These are a Few...

I have talked to a few people back home and some of them have asked me what my favorite thing about Madagascar was. So I thought it would be cool to make a little post about some things I really like here, having been here for a bit over a month. These are not in strict order and they are just a few things that stood out, there is plenty more I enjoy.

1.Fiavanana. This is the Malagasy term that incorporates a sense of community and the belonging to one group of people as a nation, even as a world. Although it has been tested recently and I am told it is not as evident as it was even just 10 years ago, it is still here. On a large scale, it is the attitude that kept the country from having a Civil War during the political crisis in 2009. On a small scale, it is what allows peoples to share whatever they have even when it is hardly anything at all. If you ever begin to eat something in front of other people, you always offer it to everyone you are with, even if it is only a small candy bar. What’s mine is those’ around me as well. It is an attitude that I have tried to practice and it is really cool to see it function as part of another culture. I think it has a big part to do with why the people here seem so generous and hospitable because they are raised being taught about fiavanana.

2.The music. This is an obvious one for anyone who knows me but I have found a lot of really good Malgasy music during my stay here. It ranges from rap to jazz to what we in the US consider “world music”. The language just seems to flow well in a musical setting and these people definitely have rhythm hahaha. They incorporate instruments I am familiar with and have a variety of traditional instruments that are still used today like the valy. For anyone curious, youtube Raboussa for some cool rhythmic hip hop that incorporates a lot of acoustics and singing as well. Nam Six is a rapper who has a very heavy Reggae influence and I like; he was also named a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF at the age of 15, the youngest at that point. Specialista is one of the “World Music” bands, Samoela plays a kind of folk music and Eric Manana as well.

3.The food. Once you get over eating rice twice a day, if you are lucky, and 3 times on other days, the food here is actually quite good. None of the meet comes from the American industry where animals are treated poorly and science has yet to interfere with the vegetables here. Malagasy culture stems from a wide variety of influences and different dishes reflect different aspects of their heritage. There is a clear Asian influence with the rice and many of the dishes are in the vein of Indian food where you have rice with some sort of meat (again, if you can afford it), and a veggie dish that is probably in some sauce. Although the rice is usually quite bland, the accompanying dish or “loaka” can be seasoned quite well. They also always have a “sakai” dish that is different wherever you go. Sakai is the Malagasy word for “pepper” as they do not differentiate what kind of pepper it is, but the ones I have had here are incredibly spicy and I love it!

4.Moramora. Although the practice of moramora was a bit extreme in the village, the general understanding here in Madagascar is a laidback way of living. In general, I try to be a very punctual person and that is somewhat lost in Madagascar as being late to a meeting is not disrespectful or really even noticed. But that aside, I compare moramora to a West Coast of the US feel. I have not spent too much time on the East Coast but I view moramora as the strolling pace of the West as opposed to head down, must get to where I am going as fast as possible pace of the East.

5.Mahafinaritra. This is the Malagasy word for “magnificent” but is used much much more frequently that one would use the English translation. I find it hilarious, and great, that the general word used to approve of something is to call it “magnificent”.
-How was that bite of rice?
-Mahafinaritra

So those are some of the things I have really enjoyed about the country here. Just trying to figure out ways to give you guys a better idea of what I am doing here although it is quite impossible to truly convey. It’s like taking a picture of the ocean, the picture NEVER looks as good as it did when you saw it with your own eyes, right???