spotlight madagascar

A couple of days ago, AFP reported that dismissed army general Rakotonandrasana, while contemplating his unpopular idea of heading up a military administration, was ‘inspired by the coup in Niger and encouraged by foreign powers’. (Did he not remember that Madagascar JUST HAD A COUP last year?!) The foreign powers are not specified. Prime Minister Camille Vital, who replaced him as general, was opposed to the proposed junta. Other officers say that they do not want power over Madagascar, a big reason for that being that there’s no money left to run the country or pay anyone’s salaries.

“We’re going to draw up a roadmap with precise directives, sharing out the different positions and we will impose that on the politicians,” [an] officer said.

I wonder what will be on this new roadmap that everyone’s talking about. I’m by no means an expert on this, but I have a few ideas for stops along the way:

• Building and Improving Basic Infrastructure (Roads, Schools, Sanitation, Transportation, etc.)
• Public Services (Including, of course, Healthcare, Education, and Environment)
• Investment in Private Industry (Entrepreneurship, Tourism, Technology, Innovation)
• Job Creation
• Addressing Corruption and Kickbacks
• Accountability, Transparency and Good Governance
• Basic Human Rights

I’m not entirely sure how they can accomplish all of these things, especially without a little help at the beginning, which they can’t get without working on the last three items first.

This is a road in Madagascar.

I’ve been remiss in updating this site lately – finishing thesis, finishing travel guide, digging in the garden, figuring out how to cook quinoa – all very important things. However, since it looks like my book is going to be coming out this summer, I guess I better get back on the ball so the folks that buy it can check in and see what’s going on in Madagascar before they get on the plane. Here goes, I’ll start with the good news:

Rediscovered: a lemur that hasn’t been seen for 100 years! This cute little guy, the Sibree dwarf lemur, was thought to be extinct, and now he’s back.

From Scientific American

Photo: Sibree’s dwarf lemur, courtesy of McGill University (Article on Scientific American)

And in other, more disturbing news, Reuters reports on the Malagasy army’s new deadline for Andry Rajoelina. They want him to figure out a ‘roadmap’, a way out of the crisis, by the end of April – or else. This comes at an apt time, as the EU is again ‘mulling sanctions’, which would create further chaos in the island’s economy (how much more chaotic could it be?). Other questions that need to be answered deal with how Rajoelina plans to pay salaries for public servants and finance the federal elections. Valid queries. It’s not clear what the army plans to do if Rajoelina does not deliver, but I’m sure they won’t be sending him flowers.

(Very loose) translation: 'I don't give a crap about your big eyes watching me'

Aepyornis maximus might be resurrected from exctinction?! That’s crazytalk!

Photo: Tree of Life Web Project

Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent for Telegraph.co.uk reports today that scientists think they can reanimate this old bird using pieces of DNA from shells found in Madagascar:

The flightless elephant bird – related to ostriches and emus – is the largest bird ever to have lived. It had massive legs, taloned claws and a long, powerful neck.

Its body was covered in bristling, hairlike feathers, like those of the emu, and its beak resembled a broad-headed spear.

It evolved at a time when birds ruled the earth and probably existed on Madagascar for 60 million years until dying out in the 17th century. In spite of its fearsome appearance it was a plant eater.

Eggs had a circumference of more than 3 ft and a length up to 13 in. Its volume is about 160 times greater than a chicken egg.

Doesn’t it remind you a little of Kevin, the bird in the film ‘Up‘?

Pixar

Some say that the bird in ‘Up’ was actually referring to a different prehistoric, flightless bird that existed in South America. But they’re probably related. In my mind. It’s all pretty amazing, anyway.

i can’t believe i just discovered this film (i didn’t know it existed until the other day – thanks Ingrid!). cute lemurs, weird lemurs, scary lemurs, the wonderfulness of john cleese, hiking through the rainforest and meeting my friend Charlie – i don’t think you’ll be able to stop after the first part. the rest of the 7-part series can be found here on youtube.

So, great news today (she says, dripping with sarcasm). Andry Rajoelina, ‘strongman’, doesn’t WANT to participate in talks to fix Madagascar’s political decrapitation. AFP today:

Madagascar’s strongman Andry Rajoelina rejected Thursday an African Union invitation for talks in Addis Ababa next week to end a standoff among the country’s four main political factions.

Rajoelina will “not go to the Ethiopian capital,” a statement from the presidency said.

Photo from TopNews.in

I don’t wanna go!

The World Bank seems to have realized that the international community’s decision to pull aid out of Madagascar, cancel AGOA benefits that provided thousands of jobs in the textile indistry, and THEN threaten economic sanctions, may be having a detrimental effect on ‘vulnerable populations’ – nearly everyone in Madagascar. I also read today about a horrible rumor – Andry is allegedly behind a $50 million shipment of illegal rosewood – (thanks informer on WildMadagascar.org – check the comments section). This may be the first time I’ve posted something positive about The World Bank.

These various efforts were designed to avoid a situation in which the most vulnerable segments of the population targeted by our programs are disproportionally affected by the crisis. In the interest of the poor segments of the population and in order to secure their access to the benefits of development, we can only hope that conditions for the resumption of our activities will be in place soon. This is the reason why, even though the World Bank is not a member of the International Contact Group and therefore not directly involved in the current phase of mediation, we have nonetheless – within the limits of our mandate – continued to support the efforts of the institutions whose role it is to facilitate the identification of solutions to the political crisis.

From ReliefWeb

Thank goodness.

I was wondering how long it would take for Haiti to disappear from the daily news, and slowly command smaller and smaller spots on the international news. What pushed it out? Let’s guess. Toyota scandal, Healthcare cluster-f&*@k, Afghanistan, Sarah Palin vs. Family Guy.

I just read an extremely disturbing article, from Pambazuka News, on what’s going on in Haiti. It certainly calls into question good intentions everywhere. Here’s an excerpt, but you should read the whole thing, because it gets a lot better:

The big NGOs, which are getting the bulk of the money, see the crisis as an enormous opportunity to raise funds and their profile. Thus, instead of a centralized and logical relief effort, something only a sovereign state could provide, the NGOs are competing with one another, literally branding areas they serve with their logos. As a result of this competition, they provide spotty and chaotic relief provision.

How NGOs are Profiting Off a Grave Situation: Haiti and the Aid Racket, by Ashley Smith

A lot of what Smith says, I’ve been saying for a long time. About Madagascar, about developing countries, about aid in general. Except he said it better, and wrote a lot more. When will people start thinking about this? It’s not just Haiti. It’s all of us. It’s everywhere.

Bill Easterly tweeted today (twice, actually):

Self-exam: even in our tiny corner of the discussion, why did @aidwatch fail to make anyone care about Madagascar? http://bit.ly/cuW9k0

It directs you to his recent post about Madagascar, Chronicle of a death foretold. I read the article he refers to, that no one seems to be noticing, on IRIN News: MADAGASCAR: Textile industry unravels.

Bill asks a valid question. Even though I haven’t been blogging lately, it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been thinking about Madagascar – because I’m finishing up my travel guide and writing my capstone, it seems like overkill to keep harping on everywhere. But maybe more of us should be harping.

Malagasy people are about to face huge problems, and the world knows nothing about it. This won’t be the beginning of their problems either – the country has been going down the tubes since Rajoelina did his overhaul, and it’s not as if the place was doing too well before that. Do we not care because the US doesn’t really import much from Madagascar besides coffee and vanilla? Is it that graduate students, biologists, and lemur-lovers are the only people who are invested in the people, the ecosystems, the complexity of Malagasy history and traditions? Maybe.

“It is my responsibility as president of the Transition is to give the Malagasy people a voice. Only a legitimate authority will be able to democratically put an end to this difficult period of trouble.”

Andry Rajoelina, Letter to the Wall Street Journal

Photo: Conor Byrne

Fine. Journalists are not OK though. That’s weird. So what you mean is that you want to give the Malagasy people a voice, but only if it’s the same as your voice.

Wycoff also noted U.S. concerns over an “atmosphere of intimidation” in Madagascar where he said media and journalists are being harassed. Opposition figures are unable to operate freely and the security services are continuing to “infringe” human rights, he said.

from Bloomberg.com

The Protestant Church is not OK either? Also weird. And not very democratic.

The beginning of the year in Madagascar has been marked with yet more protests where protesters have been fired upon and the harassment of those perceived as close to the former regime of Marc Ravalomanana, including several journalists and the protestant Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar.

read the whole article on Global Voices

A friend once told me that her mother says ‘I’m spittin’ kittens’ when she’s extremely angry. Yes, it’s the same friend who told me the ‘sittin’ on a Christmas tree story’ below. Funny how both phrases are so germane to my feelings these days. Today, I’m spittin’ kittens about Andry Raojelina’s Open Letter to the Wall Street Journal.

I posted a link to the article on my facebook page before I went to bed, and woke up with several comments. Comments like ‘Wtf?!?! What a sad, illusory man’, and ‘The only thing necessary for Evil to flourish is for Good men to do nothing’, among others.

It seems like lots of folks are spittin’ kittens too, judging by these comments and the number of reposts.

I feel like a good person, and I certainly don’t want to let evil flourish, but what can I do? What should we do? We who care about Madagascar, and who are just as confused as everyone else trying to find a way to build a positive future for the country? Should we write an open letter? Will anyone read it? Will Andry read it? Can he read it? He obviously couldn’t have written that letter in English. Who does he have on his side that’s willing to translate that, and then have it published?

OK, I actually agree with him one thing, but the fact that he knows that it’s a little insane to be negotiating with two ex-presidents who were exiled (ahem, Ratsiraka and Zafy, you know I’m talking about you) because they were SO INCOMPETENT at being president, does not make me think he’s doing the right thing. Or even saying the right things. I want to go through his letter point by point to pull the rug out from under him, but that would be long and boring. I’ll just stick with saying that, though he claims that ‘the will of the large majority of the Malagasy people is to see me lead the Transitional Government’, I did not meet ONE PERSON, not one, during my time there that thought he should lead anything (and I talked to a lot of people).

The really sad thing, though, is that it does seem like there’s no way out of this. With the international community setting fire to Madagascar’s life rafts by pulling AGOA benefits and threatening sanctions (what in the Hell will they sanction?), it’s the people who suffer, and suffer big. In all of our years of experience in international ‘development’, have we not learned that these types of actions do not cause the desired outcomes, and that the people in charge – the rich, the powerful, the people who are rumored to have French passports and can escape at any time (it’s just a rumor, Andry Rajoelina), are largely unaffected? They just float along on their waves of self-righteousness, in well-built ships of ideology, comfortable in tailored suits, saying ‘Well I’m not to blame – I’m doing the right thing. For my people, obviously’.

So, what’s the answer?