Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Travellers venturing well off the beaten path will want to do
their utmost to avoid offending the local people, who are usually extremely warm and hos-
pitable.
Unfortunately,withthemany
fady
prohibitionsandbeliefsvaryingfromareatoareaand
village to village, it is impossible to know exactly how to behave, although outsiders are
exempt from the consequences of infringing a local
fady
.
Sometimes, in very remote areas, Malagasy will react in sheer terror at the sight of a
white person. This probably stems from their belief in
mpakafo
, the 'stealer of hearts'.
These pale-faced beings are said to wander around at night ripping out people's hearts. So
it is not surprising that rural Malagasy often do not like going out after dark - and it's a
problem if you are looking for a guide. In the southeast it is the
mpangalak'aty
, the 'taker
of the liver', who is feared. The adventurous
vazaha
is not helped by the fact that mothers
still threaten that 'If you don't go to bed, the
vazaha
will get you' to gain the obedience of
their children.
Villages are governed by the
fokonolona
, or People's Assembly. On arrival at a village
you should ask for the
président du fokontany
. Although traditionally this was the village
elder, these days it is more likely to be someone who speaks French - perhaps the school-
teacher. He will show you where you can sleep (sometimes a hut is kept free for guests,
sometimes someone will be moved out for you). You will usually be provided with a meal.
Now travellers have penetrated most rural areas, you may be expected to pay. Certainly
you should offer, and if the answer is vague, make a donation of an appropriate amount.
Philip Thomas, a social anthropologist who has conducted research in the rural southeast,
points out several ways that tourists may unwittingly cause offence. 'People should adopt
the common courtesy of greeting the Malagasy in their own language.
Salama, mana ho-
ana
and
veloma
are no more difficult to say than their French equivalents.
'
Vazaha
sometimes refuse food and hospitality, putting up tents and cooking their own
food.ButinofferingyouaplacetosleepandfoodtoeattheMalagasyareshowingyouthe
kindness they extend to any visitor or stranger, and to refuse is a rejection of their hospit-
ality and sense of humanity. You may think you are inconveniencing them, and this is true,
buttheywouldpreferthatthanifyoukeeptoyourselvesasthoughyouwerenotpeople(in
thewidestsense)likethem.Itmayannoyyouthatitisvirtuallyimpossibletogetamoment
away from the gaze of the Malagasy, but you are there to look at them and their activities
anyway, so why should there not be a mutual exchange? Besides, you are far more fascin-
ating to them than they are to you, for their view of the world is not one shaped by mass
education and access to international images supplied by television.
TREAD SOFTLY
Alasdair Harris, Blue Ventures
