Open Letter To Tourists: Explaining the Word Vazaha (Malagasy Word for Foreigner)

(Note: When you come to Madagascar, it is common for children and
people around you to say "vazaha" when you walk by. You will hear
this word many times every day. Typically, foreigners take this word
to be derogatory. This letter explains the Malagasy perspective.)

Dear Vazaha,

This word is not as bad as you might think it is. It is neither an
impolite one nor a pejorative one. Usually foreign people are called
"vazaha" in Madagascar because of their white skin and it happens that
even local people get the same appellation. So please don't feel
rejected because of this word.

To be white means a lot for Malagasy people. It might mean rich,
powerful, smart, intelligent or beautiful. To illustrate that,
remember when you went into town in Madagascar, you might have noticed
that most Malagasy girls try to look more "Western" than African:
their hair turned from curly to straight, their skin with quite a lot
of cream to be more clear and also western clothes. So don't think
that Malagasy people hate white people—they just want to be like you.

Some vazaha, like you, my dear friend, don't really understand the
cultural values of term Malagasy term towards the foreigners. So, now
let me tell you something in particular about the Northern part of our
island and then you might understand that to be called vazaha is far
from what you think. The ethnic "Merina" (from the center of
Madagascar) are called "Borizany" which is very pejorative and the
Indian people are called "Karana" which is also pejorative. The
Merina have a bad history toward the people in the coast because of
the historical even when the Kind Radama 1 wanted to overpower the
entire island which cost the life of many people. The Indian people,
for their part, used to neglect Malagasy people and treat them almost
like slaves. But for the Arabic people who married with our women and
lived among us—to be called Arab is not a way fo race discrimination
it is just a way of being more specific about the person you are
talking about. So being called "vazaha" has nothing to deal with
hatred because you bring money to our country, you bring jobs and you
agree to mix with us.

My dear friend vazaha, next time you come to Madagacar and hopefully
to Diego, don't get upset when people call you vazaha. But if you
really want to be sure that it is not a bad word, just call them back
"vazaha" and I am 100% sure they will be happy to be called vazaha.

Take care! Vazaha!

Hishaam (lwahcool2006@live.fr)

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

Open Letter To Tourists: Losing Malagasy Culture Due To Tourism

Dear Tourist,

Each of you who comes to Madagascar does not respect the Malagasy
culture rather you value your own culture. Someimtes you make
Malagasy people lose their culture because some Malagasy people prefer
to follow your culture. This fact leads Malagasy people into a
situation of confluict because some people are convinced to follow
your culture while other people keep holding onto Malagasy culture and
giving value to Malagasy culture. The difference of opinion towards
culture often causes a dispute between Malagasy people.

Thinking about that undesirable problem, I would like to give you the
following suggestions:

First, please do not teach Malagasy people things that are bad for
them. For example, sexual tourism and homosexuality. Since the
arrival of tourism in Madagascar many things are changing especially
the cultural point of view towards things. Many people, mostly young,
are victims and tend to raise revolution against their parents. They
think whatever tourists are doing is good and should be applied to
Madagascar and that is why they practice it.

Second, Malagasy people give value to their ancestors while tourists
tend to underestimate their ancestors. Tourists sometimes try to
convince people against valuing their ancestors by talking negatively
about it. Some people abandon it and practice culture from
abroad—cultures that are not part of Madagascar. We are in trouble if
we stop our beliefs in our ancestors because we believe that they can
help us whenever we are in need. That is why I would advise you to
not interfere in this part of our culture.

Third, even though you have different kinds of music you should not
put down Malagasy people for the music they create. The rock music
influences people, mostly young people, and makes us forget our
salegy, hira gasy and trotrobe (kinds of Malagasy music). We feel
deprived of our identity without this music.
These are some reasons we are losing our culture. So please do not
rise against our culture even if you do not want to follow it.

Yours truly,

Anthonio

Open Letter To Tourists: Abusive Malagasy/Foreigner Marriages

Dear Tourists,

I'm one young Malagasy person who feels that the existence of old
foreigner men coming to Madagascar to marry young Malagasy women is
destroying our minds and underestimating our worth. Especially very
old French men. They are used to dominating Malagasy people as they
did during the colonial days and because they have money. In some
cases, but of course not in all cases, they treat these girls badly
when they bring them to France. Sometimes they do sadist or illegal
things. Things that a French woman would never accept but a Malagasy
woman does out of poverty. These women do not have money to return
back or to hope for justice because they depend on the man. Human
beings are equal and you do not have the right to treat women in this
way for any reason. Having money does not mean that you can do
whatever you want. If Malagasy people did the same thing to you,
would you accept it? I don't think so.

If a Malagasy girl married you—she is expecting a better life and not
bad treatment. Yes, I recognize that they love you because of your
money but they will make an effort to make your relationship work.
You are not a young man anymore and you should thank them to accept
being with you with all of their beauty and youth. They choose to
leave their family and their life as a young person to follow you.

To the Malagasy woman, also, I suggest please do not be blind for
money. Think a lot before you accept to marry someone. Going abroad,
marrying a vazaha (foreigner) is not the only way to be rich and have
success even if you feel it is. Use your mind and your talent. I
know every person has the choice to do what they want. And if you
think it is good for you—do it—just be careful.

Yours,

Sunia

Open Letter To Tourists: Sexual Tourists

Dear Tourists,

Hi, my name is Julda. I am from the country of Madagascar. I wrote
this letter for all of you because sexual tourism has become well
known in Madagascar—especially in Diego Suarez which is my town. You
are the tourists but you have made something bad with us and in our
country and it may change our reputation in the future. I am against
sexual tourism and I will illustrate why.

First of all, some of you come to Madagascar with the purpose of
relaxing and escaping your problems. This is no problem at all. This
is good. But a few of you come here just to have sex with us. As a
Malagasy woman I did not accept this path because it would have
destroyed my future and also harmed my culture. Some of the victims
of sexual tourism are young girls ages 10-18. In addition, you have
sex with them without protection. As a result, the number of diseases
has increased more and more—such as AIDS and syphilis. If nothing
else, you should use a condom.

Second, I want you to understand the perspective of the prostitute.
She did not refuse to have sex with you because she wns money and she
also wants to marry you. In this case, you should not take advantage
of her weakness. Think about her situation and if you were in her
place—what would you do? We are humans—do not treat these women and
girls as animals. Every person is the same. We are not machines.
Recently, most of the girls who become prostitutes (ages 12-18)
neglect their studies and leave them. They become a prostitute and
only have Vazaha (foreigner) to share their lives.

Third, sexual tourism gives a bad reputation to the Malagasy people.
It may destroy our people and our customs. When other tourists hear
that Madagascar has many prostitutes—they don't want to come here. So
you have to change your mentality before you come here. When you
come, please, be seriously and give us the love and respect we
deserve.

To end my letter, I thank you for listening and I think you will
follow my instruction.

Julda

Open Letter To Tourists: Buying Sex From Minors

Dear Tourist,

Hello! I am Narcia and I study at the university. I am very pleased
to write this letter for you. I am a young woman and as such I do not
accept that some tourists have sex with Malagasy women who are minors
(under 18).

First of all, thank you for visiting Madagascar but please do not
profit that Malagasy people are poor. I know that you have money to
buy sex from a minor. As an old man, with a minor, do you know what
the consequence is? These girls are not mature for sex—they only want
money from you. So be careful.

In addition, I know that you love the Malagasy young girl—but please
do not be selfish. Think about her future. You can see that someone
is a minor and please do not consider sex with them.

Finally, please and please again, do not profit from Malagasy minors
sexually. If you want to have sex I invite you to consider a Malagasy
women who is above the age of 18. If you do not like then stop having
sex in Madagascar.

Yours Sincerely,

Narcia

Open Letter To Tourists: Improving Language and Cultural Awareness

Dear Tourists,

My name is Colombe, I'm 22, live in Diego and study at the university
in the English Department as a third year student. So I want to write
an open letter to you about the great advantages tourism cause in the
education of Madagascar—particularly in a tourist down such as Diego.

First of all, thank you for coming to Madagascar. We are very happy
that you are visiting Madagascar for many reasons. You present to us
a big opportunity regarding education. Because of you the education
in Madagascar has increased.

Currently, Malagasy people are interested in studying different
languages and the number o language courses are increasing in number.
For example in Diego there are: VEC, CREATA, ALLIANCE, FRANCAISE.
Especially in Tananarive you can find many kinds of language schools
such as CNELA and ELI. Those schools teach many kinds of people
different languages. For example, Italian, English, French, Spanish
and Arabic. To know those languages helps people find jobs and learn
more about people. Learning languages makes communication possible
with foreigners.

Thanks to you, teenagers are interested in learning different
languages even if it is not in their schedule—students in physics are
still learning languages. People often say that they want to speak
different languages. Some tourists also teach Malagasy people about
their culture. Knowledge about cultures is of strong importance
because nowadays the world is globalized—so understanding cultures
between foreigners and Malagasy people improves the overall knowledge
of Malagasy people.

In conclusion, Malagasy people benefits greatly because of the
tourist. The education has increased; many people prefer to learn
different languages. Tourism makes improvement in Malagasy people's
lives also about culture.

Yours with love,

Colombe

Open Letter To Tourists: Promoting Ecotourism for Cultural Reasons

Dear Tourists,

It is a pleasure for me to send you this letter. As a minister of
culture and tourism it is my duty to send you this letter in order to
inform you that your visit here can hurt Malagasy culture because the
majority of Malagasy people tend to imitate your culture. For example
your way of life and your style of dress can risk our cultural ways
and dress.

But, we still need you because tourism improves our economy, our
infrastructure and our education. All of these things are improved
because of tourism. The money we earn from tourism contributes to the
development of our country and therefore tourism is one of the sources
of our development.

To avoid the loss of our culture, we encourage you to choose
ecotourism because it is a voyage into a natural area with the purpose
of appreciating nature—for example the fauna and flora which are found
that hat area. Ecotourism is also a voyage into appreciating the
cultural events of the local people. Ecotourism is good for our
environment and culture because it contributes to the conservation of
both the environment and the local culture.

I hope that you will make a good choice and help us keep our culture
for a long time.

Sincerely Yours,

Andris

Open Letter To Tourists: Ecotourism and Economic Development

Dear Tourists,

As a Malagasy person, I appreciate the chance to write an open letter
to you. I would like to thank all of you, from my heart, for choosing
to visit Madagascar. We know that Madagascar is a small island which
has exciting places, friendly people, a perfect climate and rich
biodiversity.

The activity of ecotourism is mainly developed in the protected areas
like the National Parks and Natural Reserves in my country. Most
people in the world think that ecotourism in protected areas can bring
economic benefits as it provides outside incomes and local
employment—as well as developing local activities.

We want to achieve the maximum economical improvement. So, we wish to
increase the number of visitors that come to Madagascar. We wish to
encourage you to visit the endemic plants and animals—as we know they
attract many visitors. All of the species here are providing benefits
to our economy for local people and improving the economy of the
country. Many of the plants and animals are needed for scientific
research. In addition we would like to give you an opportunity to
stay here as long as you with—we would like to increase the period of
your stay. We can create special events like festivals, carnivals and
erecting a royal mast. We have also excellent guides and services in
our country who will welcome you in a friendly way. We hope that when
you come it improves the economy of our country.

Ecotourism has the goals of improving the lives of the local people
and protecting the local environment. We hope to look after the
natural habitats. Responsible ecotourism consists of programs that
decrease the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the
environment and develop the culture of the local people. Therefore,
in addition to the evaluation environmental and cultural factors, an
integral part of ecotourism is the promotion of recycling, energy
efficiency, water conservation and the creation of economic
opportunities for the local economy.

I close my letter to you all and I wish that you will have good
economic partnerships that lead to economical improvements in my
country. I can't forget to thank you gain for your contributions
towards my country. Thank you for your visit and your time.

Best Regards,

Crisanthe

Open Letter To Tourists: Improvements in Infrastructure

Dear Tourist,

I'm glad to write this letter for the tourist who comes to Madagascar.
When you come here, our country develops its economy which improves
our infrastructure.
First of all, you are the key to our development because when you come
here you bring us a lot of help and we thank you. We have built
hotels, schools and roads.

The fact that you came here to visit our country and the money you pay
when you visit our parts or other sites contributes to the well being
of Malagasy people and helps safeguard our biodiversity. The roads
leading to the part are in good repair.

Also, schools are created for local people and the children who live
in the countryside are lucky to go to school. Before you came, we did
not have interesting hotels but as you come this has changed little by
little.

To sum up, we invite the tourist who has never been to Madagascar to
visit our country. Come and see our sites and our National Parks.
You will not regret coming!

Sincerely,

Augustine

Open Letter To Tourists: Keeping Madagascar Free of Disease

Dear Tourist,
As a Malagasy citizen and as a student, I feel that writing to you is
my duty. I am worried about my countries healthy today. My country
has fallen sick because of many diseases are spreading. From my home
to the entire nation, people are coughing, getting fevers and crying.
One of our sisters died because she is HIV positive. Diseases we have
never seen before are dangerous for the future of my country.
I am the girl who thinks that relationships with visitors who come
here is one of the sources of this problem. Because of these
strangers who bring new diseases that our immune systems cannot fight
against.
My country is a country where the natural landscape and endemic
species attract more tourists than other countries. These tourists do
develop our country but I do not expect hat bringing diseases will
benefit the Malagasy people. This is a poem that I dedicate to all
tourists that wish to come here, and it is to make you sure that it is
not necessary to come if…
IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO COME
It is not necessary to come
If you want to change my country
My country was safe and sound
From any disease
It is not necessary to come
If you do not accept responsibility
For malaria, AIDS, FLUENZA or H1N1
Before crossing the waters to Madagascar
It is not necessary to come
If you pretend to like our country
When in fact you come and destroy it
When you are buying our beautiful ladies
Because of your dollar and euros
To realize your sex satisfaction
It is not necessary to come
If you do not want to protect my country
From the diseases
Before coming here
So stay where you are
If diseases would come with you
As the our souvenir of your visit
Your money cannot pay for our life
Even if it boosts our economy
I expect that after reading my expectations, you would understand that
despite the fact that tourism is one of the keys to our
development—tourists should be more responsible for making sure that
that statement is true.
Then, come here healthy
And our rich country
Will satisfy you
And the rest of Malagasy people
Sincerely,
Thina

Open Letter To Tourists: Stealing Endemic Plants or Animals

Dear Tourists,

It is a great pleasure for me to write you this letter. As you know
Madagascar is among the countries where almost all of you want to
visit because it has more beautiful things than other countries have.
For instances we have the smallest chameleon in the world. You will
be welcomed once you get here. You will see that Malagasy people are
kind and they know how to welcome you. You will not regret coming
here unless you do something bad which could cause trouble like
sealing. Every single one of you has their own goal when you visit a
place like Madagascar. Some of you have a tendency to steal and their
purpose to come to Madagascar is to steal endemic plants or animals.

So, I am writing this letter especially for the thieves. My sole
reason for writing it is to inform you who steal endemic plants or
animals in Madagascar that there will be consequences for you if you
are caught. A rule has been set for several years just to tell those
foreigners who steal endemic things in our country that you will be
punished. Not only will you pay but you will be behind bars for five
years. And our government means business. It depends on what you
steal. If you steal animals like snakes and chameleons the fine will
not be as extreme. However, if steal rose wood you will be in serious
trouble when you are caught. I am telling you this to inform you. Do
not trouble trouble until trouble troubles you! As the saying goes,
"prevention is better than cure."

So I tell all of you do not steal what you see in Madagascar. No
matter who you are and what you do. Please, do not ever steal endemic
things in our country.

Sincerely,

Newton

Open Letter For Tourists: Cultural Advice

Dear Tourists,

Hello, I am a Malagasy student from the Northern part of Madagascar.
I am very pleased to write a letter to you.

First of all, let me describe Madagascar to you. It is a big island
which receives many tourists every year because of its biodiversity.
Madagascar contains 20 million people. These people are divided into
18 tribes and have different cultures as well. But, we all understand
each other.

Now, I have noticed that many tourists do not stay in Madagascar as
long as they want to because they misunderstand Malagasy people.
Sometimes, tourists interpret negatively the behavior of Malagasy
people. I can assure you that Malagasy people are very nice. They
are helpful and warm. So, if you have a misunderstanding or conflict
with Malagasy people it simply means that you do not understand the
culture.

To help you, I am a Malagasy girl and am happy to give some advice
about the Malagasy way of life.

1. When Malagasy people talk to you their messages will be indirect
and ambiguous. You might not understand this kind of communication.
Don't get nervous, just keep on asking questions. You should say
"azafady" (excuse me) followed by your questions. They will be happy
to answer you. We are indirect because communication for Malagasy
people is a way to create harmony. If you tell them something in an
aggressive way it may hurt their feelings. As a collectivist culture,
we communicate indirectly.

2. In Malagasy culture interrupting conversations is shocking. If you
interrupt people, they may feel angry towards you. If you want to
speak, wait for the people to finish talking and then speak.

3. Malagasy people give more value to older people in our society and
at work. If you have the habit of not respecting older people you
should change because in our country old people are on top of the
hierarchy. For example, if you want to do some research in a
village—you have to ask permission from the elders. When you talk to
them, you should express your ideas more politely than you would with
a younger person.

4. Malagasy people have many taboos. You have to respect these
taboos. This mean if you want to visit sacred places you should be
ready to not wear shoes when you are in that place and to bring a
"lamba.". These things are compulsory. If you do not take of your
shoes and are without a lamba you will not be allowed to visit the
sacred places.

5. Malagasy people are very formal. So, when you are invited by a
Malagasy family in a village or town you should wear more modest
clothes. For example, pants or skirts that touch your knee and a
shirt that covers your stomach.

6. In Madagascar, time ins not money. If you have an appointment with
a Malagasy person and they are late do not get angry because it is our
culture. For example, if your tour guide is late—don't say that he
doesn't like his job. For this reason, we do not hurry everywhere we
go. We have a proverb to share this idea, "Dia meky mamparary
sarotro, dia mora mahataka-davitry," that is to say, "walking fast may
cause stomach aches and walking slow reaches further." This proverb
is a Malagasy belief and that is why we have a habit of doing things
slowly.

Tourists, if you can adapt to these ways of life you will have a great
vacation in Madagascar. Besides, you can get many Malagasy friends.
We are happy as well when you know how to live with us.

Yours in friendship,

Elodie

Open Letter Disclaimer

For the tourist, the vacation is a few weeks but for the Malagasy
person tourism is part of life. Therefore, Malagasy people have
opinions about tourism that are based on their life experience of
living with tourists. Some of these experiences are positive and some
are negative.

We all believe that tourism benefits Madagascar. With our open
letters, we hope to communicate some of the positive and negative
consequences of tourism—with the desire of increasing tourism for the
benefit of Madagascar.

American Values (For Comparison)

According to the Culture Matters, published by the Peace Corps,
American values are the following:

Attitude Towards Age
Older people are not valued for their age alone. We tend to emphasize
beauty and youth. It is acceptable to fire older people for younger
people. We judge a workers worth based on production not on
seniority.

Concept of Fate and Destiny
There is a strong belief in self determination. If you fail, it is
probably your fault. You can be or do whatever you want. "Where
there is a will, there is a way." The American Dream of, "Rags to
Riches," is in the consciousness of many people.

Attitude Towards Taking Risks
There are plenty of opportunities for everyone. It is better to try
and fail than to not try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Source of Self Esteem
You are your accomplishments. People judge you by how much money you
make. The first question at a party is, "What do you do?" Material
possessions indicate success.

Attitude Towards Formality
Informality is preferred. It is okay to use first names with people
you have just met. Even the president of the United States, as well
as celebrities, are expected to show that they can be informal with
'regular people.'

Degree of Realism
Optimism is the general idea. Things will always get better. Bad
things happen for a positive reason.

Malagasy Values: Attitude Towards Taking Risks

In everyday life, all of us are confronted by many kinds of problems.
Some of these problems are easy to resolve but some are difficult. In
the case of a difficult problem people have to make tough decisions
which may involve risk taking. In Madagascar, people don't want to
take risks in their lives. What exactly is a risk? Are we capable of
taking risks? I will illustrate our attitude by sharing some Malagasy
proverbs.

According to our Malagasy way—taking risks is difficult and can create
bad problems in our lives. Taking risks is dangerous and we believe
that risks can lead to death. The risk may pay off or you may fail.
Malagasy people tend to be pessimistic—to look at the bad parts of a
situation. A person trying to take risks is a person who is not
afraid of the results (positive or negative) and a person who is able
to face any outcome.

For many generations, Malagasy people are afraid of taking risks.
This is why there are so many proverbs.

Ny aina tsy ananam-piry. Life cannot be had twice.

Aleo maty rampitso toy izay maty androany. It is better to be dead
tomorrow than today.

Lahy tokana ny aina. Life is expensive.

Mamy ny aina. Life is good. (As it is).

In Malagasy life, people are afraid of taking risks because they may
lose their lives. For them, life is expensive and they do not want to
be in danger. When they hear the world death—they will run away from
it. Malagasy people do not accept business risks. They would rather
be poor than take the risk which could create even worse consequences.
People don't believe they can be successful.
In conclusion, taking risks is the last thing that Malagasy people
choose when they are confronted by problems. Surmounting problems is
difficult in Madagascar because we are afraid of losing our lives and
we are afraid of danger. It is hard to believe there is a chance
worth taking. I think this is the source of poverty in Madagascar.

Malagasy Values: Collectivism

Malagasy people have their own customs, behavior and attitudes. This
attitude is different than other cultures, especially rich countries.
It is collectivism (the fact that people work in groups) and sharing
ideas that shapes our attitudes.

To make it clear, I will explain collectivism, some proverbs and some examples.
What is collectivism and the sharing of ideas?

Collectivism is the fact that people work in a group to have a group
benefit. This means that people never do things by themselves but
always do it together because they believe that working together will
create success. Sharing ideas is the concept of sharing your ideas
to your friends, family and to elders. These factors, or values, of
Malagasy people affect the way we go about action—or doing.

"Tondro tokany tsy mahazo hao," means One finger can't touch things.
This means that working by your self will leave you far away from
success. So, we must work together to have success because each
person has his own way to make life better. "Hevitry ny maro
mahataka-davitra," means More people's ideas make great success. We
also have the saying, "Asa vadi-drano tsy vita raha tsy hifanakonana,"
which means Work in the field doesn't matter without help. Our
attitude towards doing, or action, is greatly influenced by our
collectivism and our desire to share ideas with each other.

As an example, Malagasy people work in the fields and plant rice.
This is always done in groups. Additionally, when making a decision
people talk to others (friends, family, and elders) to get advisement.
Issues related to divorce and marriage for example are made with the
advisement of others. If the others agree then s/he will do it and if
the others disagree than s/he will not. Also, when we have
celebrations for special occasions or special events like birthday
parties, weddings and funerals we always invite a lot of people to
assist us.

To conclude, the collectivism of the Malagasy people impacts the way
we take action—which is acting as a group. This is one of the main
ways you can understand Malagasy culture.

Malagasy Values: Degree of Realism (Two)

"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." (From
Greek, American TV show).

Malagasy people see things as they want them to be not as they really
are. Several daily Malagasy expressions reveal that way of thinking.
The political situation in Madagascar and how people behave toward it
are good examples to illustrate the degree of realism among the
Malagasy society.

In general, Malagasy people see things as they prefer to instead of
seeing them as they really are. So, when we want to do something we
only look at the good side of things and not the bad side. In that
moment we are optimistic which could be considered as extremely blind.
However, when we do not want to do something, for any reason, we can
find barriers to do not do it—in that circumstance we reject every
possibility of accomplishing it. In this state we immerse ourselves
in a deep state of pessimism.

It is quite difficult to find an expression about realism because the
word itself doesn't exist in the Malagasy language. Nonetheless we
can use some sentences from what people think about decisions taken.
For example, "Raha ataony io tys mety fa atoany fo," which is
literally translated as: What he is doing is wrong but he is still
doing it. We also say, "Raha io tsy possible" which could be
translated in English to me, "It cannot be possible." This is what is
said when we do not want to do something—ironically we usually find
out that what we thought was impossible ends up being done by someone
else with success.

If we want a palpable example, we just have to glance at Malagasy
politics. Before an election, the candidates promise impossible
things such as one car per family. Weirdly, this is accepted by
people even though it has never ever been realized by the government.
The same thing applies for the fact that we usually say that we could
run the government without the international community's help—that we
are self sufficient. This is just propaganda when the government is
not recognized. Generally, we believe what we like to hear even if it
is just a utopian idea.

In a nutshell, Malagasy people have a very low degree of realism
because people believe what they want to but not what they should.
The fact of being blindly persuaded into things is not at the fault of
the Malagasy people—rather it is on the shoulders of the people
propagating inaccurate or untrue information. To be clear about the
non-realism of our society in Madagascar, we only need to look at
politics to reflect it.

Is the lack of realism the main gap in our development?

Malagasy Values: Degree of Realism (One)

Malagasy people believe in God, which is called "Zanahary" meaning the
one who creates. Everything we do we always ask Zanahary's help to
pray and look after us. Malagasy people believe that only God
arranges their destiny to be good or bad. Zanahary sees all of their
actions and can punish them for a bad action.
The ancestors of Malagasy people "Ntaolo" have analyzed life and tried
to avoid problems. They are full of wisdom and can transmit notions
that they found better for them.

Malagasy people believe that they have destiny which God made for them
and they cannot avoid their destiny no matter the effort. For
example, when you take an exam, you can study but you will also think
that for a person who succeeds it is their destiny—even if he didn't
make much effort to learn his lesson he will succeed because it is the
desire of god. People accept their destiny because it should happen
and cannot be controlled. In addition, Malagasy people have gotten
from their ancestors "Ntaolo" that they have to respect and help each
other.

If you do something bad, God will punish you for the bad thing you
have done. There is a Malagasy proverb which says, "Ny tody tsy misy
fa ny atao no miverina" meaning "For fear of bad consequence we help
each other." The aim of the ancestors is to make the society more
stable and secure—to avoid stealing, for example. Malagasy people
are poor so they have to help each other to survive.

As a conclusion, Malagasy people believe in God and rely on him to
solve their destiny that is dictated by God and which cannot be
controlled by him or herself. Malagasy people are helpful and they
believe that God will punish them for their bad actions. These
beliefs make the society stronger, more secure and full of
respect—even if globalization has changed some of the thinking of the
young Malagasy people nowadays.

Malagasy Values: Source of Self Esteem

There are thirteen cultural beliefs which make each country different.
One of them is the source of self-esteem. An American is judged by
how much money he makes or what he did to succeed. Americans are also
judged by their material possessions which indicate success. What
about Malagasy people? How do they define the source of their self
esteem?

As a definition, the source of your esteem can be external or
internal—what did you do to be successful, what makes you good or bad
and how do people judge you? In the American belief—you are your
accomplishments. This creates a sense of self-responsibility.

In the Malagasy belief system, there are two important factors of self
esteem that make a person respected by society: money and age.

In Madagascar there are a lot of expressions to illustrate this
belief. Toward the importance of money in a persons success we say,
"Ny vola no maha-rangahy." This is commonly used in Malagasy speech.
This expression means, "Money makes a gentleman." Also, when the
attitude toward age takes an important role in the source of
self-esteem we have the expression, "Aza mitsako alohan'ny vazana."
Literally, "We should not have to chew before the molar." The molar
here is the older person and we are the young. The elders are the
authority; they own society even if they are poor.

As an example, in Malagasy society, a "rangahy" is the elder that
everyone should respect. He is considered as a Ray aman-dReny, as a
father. Wealth can make a man a rangahy. For Malagasy people, a
person who owns a hundred zebus (cows) is considered a rangahy. The
second expression where age makes people having high self-esteem is
shown by the fact that during meetings when there is an elder person
the rest of the audience (especially the young) are not allowed to
speak. The elders are much respected in the community.

The bottom line is that in Madagascar elders have the most value.
Elders are considered rangahy and Ran aman-dReny. But money, as the
huge factor of self esteem that it is, similar to Americans—is also a
source of self esteem which Malagasy people regard as the second key.

Malagasy Values: Fate and Destiny

Cultural Beliefs are different for each culture.

To understand the concept of these cultural beliefs helps to
understand the culture of one group and it make it easier for us to
build relationships. It increases communication between two people or
two groups of people who have different cultures. The concept of fate
and destiny part of cultural beliefs and it is understood differently
in different cultures. For Malagasy people, there are some proverbs
and examples which can illuminate how this concept functions.

Fate is a power that some people believe controls every that happens
in their lives. Someone's fate is what happens to them. Destiny is
everything that happens to someone during his life including what
happens in the future. For Malagasy people, they believe that God and
their ancestors plan their lives. Everything which happens in their
lives is their destiny and it is always planned and there is no
choice.
"An'olombelona ny fikasana fa an'Andriamanitra ny lahatra" means
"Human beings can have some wishes but it is god who has the final
decision. One person may want to do something in his life but if it
is not in Gods plans it will never be accomplished.

"Ny tody tsy misy fa ny atao no miverina," means "What happens to you
is from what you have done. This means that what will happen in your
life is the result of what you have done before. Everything will
return back to you—if you do something in a good way you can hope for
success for example. Malagasy people take death as destiny from God.
It can help people to mourn when they believe in this. Human beings
cannot refuse death, they only can accept it. It is not possible for
us to counter God's plans. If someone fails in what they do then they
should move on and do something else because it was not their fate to
succeed.

As a conclusion, Malagasy people think that their lives are already
planned, no matter what happens and they do not have a choice. Many
factors are the source of our destiny such as God, our ancestors, our
past behavior. Malagasy people are passive. Sometimes, people do not
make any effort to ameliorate their lives and people can be too
passive.

Malagasy Values: Communication Style

All countries in the world have their own way of expressing verbal
communication. When we examine the case of Madagascar, people like
communicating indirectly. It is clear that those who are unfamiliar
with this practice have trouble understanding the messages.

Culturally, Malagasy people communicate indirectly and inexplicitly
with people. They use this kind of communication when they convey
messages. Malagasy people dislike saying something directly. When
they want to transmit messages, they have to convey it indirectly in
order to show the importance of the message. In addition, when
Malagasy people give a speech, the speaker has to introduce his
lecture by using proverbs and long excuses. For this reason, if the
speaker made mistakes during his speech he is already excused.
Whereas, when there is someone telling a message in a direct way, that
person has a bad attitude. This way of speaking shows the haughtiness
of the speaker. The goal of indirectness is saving face and living
in harmony.

"Miala tsigny, miala fondro raha hiteny eto anatrehareo satria ny
tsigny dia mavesatra; tsy zakan'ny teo aloha ka ombako tsy mahazaka
koa; raha lolohavina ny tsiny dia maha sola loha, raha babena ny tsiny
dia maha fola-damosina ary raha dia kosa ny tsiny dia maha solafaka."
This means, a speaker excuses themselves in front of an audience
because tsigny (blame) is heavy. Former generations could not bear
carrying it. If you carry it on your head, you will be bald, if you
carry it on your back, your spine will be broken and if step over it
you will trip. They make a long excuse before speaking because they
believe that human beings are not perfect.

To illustrate Malagasy communication, when Malagasy people admonish
their children they narrate a story and then they tell central
messages. Besides, when someone wants to borrow money or tools from
neighbors he or she first tells of the problems—and then the need to
borrow something.

To conclude, conveying messages indirectly is wisdom for Malagasy
people. They do this to keep harmony because we are a collectivist
culture.

Malagasy Values: Attitude Towards Formality

Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world. Despite that,
Malagasy people have a tradition which obligates every single one of
them to be polite towards others by using formal words when they speak
to others. Unlike other people in the world, Malagasy people are the
most respectful people in the world. So we are going to see how much
formality means to the Malagasy people.

Formality is a way of respecting someone when we communicate. One
way to do this is through the language we use and the way we speak to
people. For Malagasy people, using formal words means that you are
being polite towards another person. There are words we use to speak
to elders, between families and between people of the same age. But,
the formality is the way and the language that we use to communicate
with people that deserve respect or with people we have just met.
There are different words we use every day and some we use between
friends. To be formal, we do not use slang or words that would be
considered rude.

For Malagasy people, formality depends on hierarchy. This means that
it depends on the place where the people are how you will communicate
with them. For Malagasy people, elders deserve to be respected more.
When we speak to elders we are more formal than to a younger person.
For Malagasy people there are two expressions which are popular,
"Azafady" and "Miala Tsiny." These are used to show respect.

When Malagasy people speak to a foreigner they are formal and kind.
To conclude, Malagasy are the kindest people in the world. For them,
formality is a polite way to speak to people. Although Madagascar is
an underdeveloped country, people in Madagascar are very polite
towards others.

Malagasy Values: Attitude Towards Age

The Malagasy culture has produced a people with complicated and
fascinating beliefs and customs. Despite the various tribes or clans
the country shares many beliefs such as the belief in the power of
ancestors (razana). In this essay, I will share the concept of how
Malagasy people view age. In Malagasy culture, older people—or
elders—wield considerable power.

In Madagascar elders are they people who are called Ray Aman-Dreny or
parents. We call them Ray Aman-Dreny for all older people even if
they are not our biological parents. Older people are more respected
than children or youth. In the beginning parents take care of
children but if the parent becomes older then concept is that the
child should take care of the parent—an exchange. In Madagascar we
call it "valim-babena" which means to pay your parents back.

There are some expressions to show that older people are valued for
their age. "Manan-jandry afa-kolan'etana, mana-joky afa-kolan-teny."
This means that young people should bring the luggage of the older
people. If you have an older sister or brother you can be proud
because they will be the ones who get to speak. If you have a little
sister or brother you can be happy because they will bring your
luggage.

Another expression is, "Ray aman-dreny tsy manary sanana." This
expression is one of the reasons that respect is given to older people
in Madagascar. It means you should respect your parents, "The parents
never abandon their children."
In Malagasy culture in the case of public speaking—older people are
allowed to speak because they have more experience in life. Malagasy
people think that older people are more formal. During conversations
in families or in larger settings only older people are asked to
speak. Also, when there is an older person who died in Madagascar we
celebrate it or make a party. If a person lives to be very old it is
a celebration when they die because we are happy they lived so long.
Most Malagasy people are happy to have old age.

In conclusion, respect for Malagasy elders from all fellow humans is
part of our tradition. It is a great honor for a Malagasy person to
have old age. Older people should have a good position or value in
Malagasy society. Madagascar is a country rich in traditional
culture.