BOMBS 2K9 Released :D

Congratulations to the winners. Click on the poster to see who the are and to visit their blogs.

It Was A Year Ago

As I’m reading my posts during that Monday January, 26 I still remember the ambiance while going home. There were few buses working so I had – not only me – to make it on foot. So I saw the TVM/RNM premises burning, I came across the looters in 67ha and people fighting each other on goods stolen from shops. And the rush to gas and basic foods that followed it.

As I expected, no HAT-newspapers talked about it today. Obvious. Yesterday, though, TVM said it would have a special session on this “Black Monday” but I don’t know if they kept their words or not.

If you pass by Anosy the builinds still carry the marks left by the flames from the broken windows and doors that day. It’s just heartbreaking and till now the main responsables of those horrible things are still wandering out there.

Eclipse You Said?

I heard of it yesterday on the bus. People said few words about it while mainly talked about the mourning of the Archbishop Gaëtan Razafindratandra[fr] who passed away last Saturday[fr]. Compared to the (total) one we had on June 21 2001, there wasn’t much buzz. In an interview on Allafrica a responsible of the Astronomic Observatory of Ankadiefajoro said people are more focused on other things and this one isn’t total thus doesn’t attract much attention.

Partial eclipse in Madagascar - January 15, 2010 by @irindra

This is a photo taken by @irindra who said he got help from friends and then sent on twitpic. This is my second eclipse and even if I was still young in 2001 I can say that they way we lived this 2010 one was quieter though the same uncertainty upon ”should we put on special glasses to watch it” was still on people’s mind. A famous entertainer even said on radio he burnt a plate with a candle and used it. For my case, my friends and I just took a photographic film, you know the one we use at hospitals for radiography. And it worked fine. If you didn’t look up in the sky today you wouldn’t have noticed this eclipse. This is to say it did have visible effects on the light and stuff. It looked like any normal day.

Malagasy Oldies Songs

I’m probably getting old. In a sketch by a well know french humorist, Gad Elmaleh, he said that the symptom of “getting old” is when you listen to old songs and say “That is real music.” I agree. I like oldies songs and especially Malagasy ones. I remember the time when we had only one TV station, the TVM, that broadcasted music videos. I found it so boring at the time. They looped the same songs. It was only a couple of decades later that I started to (really) appreciate them. They have become like wine, time got them better. I’ve tried to look for some on video sharing websites and here is what I found. Enjoy

Mireille – Izy irery

This song must be familiar to your ears. Isn’t it? I can’t date when this song was released, whether it’s among the tens of  Without You’s covers or not. When I asked people they couldn’t either say something sure. Her name is Mireille and was among the Malagasy Stars back in her time. Now, as far as I know, she’s singing christian songs. BTW, sorry for the bad quality of the video.

Feon’ala – akory aby andreo

Produced and founded by Charles Maurin Pôty, the band knew a huge fame in the 80s but has found a way to stay in the spot light over the years till today. Their last official album was Betina (with a hit of the same title) in 2000 (I’m not sure of this year). Two partcipants of the last reallity show “Pazzapa” were said to release another album[fr] last year but I don’t know if they did.

Ejema – Djarina Banou

A sweet ballad from their album Makoa Mena.

Sakelidalana – Voahangy

They mainly use traditional instruments plus guitars in their songs. The kind of music they play is called “bà gasy” which means “Malagasy rythm” but is mostly found in the capital city. The song is old but the video is not.

Jean Rigo – Namana

Kaiamba[fr], a rythm that was born towards the 70s from the costal regions of Madagascar. It started to come back early in 2001-2 and has known frank success till now.

Jeneraly – Ilay vehivaviko

A Malagasy rock band that knew its piece of glory. Their songs are  still often performed during cabarets or in karaokes. The real title of this song is “Na dia izany aza” but most of us know it as “Ilay vehivaviko”.

Music in general plays an important role in people’s identity and culture. Oldies are part of cultural legacy, they are traces left by artists who marked their times with their arts. In 20 or 30 years, I hope these songs won’t be forgotten and the future generation will still enjoy listening to them.

Shit Happens

I’m a husband and a father of two kids. Both of them are still in primary school. I used to be in charge of a small team in a big printing house. It wasn’t really well paid but it could fulfil the family’s needs. I could send my kids to school, buy them clothes and feed them. We had a simple life but there was nothing to complain about as far as basic needs were concerned.

By October, last year, I was given the opportunity to take a better position in another printing company. With a much better pay. It was a hard decision to take because I’d been in the company for quite a while now and when they were aware that I was leaving they tried to convince me to stay by promoting me. But I wanted change. I wanted something new. Eventualy, I decided to leave.

My first month in the new company was great. My salary was 3 times more than what I used to earn. And this could bring a certain happiness to my wife and my kids. We were able to change a little bit our habits on food, clothes and outings. Driven by this excitation, I asked my wife – she works in free zone manufacturer – to quit her job. I said to her that my salary would be more than enough for us. But she refused – and God knows how much I thank him she did not. The second month (December) went well, better than the first one even. At the time I had never start to think this would crash in a blink of an eye. My dream of a better life that had started to take shape turned into ashes when the looting and burning of TIKO Group related buildings started. January ended and I never got to see my salary.

With the hope that everything would settle by themselves, I waited. Sticking on my TV and radio set listening to each single piece of news. But it hasn’t. Things got worse and worse. I had a proposal from my former boss to come back but this pride, my pride pushed to me decline the offer. For two or three months, I had to manage to find money to make ends meet. It was hard as hell. The saying “You look for today what you’ll eat today” started to had a full sense to me. I was living it. I went to a uncle of mine to borrow some money and promised him I’d give it back as soon as possible. And I really wanted to keep my words but two months after my wife was robbed in a bus with a-month salary in her bag. I was hopeless, the little that I thought would help us was taken away from us.

Few days after, I made up my mind to start a little movie projection in my yard, so I could have people pay to watch movies. I went to the Fokontany to know what are the administrative papers I need to do to be able to set up this business. As of today, I’m still doing this business. Even though, we’ve been obliged to tighten our belts more than before, I find myself luckier than some of my workmates. I had to find other ways to get money because of Christmas and what it means to my kids (especially). No matter what is happening, I think they deserve to celebrate it as any other kids.

I don’t know what 2010 will bring us. The way things are going doesn’t tell me much about positive things that may happen. My boss told me that the company will be back soon but so far it has not been the case. And I’m tired of waiting and hoping.

This post is based on a true story that is happening to a close relative. What I’m worried about now is the consequence of  the AGOA’s end on his wife’s job and the effect it will have on his family.