Thursday, September 23, 2010

Open Letter To Tourists: Losing Malagasy Culture Due To Tourism (Perspective Two)

Dear Tourists,

My name is Asmela and I am from Diego, Madagascar. I am studying at
the university now emphasizing in International Tourism.

I know that you come to Madagascar to share your culture. You share
your culture when you come to Madagascar such as your music, clothes,
style of life (drinking alcohol, going to the pugs at night) and
language.

These actions may decrease how much we value our culture for several
reasons. First, most of the young people in Diego don't know how to
speak fluently in their original language (Malagasy) because they
always mix it with your language. Second, more and more men are
drinking because they are imitating your way of drinking. However,
they do not know how to manage their alcohol.

Also, many young girls become prostitutes by wearing mini-skirts to
attract the attention of a certain number of men. The big problem
with this is that the girls leave school to do this. The girls are
wearing mini-skirts to copy Western dress.
Finally, most of the young singers in Diego forget the traditional
songs and rhythms such as "Salegy" and "Vako-Drazana".

So, I would suggest that you are careful when you share and present
your culture if you come to Madagascar one day. Because if not, our
culture will become Westernized because of the actions you take while
you visit Madagascar.

Sincerely Yours,

Asmela

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it's very important to keep your culture alive and I'm sorry that our "bad side" of our culture have influenced yours. When we go out and party or wear revealing clothing, we just don't think much of it as being bad because we have grown up with it. I think its important for us to represent the positive side to our cultures and if i ever do visit, id be sure to do so.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your blog. I think your people and culture are beautiful. I hope you never lose your cultural identity that would be very sad. Should vistors tourists or aids alike dress in your native dress or how would you suggest people conduct themselves? When I travel to other countries I never think of my cultural impact. Thank you for enlightening me. Misaotra betsaka!

Arnold said...

This waas a lovely blog post