spotlight madagascar

“The struggle continues. It should go until the end,” said Andry Rajoelina, Antananarivo’s former mayor embroiled in a power struggle with President Marc Ravalomanana.

AFP is reporting this sit-in. The crowds dispersed peacefully.

Afropop reported about similar incidents back in 2002. Check out the language used during that crisis:

Protest in Tana, 2002

The OAU, the United Nations, the United States and former colonial power France have all condemned as unconstitutional the February 22 proclamation by opposition leader and Antananarivo mayor Marc Ravalomanana that he is president. OAU and UN mediators briefly visited early in the two-month-old deadlock but have stayed away for weeks, amid criticism from some residents that the international community has shown a lack of commitment to helping solve the crisis.

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

I’ll jump right in, because I have a busy day ahead of me.  Reuters reports that the tourism industry in Madagascar is really taking a hit with all of this political hooplah.  Not surprising.  Rallies have been happening again today, with warning shots fired by police, rocks thrown by civilians, and some tear gas.  The Earth Times, The Associated Press, and AFP are all reporting similar stories, and I don’t even have to bother with a summary because it’s the same as every other day.  Real journalism replaced by hacking, repetition and regurgitation.  Some highlights that keep poking out: DJ became revolutionary, used to sell yogurt, Madagascar is known for wildlife and its people live below the poverty line, investors are reconsidering investments, tour operators have had almost 100% cancellations.  There you go.

I have no idea what’s about to happen this weekend, but this is a pretty disturbing smattering of stories from bloggers in Madagascar on the Global Voices website.  Who is listening?

R8 and TGV are talking.

Africa en Ligne and China View are reporting that the African Union and the IOC (Indian Ocean Commission) are taking part in the mediation and facilitation of these talks. Of course, France is there too, because France owns Reunion Island. I don’t have anything nice to say about that, so I won’t say anything at all in this particular post.

Day of Mourning

Reuters Africa writes more of the same, talks, land deal, blah blah blah.  The same recycled story from a million other sources.  Where’s the real journalism and true analysis of the situation? The International Red Cross is sending in more supplies as well, since hospitals seem to be overflowing with wounded (and I’ve been in a Malagasy hospital–I know what they’re dealing with.  Just another example of how the state is letting an NGO take its responsibility for providing for the people).  The International Herald Tribune is reporting on a sensational story this morning, which may or may not be related to the political crisis, but those journalists seem to really like shooting.  Hundreds of years of colonialism followed by extreme poverty and environmental destruction of the most unique place on earth due to corrupt leadership, a global movement towards the commoditization of nature and human beings accompanied by  soul-sucking capitalism, and neo-imperialism?  Not interesting.  Police shooting looters?  Sign me up!

While both sides have accepted the principle of talks, Rajoelina has vowed to continue his struggle and conditioned a dialogue on the creation of a transition government or the promise of fresh presidential polls.

AFP: Madagascar’s political rivals open talks.

“I don’t think the political turbulence is related to this project,” Shin said. “The news reports were a lie.”

Asked whether Daewoo was comfortable doing business with a government that has killed protesters, Shin said the deal is not being exclusively made with Madagascar’s incumbent government and stressed that his company will pursue the project with whomever is in power.

“If they want economic development in Madagascar, I think they will need this project,” Shin said, rejecting the notion that the deal is “neo-colonial,” as suggested by its critics.

…

He said the aim of the project is not to boost Korea’s food security.

“We will follow where we can maximize the profit,” Shin said, whether that lies in reselling produce in Madagascar or in other international markets, including Seoul.

This is from JoongAng Daily, and I have to say it’s really not painting a very pretty picture of Daewoo (not that I thought very highly of them before). Obviously, the reports on the BBC and NYT were not “lies”. This project will absolutely be terrible for the Malagasy people, and not just the farmers who will be working for the project. I said I wouldn’t write more today, and I really have to get off the internet and into the shower, but I’m not finished with this subject.

allAfrica.com has an interesting take on things this morning. They take a deeper look into the Daewoo land deal, which will relieve the Malagasy people of over half of their arable land:

The African Union has adopted the principle that it has a right to intervene in the internal affairs of a member state, if the rulers are grossly violating the human rights and well being of the people. There is no way that vast tracts of land can be given away to a foreign company without gross violations of the rights of peasant farmers and their inheritors.

Failure to act in Madagascar will, furthermore, merely postpone the explosion of future violence as dispossessed peasants will surely rise to fight for rights to their land and means of livelihood.

Last word of the morning: I’d like to say that I’ve been following this deal for MONTHS and it’s just now starting to get press.  I’ve been blogging about it, talking about it to professors, emailing about it, getting ulcers about it… so why did this take so long to get into the news?  I have been warned to stop drawing attention to the crisis in Madagascar, because it might endanger investment deals like this one and make the country less attractive.  I don’t think anyone at any of those dead-inside multinational corporations are reading my lowly blog, first of all, and second of all these deals shouldn’t be happening until the way in which business is conducted in developing countries is altered.

MoneyBiz has latched onto the story this morning too.

Coined by Arturo Warman, the phrase “The Botanical Bastard” refers to corn:

In his book, Corn and Capitalism, Warman explores corn and what it’s been doing for the last couple hundred years.  It’s not pretty.

BBC is reporting on the Daewoo deal as well, and it seems that analysts are worried about the investment.

While President Marc Ravalomanana has strongly backed the deal, which would create hundreds of jobs for Madagascan farm workers, opposition leader Andry Rajoelina is opposed, saying too many farmers would lose control of their land.

Since this deal is part of what sparked the violence in the first place, wouldn’t it make sense to take a closer look at it, to see what they’re really promising, and what the long-term outcomes will be? Could Madagascar be growing crops for its own people?  They say they’ll use local labor and create jobs.  What kind of jobs?  What kind of benefits?  What about basic human rights?

I love how this article tries to garner sympathy for South Korea.  Oh my, their investment is so tragic, and how will they ever plant that corn?  I guess this confirms that they had, in fact, signed the deal, but now they’re just waiting for this struggle to end so they can swoop in and ruin thousands of people’s lives and livelihoods.  Wonderful.  Way to go, Reuters.  Those companies “keen to make investments” should probably just reconsider their options.  I wonder if the people who work for those companies think about the implications of what they’re doing.

Daewoo Logistics had planned to start planting 2,000 hectares of corn this year before developing a massive 1 million hectares in the western part of the country with corn and 300,000 hectares in the east under oil palm.

The firm also promised to spend $6 billion in the next 20-25 years to help install infrastructure such as roads, railways, a port and schools in exchange for developing huge swathes of arable land.

A whole generation away, they might get something out of this decision made by the government, for the government.

In humanitarian news, the International Red Cross is in a tizzy, and increasing operations in Madagascar, according to the Middle East Times.

allAfrica.com: Madagascar: Dismay At Fatal Shooting of TV Reporter Covering Anti-Government Demonstration

And the bloggers are off and running. And the UN is off and running. They are dismayed.