Madagascar is not Africa
To give you all a clue about what it is like to be here, I have compiled a
list:
Why Madagascar is not Africa – Essential Differences to the African Context
as I have experienced it before
This is not my first time in Africa, and yes, you shouldn’t think that the
whole continent is the same. Still, I experienced more similarities between
the Arabic influenced refugee camps in Algeria and the places I visited in
Uganda than I do here. Malagasy people don’t consider themselves to be part
of Africa, maybe that is because the island is not connected with the
mainland or maybe it is due to lack of input from other African sources.
Anyhow, I have made a little list of the differences…feel free to give me
any feedback and draw your own conclusions.
1. There are traffic rules. There is no traffic chaos to speak of, not even
in Tana. Further on, there are traffic police in every other corner. Surely
keeps unemployment rates down, but also makes traffic way safer than I
usually experience it.
2. There is toilet paper on every toilet I’ve been to so far. And not just
toilet paper, it is soft too. Ok, it finishes as quickly as every other
African toilet paper, but I a still surprised to find paper on public
toilets too.
3. The buss traffic is organised. There a buss lines and buss stops in Tana
and you cannot jump onto a taxi-be whenever you want. The busses are still a
crowded as they are in other places; the passenger limit of 15 people is
never respected.
4. People wear motor cycle helmets! And the seat belts work. People rarely
use them, but they still work. Even in the backseat.
5. Street children and street hawkers don’t stick to assigned quarters. This
can lead to you being followed all the way from the store to your hotel, and
the person just don’t understand that you wont give him/her any money or buy
something. I once got into the situation of buying post cards…and the
salespersons just wouldn’t understand that 55 post cards are way enough for
me and that I don’t need anymore.
6. It is expensive. A room costs around 8 euros and internet is around 0.5
euros/minute.
7. It is cold. I have really been freezing the first week in Tana and the
nights here are almost just as cool. The days are as hot as you imagine them
to be, and it is getting spring and summer soon so the heat is coming, but
the nights are not African standard to me.
8. I haven’t seen any single person wearing a Leo DiCaprio T-shirt.
9. There is no Mirinda!
Of course, there are a lot of similarities too. Such as people always
playing old fashioned western songs (like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and
other singers), the food is good too (very spicy, which I like) and the
clothes style is about the same as in eastern Africa. Women are fabulous
balancers and carry whole wooden boxes on the head, people are generally
really friendly and help you out and I somehow get the feeling of being home
(not that I am sure in what context though).
Anyhow, let me know if you recognise anything or if I have missed something.