- Typical taxi in Tana
I have to admit that I didn’t know much about Madagascar before moving here. Due to a flurry of activity before moving across the world (living in Burkina Faso and Spain, planning our wedding, running back and forth between our parents’, etc.), Owen and I didn’t do a lot of homework on our new home. We asked a few friends and colleagues that knew a thing or two about Madagascar and we bought the Lonely Planet book (never opened it until a week after we landed) and that was about the extent of our pre-move research.
Things I did know:
- DreamWorks made a film about Madagascar, and it starred Ross Geller.
- Every baked good made with Madagascar vanilla is delicious and fancy.
- People go to Madagascar to see lemurs and chameleons and other unique creatures.
- It’s close to Seychelles and South Africa, so sign me up!
Needless to say, I had a lot more to learn about the 4th largest island in the world, and it’s been a steep learning curve since I stepped foot on its terrain.
In case you’re looking to make the big move yourself, fancy a visit, or just want to learn a few new things, here’s a list of Madagascar facts (affectionately deemed Mada-fact-ars by yours truly) that I have learned since arriving:
- Official Name: Repoblikan’i Madagasikara (Malagasy) / République de Madagascar (French)
- Madagascar gained its independence from France on June 26, 1960. There is still strong French influence here: the language, the food, the architecture, and some of the political agenda.
- Madagascar is somewhere around the 10th most impoverished country in the world. Widespread poverty and corruption have hindered growth due to lack of funds for local business.
- The average monthly net salary (after-tax) is USD 50.
- Much of the country is living on less than USD 2 per day.
- The land mass of Madagascar is approximately the same size as the east coast of the U.S., spanning from New York to Florida.
- More than 80 percent of Madagascar’s plant species are found nowhere else in the world. 🦎
- The island is home to around 170 palm species, three times as many as on all of mainland Africa; 165 of them are endemic. 🌴
- Lemurs have been characterized as “Madagascar’s flagship mammal species” and thrive on the island due to the absence of predators and competing primate species. There are 103 different species of lemurs living in Madagascar. 🐒
- There’s a pretty toxic political environment, and it leaves me feeling hopeless (not the attitude I should have, but I ate ice cream for dinner last night just to ease the pain).
- These Aljazeera and BBC articles help shed some light.
- Owen and I also watched this documentary, Return of a President. I cried through half of it and was so fired up by the end. Despite the portrayal of Marc in this film, he is not perfect (none of us are) and his ‘people’ made this documentary. Regardless of the bias, it is a lens into a world that is being pushed under water by the steady hand of political power, and it is worth watching.
- Madagascar has a fantastic hat culture. They are made of woven fibers, and they come in all shapes, sizes, designs, and colors, and everyone wears them: babies to the elderly.
- Some hats are tied to specific areas. For example, there is a particular bonnet that is known the be from Mananjary. If you see a woman wearing this hat, you know she is from there.
- There is an amazing expat community that has welcomed us with open arms. There are book clubs, weekly softball and ultimate frisbee matches, walking/running groups, rum parties, and more. These folks have lived all over the world, they are kind, and they are working to make a difference for the Malagasy livelihood.
- Madagascar is beautiful, its people are warm, and it is a privilege to spend time here.
Tenley Abroad 