Why do madagascar speak french

Elections went ahead in late and Rajaonarimampianina won, having spent eye-watering sums — thought to have come from the sale of vast quantities of illegally logged rosewood timber to China — on campaigning. He assumed the presidency in January , with Rajoelina subsequently declaring his intention to run for president in the future. Ceremonial lamba can be made of silk or cow hide, but everyday ones are more likely to be cotton, bast or raffia pig skin.

Malagasy people are extremely hospitable and welcoming with a refreshingly open communicative style that can sometimes border on direct. A handshake is the usual form of of greeting between strangers meeting for the first time. If meeting a friend then three kisses on the cheek is fine.

Arrangements and meetings can suffer as a result of a relaxed attitude to clock-watching. Dress is casual, except for posh hotels and restaurants where lightweight suits are advised.

Note that military-style clothing should always be avoided, as wearing it can lead to arrest. Restaurants and bars are used for entertaining, with invitations to a family home requiring a good degree of personal acquaintance. An invitation to attend a special celebration is a great honour. Acts of kindness should be rewarded with a gift, but never money. Respect should be afforded to the many local taboos fady of the Malagasy — these are various behaviours that you shouldn't do.

The varieties are mostly mutually intelligible with one another, but are different enough to not be considered exactly the same. The standard variety is known as Merina Malagasy, understood by the speakers of the other dialects. There are about 18 million people who speak Malagasy to some degree today. The French language came to the island with the tide of European colonialism that swept over so much of the African continent and other parts of the world in the era of imperialism.

Today, French is a de jure official language because it was reaffirmed as such in the constitution, whereas Malagasy is considered a de facto official language, along with its designation as a national language in the same document. French and Malagasy are the official languages in the Indian Ocean Island. However, the local Malagasy language is much more widely spoken in the streets and at home. And English is fast becoming the foreign language of choice.

The concern among academics is that if people's level of French declines so will standards in academia on the island. The corridors of the department for French and Francophone studies at the University of Antananarivo are buzzing with students. The head of department, Samuel Razasiarison, says that young Malagasy only speak French during classes.

He attributes the drop in the levels of French among young people to the country's political instability. When it comes to school education, there is no stability. President Didier Ratsiraka launched the policy of "malgachisation" at the end of the s until the mid 80s, which made Malagasy the language of instruction in schools and French a foreign language.