Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
December. AREMA wins in most of the cities, apart from Antananarivo, in pro-
vincial elections. 70% of voters boycott the elections.
2000
May. Senate reopens after 29 years, completing the government framework
provided for in the 1992 constitution.
2001
December. First round of presidential elections. Marc Ravalomanana claims the
election was rigged and refuses to take part in a run-off. This leads to six months
of turmoil with two parallel governments.
2001
2002
July.
La Crise Politique
ends and Marc Ravalomanana becomes president.
At the 5th World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, President Ravaloman-
ana announces his intention to triple the protected areas of Madagascar by 2008.
2003
December. Marc Ravalomanana wins a second term in office. He announces the
Madagascar Action Plan (MAP).
2006
2009
March. Marc Ravalomanana toppled from power in a coup. Andry Rajoelina
appoints himself President of the 'High Transitional Authority'.
May. Andry Rajoelina announces plans to hold elections in November, later post-
poned until mid-2011.
2010
THE ORDEAL OF TANGENA
Hilary Bradt
James Hastie, royal tutor in 1817, described one of the more barbaric tortures that
King Radama I was using on his subjects: the Ordeal of Tangena.
Tangena
is a Mala-
gasyshrubwithapoisonousfruit.Thispoisonwasusedtodeterminetheguiltorinno-
cenceofasuspectedcriminal.A'meal'consistingofthreepiecesofchickenskin,rice
and the crushed
tangena
kernel was prepared. The suspect was then forced to drink
large quantities of water to induce vomiting. If all three pieces of chicken skin reap-
pearedthepersonwasinnocent(butoftendiedanywayasaresultofthepoison).Ifthe
skin remained in the stomach the unfortunate suspect was killed, usually after limbs,
or bits of limbs and other extremities, had been lopped off first.
One of the successes of Hastie's influence on the king was that the monarch agreed
that, although the Ordeal of Tangena should continue, dogs could stand in for the ac-
cused. This decision was ignored by Queen Ranavalona who used it freely on the
Christian martyrs she persecuted with such enthusiasm. Sir Mervyn Brown estimates
that several thousand Malagasy met their deaths through the
tangena
shrub during
Queen Ranavalona's long reign.
The Ordeal of Tangena was finally abolished by King Radama II in 1861.
