“Freedom isn’t free” (various artists sing song) is the one quote that describes the hardship and difficulties that Madagascar has experienced, since the 7th Century all the way until their independence in June of 1960 Madagascar and its people have been in constant turmoil. Through its eventful past it is easy to see how Madagascar gained its history, culture, and religion, this is the identity that the country has shifted to over this vast amount of time.
Archeologists such as Jarred Diamond, the author of “Guns, Germs, and Steel”, place the first humans in Madagascar as the Austronesian people from Indonesia around 500BC. It is believed that the Malagasy people came directly from Indonesia to Madagascar; this is evident through the many similarities in materials used for cloths and the distinct out rigger canoe that both people used. Jared Diamond writes this: “These Austronesians, with their Austronesian language and modified Austronesian culture, were already established on Madagascar by the time it was first visited by Europeans, in 1500. This strikes me as the single most astonishing fact of human geography for the entire world. It’s as if Columbus, on reaching Cuba, had found it occupied by blue-eyed, blond-haired Scandinavians speaking a language close to Swedish, even though the nearby North American continent was inhabited by Native Americans speaking Amerindian languages. How on earth could prehistoric people from Borneo, presumably voyaging on boats without maps or compasses, end up in Madagascar?” (Diamond, Jared (2001) Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, New Edition. New York: W.W. Norton.)
The first European colonists came to Madagascar in the 1500’s when a Portuguese sailor Diogo Dias acci...
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... war the French continued their control of Madagascar, even through the Malagasy Revolt of 1947, which resulted in the bloody death of 80-90,000 Malagasy rebels. Several years after the Malagasy Revolt the French nationals started a movement toward an independent Madagascar. In 1959 the Malagasy Republic was formed from the ashes of a broken country and in June of 1960 the Malagasy Republic was given its full independence as a self-governing state of the French community.
Madagascar has had a rough and beaten path to its freedom and overall independence. This path to freedom took hundreds of years and too much blood, but like most free countries it was all worth it in the end because freedom is not free after all. Through all this history and conflict Madagascar has developed its own identity and with that identity has earned its place in this world today.
Throughout the French’s control of Madagascar there were several rebellions with at least 15,000 natives killed altogether. The first native rebellion lasted from 1894 until 1896 when a high government official organized a resistance to the French which ended with the French exiling the queen and gaining complete power over the nation. The second was in 1916 when the French uncovered a secret nationalist society that was outlawed and hundreds of its members were taken prisoner. The largest revolt was in 1947 and lasted nearly two years. This was a major uprising against the French, who crushed the rebellion, killing between 11,000 and 80,000 Malagasy (according to different estimates).
In October of 1492, when Christopher Columbus stepped foot on the Island of Bahamas thinking it was Asia he was instantly greeted by the Arawak’s who came barring gifts, food and water.
According to the Collins Dictionary, “freedom” is defined as “the state of being allowed to do what you want to do”(“freedom”). The definition of freedom is simple, but make yourself free is not easy. Concerning about some common cases which will take away your freedom, such as a time-cost high education attainment. In this essay, I shall persuade that everyone should try his or her best to insist on pursuing freedom. For the individual, it appears that only if you have your personal freedom, can you have a dream; for a country, it seems that only if the country is free, can the country develop; for mankind, it looks like that only if people has their own pursuit of freedom, can their thoughts evolve.
On January 1, 1804, the country of Haiti formally declared independence from the French colonial powers. This newfound state of freedom was born as a result of the Haitian revolution (1791–1804), a movement that was primarily lead by the former slave and prominent leader, Toussaint L’Overture. Due to the successful nature of this slave revolt, the nation of Haiti became a huge inspiration for surrounding colonies – becoming the second former European colony in the New World that was able to achieve independence. Despite the hard-won efforts of the oppressed, political stability within the country quickly unravelled as the national identity formed during the revolution deteriorated under rising conflict between mulattoes and blacks.
4. In 1830 Algeria became a French territory and in 1848 was made a département attached to France . During this period political and economic power were held mainly by the minority of white settlers, and the indigenous Moslem minority did not have equal rights. Moslems were killed before independence was declared on July 5, 1962. Later that year the Algerian provisional government transferred authority to the Poli...
There was Haitian Slave Revolt in the later 1700s. They kept fighting against Spanish and European who controlled of the island. Later, Haiti declared of independence on 1804, and France recognized Haitian independence in 1825. After that, the United States troops occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934. Finally, in 1994, the United States troops removed from Haiti.
I have lived in two different worlds, one of deprivation and oppression, the other of abundance and choice. In moving from the former to the latter, I have come to fully comprehend the value of freedom.
A fifty-thousand French force of experienced soldiers arrives on the shores of Saint-Domingue. Not ready to give up their freedom and return to their previous servitude, the Africans of the colony defend themselves. Assisted by yellow fever and other diseases, they are a force to be trifled with. By November of the following year, the French surrender and within three months Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares independence from France and the new nation of Haiti is created. Frederick Douglass attributes their great success to the Negros themselves and their manhood, courage, and military skill in his Lecture on Haiti in 1893. He even solidifies these claims by pointing out how their intelligence and bravery has conserved their independence since 1804, almost ninety years prior to his lecture. By this time, Haiti has been around for almost a century and her supporters and opponents debate whether the Haitian revolution was a success or not. The citizens are labeled as lazy and superstitious, stereotyped in that neat little box with no room for movement. Douglass agrees that they can be a bit lazy and are ignorant, but they are not simple idle at all times. By this time, Haiti prospers on a coffee economy and continue to import and export goods from within her borders. Its important to recognize that this nation and its citizens were the first to fight and win their emancipation. The slave revolution in the former French colony of Saint-Domingue was a historic event that brought about universal liberties as other nations followed suit. In solidarity the slaves took up arms and fought until their chains broken. This should vindicate Haiti, at least in the eyes of Douglass. He believes that even though she has not yet met her full potential, she will become a
...thought the war was over and the Haitians were going to throw in the towel but they rallied together under Dessalines to win their freedom from France and become the second colony ever to become an independent nation. The Haitians beat the French proving that a revolution can be done to people and winning their freedom.
Middleton, Karen. "Who killed 'Malagasy Cactus'? Science, environment and colonialism in southern Madagascar (1924-1930)." Journal of Southern African Studies; Oxford. June 1999: 215-248.
Madagascar’s cuisine can be clearly marked by its sheer simplicity. The food is prepared without too many spices, but the lack of spices does not make the food dull and bland. Cuisines of France, China, India and also East African and Arabian cultures have all made their influence felt in Madagascar. The traditional cuisine of Madagascar consists mainly of rice. The rice is called “Vary” and it is typically eaten with some accompaniment, which is called the “Laoka”. As you move down the country towards the southwest regions, you will get to eat rice that may be supplemented or replaced by ground maize. However rice is the main diet of the natives, and is available in bounty. The native people have become very resourceful in developing huge numbers of scrumptious preparations with this one simple grain.
...e slave revolution also caused a complicated relationship between Haiti and France, as well as the abolition of slavery. In the end the slaves gained their freedom and wrote a constitution of their own. The revolution is the symbol of Haiti’s freedom, independence, and the slaves struggle to gain the equality they rightfully deserved.
Europeans came into contact with the Caribbean after Columbus's momentous journeys in 1492, 1496 and 1498. The desire for expansion and trade led to the settlement of the colonies. The indigenous peoples, according to our sources mostly peaceful Tainos and warlike Caribs, proved to be unsuitable for slave labour in the newly formed plantations, and they were quickly and brutally decimated. The descendants of this once thriving community can now only be found in Guiana and Trinidad.
The island was first discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1494 and became a colony of Spain in 1509. They founded the town now known as Spanish Town and it was the capital of the island until the 1800s. Under the Spanish, the native Arawak Indians died out because of slavery and disease, and Africans were brought in to work in their place. The Spanish ruled the country until 1655 when Sir William Penn of the British captured the colony by force. It was later tuned over legally under the Treaty of Madrid in 1670(Jamaica).
Over the past fifty six years, the human population of Madagascar has increased. The main factor that has affected their growth is a density dependant factor of increased birth rate. The population of young people is far larger than the population of elderly. This is because there is a lack of reproductive health education and because the infant mortality rate has decreased by 36 percent. This has caused the population to grow by 20 million in the last fifty six years. However, due to the poverty and lack of resources, the population could begin to decrease. In Madagascar, cattle represents wealth, but now there is too much cattle for the amount of land accessible, so the grazing is causing the island to erode. There is also a lot of deforestation