Madagascar

Antoine's view

The Island where I was born ! Although I kept no real remembrances of my first years there, yet my family for a long time used Malagasy words : we never had guests at home, but vahiny; for us, medicine was fanafody, and food was sakafo.

How strong my emotion was when, 35 yeafrs after leaving it, I have seen Madagascar rise in front of the bow of my first sailboat. I have returned since, and discovered an immense island (the third or four largest in the world), and so spectacular ! What a pity that Madagascar, at the time when colonized nations were taking back their independence, chose to turn towards the communist nations, who promised so much to developing countries and that, of course held no promise: Madagascar has an infinite number of riches, agricultural, mineral, tourism, largely enough to live a prosperous life. let's hope one day it reaches the prosperity it deserves.

Going to Madagascar is always for me a fascinating experience; I relish its landscapes: the Tsingy, the banks of the Pangalanes Canal, the highlands or the Isalo massif, the lagoons and the shores; I have a passion for its fauna, in particular its adorable lemurs, by its flora (from Madagascar comes the Ravenala, the traveller's tree), by its inhabitants, of course, Madagascar?s nineteen tribes. And do not forget its music.