Liebster Blog Award with besorongola

First of all, I would like to thank Lalah Ariniaina  for nominating my blog for the Liebster Blog Award. I really apreciate it, Thank you so  much. 
These are the rules for accepting Liebster Award are:
1) Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you(done).
2)List 11 random facts about yourself.
3)Answer the 11 questions from the nominator.
4) Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be
noticed
5) Create 11 questions for your nominees.
6) Leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.
Copy and Paste the blog award on your blog.
Here we go…
11 Random Facts about myself:
- I enjoy watching horor and drama movies;
- I love my job as a lawyer;
- I have 1 tattoo;
- Rugby is my favorite sport;
- I love eating food with my friends;
- I don’t go to church too much;
- I’m not against same sex marriage;
- I like photography but i don’t have a good camera;
- My ex-girlfirend made my cry few years ago;
- I listen to RAP music when I’m bored;
- I love my country(Madagascar)
Here are Ampela Miblaogy’s questions that I have replied:
1) Why do you blog?
My friend taught me about blogging. Then I started my blog on 2009.
2)About what subject you write in your blog ? I don’t write too much in my blog but i post pictures( poverty, children,…). But sometimes, i write about the things I see in my daily life.
3) What are my benefitsof blogging?
I confimr that since i started blogging,I become a better writer(cuz I need writting for my job). For me, blogging is a great way to meet people.
4)What is the reason for your last laugh?
I was I was laughing whan I saw tha name of Andry Rajoelina on the list(presidential candidates) published by the CES. However, he has already agreed not to be a candidate for the coming election
5) What is your wildest dream?
I have so many dreams…
6) If tomorrow was your last day what would you do?
I would spend it with my family pray a lot
7) Fighting for a good cause:
Ending poverty
8) What changes can you make to your country(the world)?
As a young malagasy, I am trying to do manny things for others(poor people)
9) Who is the person who inspires you the most?
mhhhhhh, let’s say 2 PAC! cuz i think that his songs are meaninful(Dear Mama, Keep your head up,…)! I mean his music comes from his heart.
10) What is the biggest shame of your life?
I cheated at shcool…
11)Things that make me mad:
As a human being,I usually get angry for many cases but the thing which make me really angry is when someone blames to other in absence of the person.
These are my nominations for the Liebster Award:
- DADANDRY
- DIANA
- TAHINA
- VANESSA
- Avy Lavitra
- VOLANA
- VAHINALA
- MANDIMBY
- ZAZAGASY
- JENTLISA
- TONY RAKOTO

These are my 11 Questions for all the above nominees:

1) Why do you blog?
2) What you don’t like in blogging?
3) How did blogging help you?
4) What is your purpose for your life?
5) If you could change the world, where would you start?
6) Do you have a special talent?
7) Who inspires you?
8) what is your favorite quote?
9) What kind of music do you like?
10) What is your most favourite social media tool, and why?
11) If you could be anyone you wanted to be, who would you choose and why?
Congratulations once again to all the nominees and thanks to Lalah Ariniana

MADAGAslam

Have you ever heard of slam poetry before? Last Saturday, I attended a “slam poetry contest” with some friends. In fact, on Saturday 02^nd the IFM (French Institute of Madagascar) hosted a slam competition where young Malagasy slammers competed for a place to the “International slam poetry championship” which will take place in France. This competition was organized by the association of Malagasy slammers MADAGASLAM.

After the event, I met some members of MADAGASLAM and asked them more details about “slam poetry”. Here is the quick interview with GAB (member of MADAGASLAM)

BESORONGOLA: What is slam poetry?

GAB: Slam-poetry is a form of competitive performance poetry  created by an American named Marc Smith in the beginning of the 80’s; it’s like an “open mic session” in which participants offer works no longer than three minutes and are judged by picked audience members.  The poems are presented to the audience one after another by their authors

BESORONGOLA: What are the basic rules for poetry slam?

 GAB: The poetry slam has two main rules:

-          Each poem must be of the poet’s own construction;

-          Each slammer gets three minutes to read his/her poem.

 

BESORONGOLA: Do I need to be a poet or a slammer to attend a poetry slam contest?

GAB: To attend a slam poetry contest, you must know the rules, you must have your own poem or text and you must be “fair play” (lol) PS: one of slam vision is to let people express what need to be expressed and to promote poetry outside the “academical system”, we want to allow the poem to jump from the page into people’s ears.  In Madagascar, we have our own literature culture ( Kabary, Hain-teny,..) which can be promoted through slam poetry vision. 

BESORONGOLA: Can you tell us more about MADAGASLAM? What is it exactly?

GAB: MADAGASLAM is an association which gathers the Malagasy slammers across Madagascar. Its president is Mômô. The goal of MADAGASLAM is to promote the slam movement in the country.  It was created after a slam workshop in 2005 with the initiative of some young Malagasy poets and and a foreign slammer named Pilote.  This workshop took place at the former CCAC which is known as IFM now.

BESORONGOLA: What advice do you have for young people who want to be poet slammer?

GAB:  Advice? Come and you will see… of course we will never be Dox(a famous Malagasy poet),the main point is to be heard… to take part to the poetical talk show which can change Malagasy youth’s vision and habits… and it’s free! You can join us every first Saturday of the month at IFM and every second Saturday of the month at CGM Analakely.   Please note also that, there are some irregular scenes or workshop that we organize in different places (schools, NGO…).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rugby is our passion

Thank you for stopping by to take a look on my blog. Today, I am going to talk about the love of rugby in our country (Madagascar). As a huge rugby fan, I like to watch rugby matches. Dp you know that rugby is the national sport in Madagascar after football? There are around 40,000 fans at the Mahamasina Stadium each time our national team (XV MAKI) plays, and we have more than 150 clubs now. According to some sources, the rugby game was introduced in Madagascar during the colonial period by foreign armies who played it in the city of Antananarivo. In Madagascar rugby is seen as a “violent pastime” of the poor people in the urban ghettos (Bas quartiers/ faritra iva) of Antananarivo. Consequently, these rugby players are ignored and mistrusted by the society. However, as I said before, rugby is very popular in Madagascar, it is our national sport. Every week end, the grassroots rugby (played by local clubs) take place in the MALACAM stadium.  Before this year (2013), Malacam was the only stadium of rugby in Madagascar. It was built in 1940 by the French railway engineers. But, on December 2012 a new rugby stadium named “Kianja Maki” (Maki stadium) was built by the Malagasy authorities in order to boost the rugby game in the country.

 

Despite poverty and lack of facilities, our national rugby team is among the best in Africa. According to non-official sources, we played our first international match in 1970 against Italy. We lost 9 points 17 at that time. After that, we played against the best nations in Africa such as South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Morocco, and Botswana. I would like to specify that our rugby players are very “small” compared to the international teams. Our bodyweight is around 75Kg. However, we have commitment when we play rugby and the crowd is always there to support our team. It means that for us, rugby is not only a sport or a game; it is our “passion”. As I said earlier, we love and play rugby despite the poverty and the lack of facilities.

To end this small post about “our love of rugby”, I want to say that this year(2013) is very important for the Malagasy rugby union. In fact, we will host Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda for the next stage for the 2015 rugby world cup qualification.

Children can be happy even though the are in poverty

 

 

 

Madagascar: Amnesty International issued a report on an operation launched by the military forces

Few months ago, the Malagasy military forces launched operation to capture Remenabila(chief of the dahalo thieves in the south of Madagascar). This operation has been criticized by many local and international organizations. In fact the operation commended by the Malagasy government in the south of Madagascar is qualified by many organizations as against the human rights; some independent media groups reported various violations of human rights during the operation. Yesterday November, 19^th 2012, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL issued a report on this operation. This report mentions different form of unlawful killings, destruction of schools,…

Madagascar must end mass killings and investigate security forces

Madagascar’s rampaging security forces must be brought under control in the south of the country, Amnesty International said after widespread state killings of civilians over cattle theft, and a failure to protect hundreds from mass communal murder.
Official sources have claimed that ongoing ‘Operation Tandroka’, which started in September, has seen 40 cattle thieves (dahalos) killed and 76 arrested in the southern region of Anosy. Cattle-rustling gangs reportedly killed 14 state security officers earlier in the year.

However, witnesses have told Amnesty International that elderly people, the physically disabled, children, and others unable to flee their homes were burned alive when security forces indiscriminately set fire to villages as part of the military operation.
“We are hearing of punishment and persecution of individuals and communities in the south which could amount to human rights abuses on an appalling scale,” said Christian Mukosa, Amnesty International’s Africa Programme Researcher, who has just returned from Madagascar.
“The government has to rein in its security forces and launch an independent investigation into these allegations.”
In one of the many raids on villages in September, security forces burned 95 homes in Elonty district, and killed at least 11 people including a six year old girl, witnesses say.
During the attacks, crops have been destroyed and at least one school has been razed. Officials claimed that only cannabis farms were destroyed by their forces.
Security forces have also extrajudicially executed suspects during the raids, Amnesty International has been told, including one physically disabled person in Numbi village in September, and the parents and wife of a high-profile suspect in Mahaly district in  October.
Forces involved in the alleged extrajudicial killings include the Special Intervention Forces.
At least 250 people have also been killed throughout the year around the southern town of Fort-Dauphin, in what the authorities describe as communal clashes sparked by cattle-thefts. Amnesty International fears the number could be far higher.
At least two witnesses told Amnesty International that authorities were informed about the imminence of an attack on one village by its neighbours in which at least 86 people were hacked to death by machetes, but did nothing to prevent it.
“Those responsible for these massive violations, including senior members of the security forces, must be brought to justice,” said Mukosa. “The government should call on the international community including the UN to help establish a truly independent investigation.”
The months of violence present serious concerns for the security of civilians in the region ahead of presidential elections planned for May 2013.

 

The Millennial generation

Yesterday morning, the US embassy in Madagascar organized a press conference at the Malagasy Press Center Antsakaviro. In fact, two American diplomats, Chantal Breton and Erick Atkins were invited to explain the involvement of the young Americans in the US elections. Chantal Breton explained to the audience about the “Millennial Generation”. According to this diplomat, “Millennial Generations” are those young Americans born between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s. She added that these new generations of Americans are different in many respects from the generations of their parents and grandparents. As a young Malagasy, I was curious to know how are these millennial generation different from their parents and grandparents? The speaker told us (the audience) that the millennial generation is well-educated, civically engaged and politically active. That’s why they are potential voters for the 2012 US election. They take part (as volunteers) to the presidential campaign; they talk to people, make phone calls, and convince undecided people to vote.  It has to be noted that apart from the discussion, the US embassy shared some brochures in which the millennial generation explain why they support various candidates and causes. I told to the speakers that the situation is completely different in Madagascar. In fact, I explained to them that the Malagasy citizens do not really care about politics. They are not campaigning for the candidates if they are not paid for that.  For some Malagasy citizens, the election campaign is an opportunity to get money from the candidates or the parties. There is one important thing that I have noticed during this press conference, young Americans are politically active and have influence on the way the government runs their country.

“Dahalo” is a language spoken by an ethnic group of Kenya. But in Madagascar, “Dahalo” means thieves

During the last three months, the Daholo(armed and organized groups of thieves)carried out violent attacks in the rural areas of Madagascar. They are threatening and attacking many villages in the southern part of Madagascar.During their attacks,they kill many persons and security forces. Some local sources say that the”dahalo” groups provide assault rifles and ammunition to all their members and  carry their guns openly.
But this morning, I saw on the internet that the word “dahalo” has a different meaning in Kenya. Dahalo is a lunguage spoken by a group of persons(named dahalo)in Kenya.  In fact,according to wikipedia, Dahalo is an endangered South Cushitic language spoken by at most 400 Dahalo people on the coast of Kenya, near the mouth of the Tana River. The Dahalo tribe has diminished almost to extinction, with its people living among the Swahili and other coastal tribes, but with no real communities or territory of their own. The language of the Dahalo is very unusual, and has clicking sounds seldom seen in spoken languages. Only around 400 people are still able to speak it, and it is unlikely that children are still being taught the Dahalo language of this Kenya tribe. According to Kenyabook  the Dahalo tribe has diminished almost to extinction, with its people living among the Swahili and other coastal tribes, but with no real communities or territory of their own.

Dahalo Tribe