Mohamed Hassim Keita of CPJ explains:

The protestors were showing solidarity for Ramanatsoavina, a presenter held in Antananarivo's Antanimora Prison on charges of “incitement to rebellion” and “civil disobedience,” according to defense lawyer Fidele Rakotondrainibe. The journalist, who denies the charges, is expected to appear in court for sentencing on Wednesday.

( video credits to pakysse )

Reporter Without Borders has further details on the arrest of Ramanatsoavina:

He was arrested at his home at 5 a.m. on 5 May by masked soldiers as his daughters looked on, and was taken to the National Mixed Committee for Investigations (CNME), which is located in the suburb of Ambohibao, in premises that used to be the headquarters of the former domestic intelligence service, the DGID [..] The decision to bring charges against Ramanantsoavina contradicted an initial statement by communication ministry secretary-general Charles-Aimé Randriamorasata that the authorities had arrested him simply to find out where Radio Mada was broadcasting from.

Razily's Release

For its part, the Malagasy blogosphere was buzzing about the good news of Razily's release. Ndimby on fijery blog explains the key role bloggers played in pressuring the government and what his release means for the online community following the Madagascar crisis:

Devant la démission des médias traditionnels sur le sujet, et il faut bien le dire, de l’opinion publique nationale devenue par la force des choses blasée, ce sont les blogueurs qui ont mis la pression. Alors qu’on n’a jamais vu un article de la presse écrite malgache poser la question, les internautes malgaches se sont mobilisés aux quatre coins du monde. Des gens qui ne se connaissaient pas, qui ne se parlaient pas, qui ne connaissaient pas Razily, en ont fait le symbole de leur lutte pour la démocratie et les droits de l’homme. Rappelons que suite à la mobilisation de la société civile et des blogueurs, le haut-commissaire des Nations unies aux droits de l’homme a envoyé discrètement un émissaire discuter avec le pouvoir de transition. Ce diplomate a rencontré à plusieurs reprises le Colonel Rakotonandrasana, le chef des mutins devenu Ministre de la défense

Blogger Avylavitra wonders why there is so much mobilization now and where everyone was earlier in the conflict (mg) ?

Fanamarihana kely avy amiko fotsiny ny hoe: fa maninona moa no tsy nihetsika toy izao ny mpanao gazety fony nitranga ny fahafatesan’i ANDO (RTA)?

demonstration photo by http://gazetyavylavitra.wordpress.com/

( March against censorship by Avylavitra)

A prominent Malagasy, website TopMada, notes that the committee of journalists in Madagascar is weary of the increased partisanship of journalists in the Malagasy political landscape:

Selon le comité des journalistes, l’image du journalisme est fortement ternie suite à la participation active de certains de leurs confrères dans les actions et activités politiques. Les journalistes veulent revenir à la déontologie et à l’éthique de la profession

A new initiative led by Malagasy bloggers captures witness accounts of social unrest via SMS text messages and Google maps using the Kenyan web interface, Ushahidi.

They have been interviewed widely by world media, and many have applauded their efforts.

Tahina

One of the bloggers working behind the scenes in this effort is named Tahina. About a year ago, he was invited to start blogging with Foko Madagascar, an organization co-founded by the Malagasy bloggers Andriankoto, Lova, Mialy and Joan to empower Malagasy citizens to work for their own environment and economic development.

In 2007, Foko received a micro-grant from Rising Voices for The Foko Blog Club which has trained several dozen bloggers around the country. They have developed a community that encourages citizen journalism at a time when mainstream media is lacking or unreliable at best.

The country, not the movie

When a devastating cyclone hit Madagascar last year destroying thousands of homes, online news searches for “Madagascar” were still more likely to turn up news of a Disney movie about animals escaped from a New York zoo.

Tahina named his blog Madagascar not the Movie, because his main objective was to show an English-speaking international audience that life in his country has nothing to do with the movie of the same name.

“It can change how people from outside see Madagascar,” says Tahina. “I try to find things that can be related to Malagasy people's daily lives, what problems they encounter and so on,” he says.

But over the past months, his blog and Twitter stream became an almost blow by blow account of a political struggle that he himself worried could lead to civil war. “I didn't really want to blog about politics, but since there is this turmoil here I feel that I have to say something about what is going on,” says Tahina.

SMS alerts to the world

Foko's newest initiative is the launch of an SMS citizen reporting and online mapping tool. It is based on a system called “Ushahidi” developed by Kenyan bloggers in 2007 to map post-election violence in their own country. The software has since been used in many other news and crisis projects. On the Rising Voices blog, Rezwan has written of the dramatic events that led to Foko's adaptation of Ushahidi's platform.

Screenshot of Foko Ushahidi in May 2009

With Foko Ushahidi, ordinary citizens can now upload reports of unrest around the country and have them added immediately to an online map. Tahina installed the system himself with technical help from abroad and is in charge of managing the hub through which the SMS messages pass.  A team of bloggers, including Lalatiana and Stephane (known as Pakysse), check reports for accuracy after they have been posted.

Technical challenges

Tahina describes Foko Ushahidi as “a kind of platform where everybody is invited to submit reports. The main objective is to find real facts, and to distinguish rumors from truth.”

Q: What has Foko done to promote this platform to citizens?

Tahina: We are just starting the promotion. In fact, we just set it up and tested it during the last few weeks. The plan is to promote it within Foko first. Later, Lova plans on getting in touch with the mainstream media here.

(Update: Madagascar-Tribunen ewspaper has already published a story.)

Q: What have the challenges been in getting the system up and running?

Tahina: Our main problem was finding the right phones that could work with the Frontline SMS software employed by Ushahidi. We really wanted to use SMS because it doesn't require an internet connection. But FrontlineSMS needs a type of phone that is not easy to find in Madagascar. Plus all mobile shops were closed due to the unrest. Pakysse and I both went from shop to shop to find a phone, and tested and tested. Lova backed us up from the USA.

In the end we couldn't get it to work. So Ken Banks and his team at FrontlineSMS suggested we try IntelliSMS gateway as a way to send and receive SMS via the web. FrontlineSMS hurried a new version of their software to help us out with our issue, and for that we are very grateful.

The internet connections here make it a little slow - it can sometimes take 15 minutes for the message to reach the Ushahidi platform. You can either upload a message via the web, or send a text message to a UK phone number (+447800000197) that gets relayed by email to the system. Here is a chart that shows how it works.

We also got help getting #madagascar Tweets listed automatically on the Ushahidi website, which has substantially increased our ability to gather data.

Q: Why do you think using a system like Ushahidi is necessary?

Tahina: We need it to offer more details about the things citizens see themselves. There will be lots of information here that you can't find anywhere else. Just like with any citizen media. Frankly, mainstream media is not reliable here. They are really biased. The reality is, they often end up misinforming people. Foko has a lot of bloggers based on each corner of the island who are ready to report, and we think they'll do a great job with Ushahidi.

We're also going to keep the platform open for other types of crises because unfortunately, cyclones and environmental disasters are recurring events in Madagascar and we can also benefit from a crowd sourcing type of data collection in these cases.

Q: How does the Foko team plan on organizing the “verification” of messages?

Tahina: As I said we have bloggers on the ground and will be counting on them. But we will also use all media - newspapers, television and radio to help verify. We also have Twitter now, where we can compare and contrast information. We won't verify reports unless we are sure of them.

It's going to be a lot of work, but we like challenges!

See Global Voices special coverage of Madagascar's power struggle in 2009.

Representatives of the UN security council and the African Union are meeting for a “Madagascar contact group” in Addis Ababa to ensure that the nations take a common position in pushing for a return to constitutional order in Madagascar. Although each Malagasy political party announced that they had representatives present at the meeting, it turns out that none of the opposition parties were present during the decision-making process meeting.

In the meantime, former president Marc Ravalomanana, in exile in South Africa, appointed a new prime minister, Mandandafy Rakotonirina, to form a new government, in effect disputing the legitimacy of the transitional government. A few days after Rakotonirina listed the new members of his cabinet, he and his acquaintances were arrested by the security forces on charges of “illegally declaring himself as prime minister, vandalism & possessing weapons”.

Malagasy bloggers were quick to react news of the arrest:

Rakotonirina arrested by Commander Andrianasoavina via andrydago.wordpress.com

Malagasy blogger, andrydago posts photos and describes the circumstances of the arrest of Rakotonirina in details and wonders whether the military thinks that this arrest will put an end to the movement.

Avylavitra posts the video of the arrest on his blog:

Jentilisa describes and transcribes what is happening on the video:

Efa tsy zoviana intsony fa ny Komandà Charles Randrianasoavina no nitarika ny miaramila hisambotra ireto mpitari-tolona ireto. Io Komand io no nitazona tamin'ny vozon'akanjony ny praiminisitra Manandafy sady niedinedina hatrany niteny hoe : “Ahy ialahy manomboka androany! Ahy ialahy manomboka androany!”.

The transitional government justifies the arrest by saying that Manandafy Rakotinirina is charged with illegitimately declaring himself prime minister, instigating the destruction of property and illegal possession of firearms.

A video taken the day after shows an assigned to residence Rakotonirina with bruises on his face.

The instances of dubious actions by the military forces are not limited to the excessive use of force during arrest. Many bloggers report that armed personnel are roaming around in the city in 4X4 vehicles and shooting in the air to intimidate passersby. Solofo posts photos of a vehicle showing a man with a rifle standing outside the car window following a military truck full of armed soldiers.

Vola, in the comment section of the post, writes that the head of the army explains thusly the cause of death of 2 protesters:

… ils se sont cognés avec des véhicules dans la mêlée [..] il est comique Noël Rakotonandrasana sur ce coup là quand même. Ecoutez l'interview [RFI] à la fin

Another instance of abuse of power by the military can be found in the ongoing case of Razily. Razily is the young man who marched towards the armed forces carrying a flag and who was arrested on the spot for flag theft. Ethan Zuckerman explains the background behind Razily 's story. A petition has been created to demand that the armed forces provide updates on the status of Razily and a time frame for his trial date. The petition has already gathered a few signatures and has been relayed by a few twitter users:

twitter users concerned about Razily's fate

As a reader comments on Madagascar Tribune online  :

“Mais quel symbole !!!. Un homme seul qui brandi fièrement le drapeau de son pays arrêté sans ménagement par des militaires sensés justement défendre les couleurs de ce drapeau. Lui même jeté dans le fourgon !!!.”

We still do not know for sure what happened to Razily, but he is hailed a hero by Malagasy internet users. Malagasy mainstream media seem not to have followed up with his fate. Malagasy social media users, like Solofo Rafeno, on his twitter account and his blog are orchestrating a campaign to demand that the HAT government free Razily and the other two men who were with him. Solofo also demands to know the whereabouts of a pro-Ravalomanana journalist who has been reported missing since the grab of power.

A petition now circulates on Facebook for those demanding Razily's freedom.

Then, last sunday, Andry TGV Rajoelina's government seized equipment from two radio broadcasting stations, Radio Fahazavana and Radio Mada, which both support the ousted President Marc Ravalomanana.

Mydago.com reports the closure of the two stations :

“Pendant le jour du Seigneur du 19 avril, la Radio Chrétienne Fahazavana (Lumière) ainsi que Radio Mada et TV Mada ont été détruits par les militaires mutins du Capsat. Il faut reconnaître que ces organes d’informations ont depuis quelques jours gêné, voire irrité le nouveau régime issu du coup d’état de Madagascar. Nous pouvons nous souvenir que déjà depuis quelques jours, par exemple nous avions eu vent de plaintes de brouillage sur Radio Mada. Par ailleurs, d’autres informations ont confirmé que des pressions s’exercent sur les journalistes de la Radio et la télévision nationales (Radio et TVM).”

It is ironic to recall that back in December 2008, it was Andry TGV Rajoelina's VIVA TV station which was forced to close by Marc Ravalomanana, for broadcasting a speech by former President Ratsiraka where the latter harshly criticized Ravalomanana and incited the Malagasy people to revolt.

Fijery notices the similarity :

“Dimanche dernier, au milieu de toute la splendeur de leur clairvoyance, Andry Rajoelina et Gilbert Raharizatovo ont fait un copier-coller de la décision ridicule de réduire Viva TV au silence, et ont tenté de fermer Radio-Mada et Radio Fahazavana.”

After his nemesis, Ravalomanana, closed down VIVA TV,  Andry TGV organized protests in the streets to demand the reopening of the television station, touted his outrage at this blatant disrespect of freedom of speech and democracy, and branded Ravalomanana a “dictator”. Global Voices has a special section on the crisis.

Yet not even six months later, after Andry TGV successfully grabbed power with the help of mutineers, and proclaimed that freedom is won and dictatorship vanquished, Andry TGV's sbires are now the ones threatening radio and TV stations with closures, intimidating journalists and bloggers, forbidding public protests and shooting at protesters, all under the pretext of preserving law and order and public safety, a surprising concern for a government that not even two months ago, has itself used street protests, intimidation and general thuggery to rise to power.

Due to the violence and the threats, shops and factories were forced to permanently shut down, their employees were dismissed, the $350 million a year once promising touristic industry tanked, hotels are now staying empty. The HAT government has proposed that entry visas, which once cost 60 euros to obtain, are now to be offered for free in a desperate measure to revive tourism.

The HAT government, which professed last month that elections were not needed because the people had already spoken through the streets, then proceeded to forbid all public rallies. As reports The Cyber Observer:

“Today (Tuesday April 21st, 2009), the HAT prime minister Monja Roindefo led a special council at the state palace of Iavoloha.
It has been decided that, starting from tomorrow (Wednesday April 22nd, 2009), all political rallies throughout Madagascar, are forbidden until further notice.
In order to maintain the public order (bear in mind that when Andry Rajoelina came to power, he proclaimed state of emergency throughout Madagascar), the state has the right to make such decision. But in the other hand, due to the fact that there is a daily and massive growing wave of public contestation throughout Madagascar, is it really wise to impose such a ban?”

On Monday April 20 and again on Thursday April 23, there were massive crowds in Antananarivo, protesting the shut down of the pro-Ravalomanana radio stations. Unfortunately the Rajoelina government copied Ravalomanana's methods and ruthlessly repressed the protests, showing in the process that Ravalomanana the “dictator” may be gone, but his replacement, Andry TGV Rajoelina is not fulfilling his promise to bring freedom and democracy to Madagascar. One of the reproaches Andry TGV Rajoelina's supporters made to Ravalomanana was the use of armed civilians mingled with soldiers during protests repressions. Yet again, civilians were seen carrying weapons alongside soldiers, and some were even seen giving soldiers orders, when together they shot at protesters without warning, and according to some accounts, used deadly bullets.

According to witnesses, the Associated Press and the BBC, two people died and more than 15 were wounded on Monday.

“The BBC's Jonny Hogg in the city saw at least one person shot in the back at close range, and said cars were set on fire close to government buildings. “

“Radio Madagascar said numerous casualties were being taken to the Antananarivo's main hospital. There was no immediate confirmation of the report nor official word about injuries or deaths.”

“An AP reporter saw roaming gangs erecting barricades and burning cars in the capital, with the worst unrest concentrated near a downtown square that has become the focal point for protests.
Supporters of ousted President Marc Ravalomanana had defied a ban on demonstrations issued by Madagascar's military-backed leader Andry Rajeolina following repeated clashes.”

Soldiers then wanted to invade HJRA, Hopital Ravoahangy Andrianavalona, the hospital where the wounded were taken -to what end one cannot help but wonder- but the protesters managed to stop them.

The Cyber Observer offers a suggestion as to why the soldiers wanted to storm the hospital:

“According to some eye-witnesses, 02 people were killed by security forces in Anosy. This information has been confirmed later by Fahazavana radio (this radio is back on air since today at 01.30pm Madagascar time - we do not know yet where its current location is and if it has been allowed by the ministry of telecommunication to broadcast again). The bodies of these 02 people are now at the HJRA hospital in Andrefan’Ambohijanahary.
According to another eye-witness, there were militaries who came to HJRA hospital to take the bodies of these 02 people. They were heavily armed. People around the premises of HJRA hospital did not allow them to do so. Now at the time I am typing this post, Fahazavana radio is calling people to go to Andrefan’Ambohijanahary to protect HJRA hospital”

Back in February, on Red saturday, Ando Ratovonirina, one cameraman of the television station RTA was killed in the line of action by the soldiers of the then embattled Marc Ravalomanana. Two months later, this time again, a professional journalist of the same television station, Razafindraibe, was killed by Andry TGV Rajoelina's government, also in the line of action.

Freedom of speech still evades Madagascar. Fijery writes a sober analysis of the lack of impact of journalism on Malagasy life :

“…qu’est-ce qu’une vie de journaliste dans un pays ou même la sacro-sainte Constitution n’est pas respectée ? La presse a déja payé un lourd tribut dans cette crise, avec deux décès et plusieurs agressions. Et vu le faible niveau de respectabilité de la pratique politique et des politiciens dans notre pays, il est inutile pour les journalistes Malgaches d’adopter littéralement la devise de Jean-Jacques Rousseau : Vitam impendere vero.”

Razily's arrest - courtesy of radotiana.blaogy.com

The HAT is now de facto leading Madagascar, since the former President Marc Ravalomanana opted not to resign but has instead transferred power to a military Directorate. Under duress , (the details can be witnessed on a youtube.com video and the American ambassador bears witness to the events, as he was also threatened with weapons pointed at him ), the Directorate then transferred power to the HAT. The HAT has since been duly recognized as a legal authority by Madagascar's Haute Cour Constitutionnelle de Justice which is responsible of making sure that the laws of land and the constitution are being respected in Madagascar.

No countries have so far recognized the HAT and its new President, Andry Rajoelina, the youngest African president ever, who under the Malagasy constitution, is still six years too young to even be on a Presidential election ballot ! And the former Malagasy President, Marc Ravalomanana, barely escaped from his Palace and is now seeking refuge in South Africa and Swaziland.

The Southern African Development Community and the African Union , while harboring themselves some countries that are no slouches in the antidemocratic and human rights violations department, have taken the stand that they will not tolerate putsches amongst their members and have not only banned Madagascar from their midst but are also considering sanctions.

Many western countries such as Norway and the United States have stopped aid to Madagascar and concerns have been raised on how the poverty stricken country which relies on aid for 80% of its budget will manage to hold its head above water, although the HAT has now declared its intentions on selling Ravalomanana's private jet recently purchased $60 million Air Force One/Two jet to replenish its coffers, at least in the short term. France which was accused by some as having, if not engineered the coup, then at the very least of supporting it, has been doing some amends of its own, saying now that it still considered Ravalomanana as Madagascar's President according to the constitution.

Such is the mind boggling and categorization defying political crisis that bloggers and twitterers are striving to report on. Online content about the crisis have been plentiful and have attracted international attention. Our colleague, Lova Rakotomalala, has been the subject of a Wall Street Journal article and a CNN interview for his dedication to relaying and translating Madagascar based twitterers' contributions. Another blogger, Solofo Rafeno, has been invited to a debate hosted by France24 News.

There are however some alarming developments that could hinder Malagasy twitterers and bloggers' reporting in the future. One website, Topmada.com, reports on March 30 that :

“20:00 - La police et les militaires ont arrêté certains journalistes et photographes pour les forcer à effacer leurs photos”

This information is confirmed by twitterers. Twitterer Thierry_ratsiz was held and forced to delete his pictures by the security forces.

thierry_ratsiz: #madagascar Ils m'ont juste prie de ne pas prendre photos (d'eux!!) et effacer photos, peur de photos diffuses sur internet!!
thierry_ratsiz: hola, interpele par les gendarmes pour avoir ete surpris en prenant des photos… :/ #madagascar

R1lita and Pakysse experienced the same thing as reported:

TRT @r1lita: @pakysse, other twitterer in #Madagascar, was also ordered to delete the photos he took in Antaninarina by police earlier.

But the most scary incident was reported by Avylavitra, one of the bloggers who has the most prolifically covered the crisis. He writes :

“Nahazendana ny maro ny zavatra nitranga teto satria tsy nanmpoizina velively: nisy iray tamin’ireo miaramila avy tao amin’ny RM1 izay nivoaka teo amin’ny arabe no tonga dia nanondro basy AHY no sady niteny hoe:
Miala any ny mpanaogazety, Tsy mila mpanao gazety eto. Miala sao tifiriko eo an.

Tsy nahita izay hatao aho no sady nanangana fotsiny ny karatra niantona tety ambozoko. Eo ambony Scooter aho amin’io raha mandeha an-tongotra kosa ny maro tamin’ireo mpanao gazety sy mpaka sary maro namana teny an-kianja mafana teny. Rehefa hitany fa tsy nihetsika aho no sady mbola nanangana ny karatra tety an-tanako, dia vao mainka niakatra ny feon’ilay ranamana. Tsy haiko na mpifehy ao amin’io toby io ilay zalahy iny, na iza. Fa ny fihetsika nataony aloha no niarahana nahita.

Nisy tamin’ireo mpanao gazety sasany no nihiaka niteny azy nanontany hoe :

Fa hatramin’ny oviana ny mpanao gazety no tsy mahazo maka sary sy manao ny asany. Sa efa niova indray koa ny lalàna?

Namaly ranamana no sady efa nikendry ny lohako. Ny elanelan’ny trotoir roa no manasaraka anay amin’io fotoana io. Hoy indrindra izy:

Rehefa hoe tsy mila mpanao gazety eto dia tsy mila, miala hoy aho sao tifiriko eo. Tifiriko ialahy an!’

Fahatsiarovana sady tsara no ratsy ho ahy iny ry zalahy namana. Kanefa tsy mba voatahiriko an-tsary, fa dia ny nanodina ny Scooter sy ny nidina ambanimbany namonjy ireo mpanao gazety sy mpaka sary sasany no nataoko sisa.

Koa miangavy anareo izay nahazo sary an’iny ’scène’ iny aho, tena miangavy. Mba omeo sary hotehiriziko, na farafaharatsiny, mba omeo rohy hahafahako mijery azy.

Enga anie ka ho anatra ho an’ireo miaramila rehetra ny namoahako ity lahatsoratro ity, fa aleo hivoaka ny marina sy ny nisy. Izay rahateo no ezahako ijoroana hatrany amin’ity GazetyAdaladala ity. “

mydago.com has a humorous take on this turn of events :

“Mais que peut internet contre des armes à feux ? Contre des lacrymogènes ? Contre des militaires en pick up et brodequins ? Et fusils ? Rien ! Mais absolument rien ! Alors quel est le problème ? Et puis Madagascar est une île. Laissez donc tranquille cette île. C’est bien une île. Il y a la mer autour. Et la prochaine terre est loin. Cà permet de tout cacher. Les violence, les excès, et tout. La dictature même. Les dictatures.

Mais aujourd’hui, plus rien ne va. Quand on fait un coup d’état, les militaires ne peuvent plus faire leur travail normalement comme avant. Les jeunes d’aujourd’hui sont intenables. Ils sont extrêmement ennuyeux !!! Ils prennent des photos et des vidéos. Ensuite ils les transmettent par internet à des sites. Qui ensuite les publient dans le monde entier. Ah, ils sont vraiment ennuyeux ces jeunes d’aujourd’hui. Il n’y a plus de valeurs. Ils ne respectent plus la force ! La force militaire !”

This post also appeared on Global Voices Advocacy