‘Til We Meet Again
Madagascar is a country full of children as shown by this demographic table.
The kids we have come across are truly adorable— prison kids, street kids, healthy family kids. I came across these two ragmuffins singing for their livelihood when they should be in school, a modern day Dickensian dystopia. Does one weep? Or smile and give them some money? Or both?
Madagascar is overflowing with awfulness and wonderfulness, blending together complex flavors of sweet mangoes and biting chilies, vanilla and cloves drying in the sun and the stench of sewage. A beautiful, ugly, happy, sad, corrupt, honest, hopeless, hopeful island of ordinary, and magnificent people. When I left this time, my soul was hurting and I was so ready to get on that plane. The next day, I wanted to book our return ticket and fly right back to the country I love.
Working in these sub-human horrific prisons, and at the same time falling in love with this island and its people feels like Doctor Doolittle’s “Push-me Pull-you”, yanking my emotions from right to left and up to down, messing with my head.
This last video is also laden with complicated emotions- street musicians smiling while singing “Tsy Manana … Malahelo” meaning,
“We don’t have much…that’s sad”.
The lyrics begin with the 1947 uprising against the French when 30,000 Malagasy rebels were tortured and killed. They then turn to the present state of poverty, the price of rice and the lack of opportunity for young people. So is their message the depressing “malahelo” or is it their heart-warming smiles?
When I left the Island this time, I felt both “malahelo” and the incredible warmth of the people with whom I had spent so many intimate moments. The saddest goodbye was to my dear friend and colleague Hanitra. People ask how I kept sane in this insane prison system. Much of the credit goes to my dear partner Hanitra. We laughed till we cried and cried till we laughed. We took care of each other.
“Tahin’ Andriamanitra, ry Hanitra. Mandrapihaona….God be with you ‘til we meet again.”
