Try to describe this city without being too alarmist… well how about a “Pirate bay”?

I lived a couple of year on one of the island next door, this island is spoiled by European funds and always talks about Madagascar as poor, desperate, criminal (due to poverty) and some things there will never change.

My answer is see with your own eyes.

You can see see a well organised system with the exact same problems than any big cities: space, criminality, traffic, billboards everywhere…

Apparently there rules there.

The advise from the locals here are: don’t walk by yourself, mind your … everything.

Doing business, expect to be expelled once it works.

What positive part did I keep:

  • Lovely people when you get to meet them, generous and open.
  • Very well organised to cope with the services interruptions (water and electricity),
  • Very resilient and relax in general.
  • Everything is indeed cheap
  • Some nature wonders are preserved despite all.

Negative parts are indeed the letter D:

  • Disastrous environment, damaged by the thousand improvised industries
  • Desperate poverty to a point that giving even 1 euro will not help at all and make things worst
  • Dramatic situations where some children are even sent back to a state of wilderness because no one take care of them
  • Difference between social classes separated by barbwire because the proximity becomes an issue on such immense country
  • Disillusionments created by religious groups or cults or invading countries years after years to pump every valuables in exchange of hope.

I could list more, I’m in general not exactly optimistic here and I could be sorry but you imagine a context where you here extreme poverty and despite a record amount of help provided even before my parents where born, you still see this. It’s like it is an example set for the planet.

The one and only way to help is to make them work with a fair pay. This will force education and consciousness. But who wants that?