Author Archives: Nils Eric Larson

Madagascar is a land of great diversity and breathtaking views!

Beauty and art can take make forms. Throughout Africa there are marvelous and picturesque locations where fabulous waterfalls or animals roam. It is a country full of rich wildlife and many diverse ecosystems. Biodiversity is a very common theme across Africa; from sprawling deserts to dense covering forest it is hard to imagine a more diverse area. Of the many areas that Africa provides, none is greater or more diverse than Madagascar. From highlands to low lands, Madagascar has some of the most beautiful landscape, wildlife and many more interesting biodiversity in the entire continent of Africa. Madagascar provides scenic views and a glimpse into the many different types of species that exist in Africa and across the globe.

With many different types of regions to choose from it is hard to imagine a world where so many unique animals and scenery are available. Luckily Madagascar has been blessed with so many different types of creatures and diverse landscapes to keep you guessing. One of the many features is it diverse landscape. The ever-changing landscape, sweeps from low wetlands to high plateaus that dominate the central regions. Due to this change many great rivers and lakes form within Madagascar, cutting through the land. These great rivers and basins contribute to the excellent soil that is present in Africa. These soils are rich and often red colored, giving Madagascar the nickname of “The Great Red Land”. Trade winds provide different climates for Madagascar. In the south it is predominately arid region that lacks sufficient water. As you move north and further inland it become a tropical region with rich and diverse wildlife.

The isolation of Madagascar has made for a diverse and unique ecosystem. First the large mammals of mainland Africa do not exist on the island of Madagascar. There were signs of diverse large wildlife, but since the arrival of humans, the large wildlife has ceased to become. But some wildlife that is missing is not large. Many venomous snakes are not present on the island of Madagascar, this shows the effects of isolationism has had on the island. Traveler’s trees, which hold an abundance of water in its trunk, are found on the island of Madagascar but not on the homeland. Consequently there are many species of animals, reptiles, and fish that are endemic, or unique to the island and the region. This contributes to the great beauty of Africa, which is a defining feature of the country, region and continent.

I believe that the beauty of African and particularly Madagascar makes for a positive in the continent. If you have a beautiful country then you will attract many people to visit your country, which will help other businesses and different areas around the country. Many positives can come from a beautiful landscape. With such a diverse region, national parks can be opened up to protect these lands and the animals that roam them. Beauty of Africa though has developed a stereotype in the land. Many people see the beauty of the land and attribute that to the low income and underdevelopment of the continent. They say that because we see the beauty of Africa the country must not have anything else to point at. Other continents such as Europe are beautiful, but are beautiful due to the architecture and the sprawling wine lands that it has. Africa though has a natural beauty that is not found anywhere else. Seeing wildlife and fauna interact with each other is a unique experience. I believe that these factors make Africa’s beauty on par or greater than the beauty seen in other areas of the world that are more popular and seen in a greater light.

Madagascar, a thriving land with rich history and many breathtaking features. A history though that contains a period of slavery and rebellion. Ever since the slave trade took over the West African cost it spread quickly. Madagascar was not fortunate enough to avoid the dreaded institution and was affected. An estimated 500,000 slaves were on the island of Madagascar and many of them performed hard and tenuous labor for their masters and owners. The slaves were finally freed in 1896 and ultimately moved on. Throughout the time of French colonization, improvements were made in country, but eventually tensions rose. During the Second World War, French control of Madagascar diminished, and eventually an uprising occurred.

Pro independent figures began to rise in the 1940’s, and they supported an independent Madagascar and a new republic government. Many figures rose to support the new movement, some of these figures include Jacques Rabemananjara and Monja Jaona. Both of these people had a distinctive impact on the movement towards independence and had a wealthy life afterwards as well.

Monja Jaona was a leader of the Mouvement democratique de la renovation malgache in 1946. The party, know as the MDRM, was also lead by Joseph Ravoahangy and Joseph Raseta, as well as Jacques Rabemananajara. These men influence many people to believe in independence from France. The party’s goal was built on political legitimacy to be the basis to liberate Madagascar, but ultimately was brought to violence. Due to Madagascar’s want for independence, French authority felt it was taking a blow in the international politics. The prestige of the country felt violated and more aggressive actions to take down the party were enacted. French authorities took action against the Malagasy movement, and radical movements were taken by the MDRM. During early 1947 to late 1948, the MDRM leaders tried to calm supporters but their efforts were in vain. French plantations and military bases were assaulted and nationalist fighters emerged in the area. The French military responded quickly and executed brutal tactics to fight back. Monja Jaona was not killed, but major leaders of the party were tried and slain for their roles. Jaona survived imprisonment and lead radical new people from the south in 1958 to the MONIMA party, which had a significant impact on policies once Madagascar gained freedom in 1960

Jacques Rabemananjara was one of the most influential writers in the history of Madagascar and Africa as a whole. His writings of negritude are considered one of the best in history. Negritude was a writing that encouraged a black identity and rejected French colonial racism. Jacques was the first negritude poet to have his work published. Jacques was very involved with writings for political freedom of Madagascar, though the MDRM party, and wrote many of bills that were submitted to French rulers. Though he was jailed for his leadership role in this, Jacques continued to write poetry and influence members of the community. After the second military revolution in Madagascar in 1972, Jacques exiled himself from the country for 20 years. His poems are still felt and read today in schools across the country.

The colonization period of the world marked a turning point in culture and the demographics of regions. Conquerors are often glorified for their performance in battle and of gaining land for their respected countries. Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain and other countries all had claims in Africa and the newly discovered Americas. This new influx of rulers and customs had a distinct impact on the future of those lands. New rulers and settlements began to arise and old traditions and natives were driven out. Replacing entire centuries worth of religions, beliefs, and overall ownership of the land, the new colonies in the new world and Africa left their mark on the land and the globe. Furthering the development of this new expansion was the influence of new products and economic opportunities that presented themselves. Sugar cane field in the Caribbean islands and tobacco and cotton production in the antebellum drove the need for labor that was abundant and cheap. This drove owners of large plantations to desire the need of slaves. Slave trade became integral in both African colonization and the new world colonization, and is directly responsible for the change in the views of treatment of people.

            The colonization of both Africa and the new world do provide some similarities to each other. First, many European nations had claims in both territories. The Dutch in what is modern day New York, English in the majority of the coast, and the Spanish in Florida and more western areas. The French had claim in modern day Canada and main lands were disputed against. Eventually the Dutch gave up their land and the English claimed it. These were not the only areas, as the Caribbean islands were claimed by all nations, majority of which were Spanish and Portuguese, while South America was vastly Portuguese and Spanish with a little French and Dutch claim. Africa on the other hand was majority French and English owned. France laid claim to the greater part of the Northwest and Britain to the Northeast. Nations such as Germany, Belgium, and Spain all laid claims in central Africa as well, but did not own as much land. Another similarity was the participation in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade by these nations. Since the need of labor grew, indigenous African were taken and sold to traders for goods or monetary value. Conditions of the ships that were used were vastly gross and vile, and often contributed to the death of many Africans before they set foot on foreign land. The colonization of also was at a cost to the original people living there. The Indians in the new world and Africans in Africa both lost lands that they maintained for many years before the arrival of European nations.

Differences in the colonization periods begin with the fact that Africans had representatives through tribal leaders in some areas. In the colonization of the Americas, native tribes were pushed out and given no say in the new government that was provided. Also upon gaining freedom after the American Civil War, black slaves were not granted a nation upon which to form. Instead they had to adapt to a society that still saw them as inferior and work through stereotypes for many years to come. New nations were formed in the new world, but mostly by the European nations that claimed them, while African nations over time gained independence and are mostly ran by Africans. Despite this, newer nations in the new world have developed quicker than new nations formed in Africa.

Slavery is the number one reason for the massive growth and success of the new world. Technology change and innovation contributed, but I can argue that slavery above everything else allowed areas in North America to thrive quickly and prosper immensely. The ability to dehumanize one group or race of people, and to consistently keep them below society for hundreds of years is astounding. Through the capability of free labor that feared and obeyed its owners for decades, with only minimal uprising, directly contributed to the economic growth of the nation and its people.

Cotton production became so profitable that it was the main reason behind the defense of slavery and all of its wrongdoings. Plantation owners did not have to agree that it was moral but had to defend their profits that they were making through the struggle of a demoralized people and their ancestors. This profitable model was the primary reason for the succession of the Confederate States of America. States rights and other causes of the American Civil War all stem from the fact that the southern states all relied heavily on human property to be the catalysis for their success, and ultimately their failure.