By:Kyle Hesse

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Religion

• 55 percent of the population abides by the traditional beliefs, 40 percent are Christians and the remaining 5 percent of the population are Muslims.

http://www.mapsofworld.com/madagascar/society-and-culture/religion.html

A lot of customs involve the dead

http://atheism.about.com/library/world/KZ/bl_MadagascarReligion.htm

Religion

• Traditional beliefs• Pay a lot of

attention to their dead

• The dead are sometimes described as "gods on earth”

Christianity•Christians have their dead blessed at a church before burying them •Some Malagasy Christians will even say that the dead have become Christians themselves and continue to be the arbiters of right and wrong

Holidays

http://www.marktheday.com/nationholidays/madagascar.aspx

The first of January is New Year's Day. Memorial Day is celebrated 29 March for those who died in the French Malagasy War of 1949. International Women's Day, when women are honored for their contributions, is 30 March. The third Thursday in May is Labor Day, an important holiday for workers. The unity of the Organization of United African Countries is celebrated on 25 May. Madagascar's independence from France in 1960 is celebrated on 26 June. The Celebration of the Dead is held on 1 November and is a day devoted to ancestors and their burial grounds that can involve the building of elaborate tombs. The Anniversary of the II Republic, which began in 1975, is celebrated on 30 December.

Famadinkina

• -honor the dead and throw a party, dance with deceased family members’ bones and then wrap them up again and bury them again.

Customs• Burial tombs are a prominent feature of the landscape• The ceremony of famadihana is an opportunity to

reaffirm one's link with ancestors. Sometimes after many years of planning, the bones are removed from the tomb, wrapped in a new shroud, and transferred to the ancestral tomb. At that time the family decides whether to place the bones in the tomb of the mother or the father depending on group allegiance regarding descent.

http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Madagascar.html

Customs

pork is taboo in many parts of Madagascar

custom

a prejudice (especially in Polynesia and other South Pacific islands) that prohibits the use or mention of something because of its sacred nature

Customs

• Ancestral spirits are regarded as intermediaries between the living and either of the two supreme gods. The dead are viewed as having the power to affect the lives of the living. They are considered the most important members of the family, influencing lives on a day-to-day basis. Razana (ancestors) are the pulse of the life force and the creators of customs ( fomba ).

• Ancestral tombs are considered sacred places— particularly royal tombs. In the northwest, as elsewhere in the country, sacred places are abundant. Most villages have a sacred tree or other sacred place nearby

Food

http://world-food-and-wine.com/food-in-madagascar

•Malagasy cuisine blends the influences of the Arabic, Chinese, French, African and Indian cultures present in Madagascar• A bowl of rice on its own is considered a perfectly suitable meal •Zebu cattle are the main source for the meat consumed •Chicken or goat is also standard fare and you will find chicken curry readily available. Pork meat is available but eating pork is taboo in many parts of Madagascar

Cuisine

• Serve meals on a mat floor• Everything is put down at same time,

western influence is strong on it• No snacks, hors d’oeurves, cocktails

• As it happens in most of the African territory, meals in Madagascar consist of less meat, more whole grain cereals and beans, and lots, lots, lots more fresh fruits and vegetables than

Western meals

Technology

• Radio-monopoly of the state• TV-monopoly of the state• Are very resourceful- more of a bartering system• Cell phones- cell tell and orange are very big cell phone

companies in Madagascar• They use a lot of credit on phones like for minutes

Economic issues

• Poor and humble

• No market diversification, everybody sells the same thing

• Inflation-devaluation of money

• Looting of stores

politicsRatsiraka…to… Marc

Ravolamanana…to…Dictator Andry

politics

Have a French influenced government. Have ministers like say “The minister of Defense”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Africa

• Ethnic tensions in Madagascar often produce violent conflict between the highlanders and coastal peoples. The Merina people in particular are often the targets of violence especially during political campaigns to elect a new president

Technology

• Radio is the monopoly of the state

• TV is a monopoly of the state

Technology

• Resourceful- more bartering

• Cell phones: cell tell, orange- there is a lot of credit

Economic issues

• Are poor and humble• No market diversification, everyone sells pretty

much the same thing• Inflation• looting

History

• Indonesians migrated to island in about 700

• In 1787-1810 King Andrianampoinimerina ruled the major kingdom on the island

• In 1885 the French made the island a protectorate (kind of a colony)

• In 1894-1895, they ended the monarchy, exiling Queen Rinavalona III

• In World War II, the British occupied Madagascar, which retained ties to Vichy France

• Now are scrambling for a standing political leader.