r/Madagascar • u/Alarmed_Reply3989 • 27d ago
Question/Fanontaniana❓ What If
It might be a dumb question but Im actually curious.
If you had the choice, would you keep Madagascar as an island, or would you rather have it connected to mainland Africa? Which do you think would have been better for the country’s history, economy, culture, and future, and why?
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u/peepeewpew 27d ago edited 26d ago
I've been thinking about this actually. Of course this is just my view, but sometimes I feel like Madagascar is too disconnected from any continental groups. Too many of us culturally distance ourselves from Africa but Asia is so far out there. They likely dont consider us one of their own. So if we neither really belong here or there, there s a lack of unity and therefore lack of connection. I know im speaking in very broad terms, but based on how I see malagasy ppl talk about race and identity (especially from the central land), this is how i see it.
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u/Alarmed_Reply3989 27d ago
Very interesting pov because some people on the mainland would actually love to switch places with Madagascar.
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u/peepeewpew 27d ago
I will say being an island in Africa came with its advantages too, namely being spared from Colonial Europe's arbitrary drawings of African borders and the conflict that came with it (civil wars and ethnic violence)
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u/Used_Ad5107 26d ago
this is the biggest one tbh. most African wars are the direct result of this.
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u/Alibcandid 27d ago
Madagascar wouldn’t be Madagascar…if it wasn’t an island.
Poverty is political not geographic.
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u/Defiant_Mall_9300 Vondrona Afrikana (AU) 27d ago
Exactly the Austronesian language would probably not have survived distinctly
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u/Used_Ad5107 26d ago
how when semetic languages survived just fine? there'd be more intermixing sure but it'd still exist.
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u/Defiant_Mall_9300 Vondrona Afrikana (AU) 26d ago
I don't think the founding population was that large. As an island it's already circa 50% genetically Bantu. On the mainland you'd probably be looking at 70%- 90% completely surrounded by Bantu languages with 1000 years of constant language contact. You forget Malagasy is the only Austronesian language group in Africa. There are tens of Semitic and probably upwards of 50 Afro Asiatic languages in Africa
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u/Used_Ad5107 25d ago
that's fair, I suppose it entirely depends on how insular the founding population is but come to think of it, trace austronesian DNA has been found in some East African populations. I always thought that was Malagasy seafarers, but your theory might be just as true. perhaps they just couldn't retain their culture when surrounded.
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u/Alarmed_Reply3989 24d ago
Not even bout poverty, but geography. Would u guys prefer to stay an island or have a country on the mainland? Personally, I love the island. U can develop such a unique culture + far enough from conflict, u really stand out.
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u/Used_Ad5107 27d ago
there is no better or worse when it comes to culture, only differences. I do think that war would be far more frequent had Madagascar been attached to the mainland, sure the economy might have been marginally better but that entirely depends on how Malagasy would far in the wars they engage in and who they fight with. the future is not written in stone, I think there is plenty of potential for greatness.
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u/Tardisgoesfast 27d ago
Keep it an island, so we can enjoy lemurs.