(foko) blog club

We’ll do our best to translate more posts from the Madness in March at FBC !

Pati Les jeunes de nos jours Youth these days
Who are they?
I think they’re human beings who don’t think themselves as children anymore but not ready to act as elders ! There is no age range to define who can be young and it’s up to us to see and sense who can be and who cannot!
What do they do ?
Nowadays , we all have the chance to attend the schools and do the studies we’ve always dreamed of!! Most of the students who received the Bacc go to universities or the private institutions in town. When they don’t study it’s is common to fin another occupation during the vacations and your free time at university. Therefore it is not surprising anymore to see us on the set of an advertisement or other activity ! Why all this? Maybe for the money, for fun or for entertainment and spare themselves from being bored at home. This is the definition of “Young and Cool”! We follow what the others do, we learn to become more independent in life but we never forget to study for our future! We musn’t forget the reasons why we’re doing all this! It doesn’t make us do what we’re asked because of your age and energy, but for me, being young includes “learning to live the best way”. I am not against those occupations but we must ” think before acting”. So be careful young people! We are the young of everyday but also of tomorrow so don’t make a bad start by wasting your future.
Lomelle : Slam for Life

My name is Lomelle I am 18 and in 2nd year at Mahajanka school of journalism. I’m fond of litterature but what I like the most is Slam poetry. As far as I can remember I always love reading. Writing came later it was a revelation for me. The first time I came to writing, I emptied myself from all the words that were haunting me, that were torturing me. I still love this feeling.

Slam Poetry is one of the many ways I use to satisfy my thirst for words. My encounter with salm was during the Spring of poets 2007 event, it was love on the first sight for both of us and since I slammed for the first time I knew I’ll keep on slamming again and again. It became a true passion since.
What is slam exactly? Slam is an open stage where poetry become a live show. Slam is not a religion, we don’t have devotees but adepts and no gourou : there are others than addicts. Indeed it’s the official definition of Slam but for me it means more, it means Freedom. Freedom of speech : Where no words is forbidden , no topic is tabou. Freedom to boo a slammer when his text displeases us, freedom to applaude when we’re fond of a text. Freedom to proclaim out loudly what we keep in our hearts.

Karenichia : Asa mahavelona kosa kno! Quite a profitable job!
You won’t believe me if I say begging and prostitution are two very profitable jobs. I admit not everyone have chose to come to this point and most of them can’t manage to get the food and shelter the need. But there are fews who are really good at making money out of these “jobs”.

If you still can’t believe me these are few stories to convince you. For the beggar case, you can see that there are more and more of them from Antananinarenina and Analakely on every major street. Maybe it is the presence of the tourists and foreigners that brings them downtown or maybe there is another reason. One must chose his place and stay there for the day, what is entertaining is that they showcase some skills to attract people so many are both musicians and singers. Some parents make their 3 to 4 year-old children to beg on the high traffic roads so the drivers and walkers have pity on their situations. Of course the money falls directly in their parents’ pocket as they wait on the sidewalk. They know that using their children is the best way to make big money. What is shameful is the fact that they aren’t even handicaped nor too old to manage a honourable job. And they know this business spare them from working because the kid always catch the giver’s heart. But they don’t even take good care of these poor children and spend the money on gaming and drinking without worrying about saving some for the family needs. You must know that a beggar earn an average 3000Ar (1,5$) a day but some experts more than 420000Ar (180$) for a month.

We have 3 types of hookers : the normal ones, the luxurious and the ones who managed to get regular clients. Between Tsaralalana and Antaninarenina, an average prostitute can manefrom 20000 to 120000 Ar per night. For the ones who are accepted in nightclubs the paycheck is bigger most of all when they use their charming skills to attract the clients. When the guy likes her, he usually is keen on paying for her lifestyle and gives her clothing, vacations, car and even an house.

Don’t you think these jobs are worthwhile! When you think about a state employee salary or a simple employee salary…

Faliniaina Racial and economic discrimination

How come we still have to talk about this? But it is the reality here in Madagascar. The vazaha (foreigners) come here and see us as we were the poor people who have to be inforiior to them. They think we don’t understand what they say, that are studies don’t mean nothing. Of course not every vazaha act this way but most of them come here only to spend their money (the gouvernemental financial support they managed to get as non-workers in their country). I can assure you that us Malagasy, we’re are clever enough to know that this is the reality, that no one is superior to the other, that we’re all the same.
Myself, I’ve studied, and worked with vazaha in our own country and this is the feeling I have at this moment. We live under the era of economical colonisation. We have the wealth we’re not able to exploit, how will we manage do get out of this dead-end?

Karenichia: Nobody left to marry

Nobody is perfect but everyone has his ideal husband or wife. Who doesn’t know this?
I was having a discussion about this with a girlfriend and we discovered that the ideal husband we dream about is a rare specie in exctinction. The ideal husband means the one we chose , the one everyone thinks will suit you perfectly, who will be kindly, spontaneously and automatically accepted by your family. EVERYONE WILL ADORE HIM AND WON’T CRITICIZE HIM. These days we have a blak list on “who not to date”.
The first on the list are the artists. You are forbidden to date an artist because of the popularity and the too many girls or even women groupies he may get. Showbiz life? no comment.
The second category are the policemen, the militaries and the gendarms : they’re never home, they go to wars, they enjoy drinking and even have adulterous relationships, some are corrupted, brutes, irrespectuous, swear a lot, etc …SO dads have banished them.
Drivers, aid-drivers, workers from the manufactures : they don’t earn enough money to raise a family and for sure cannot satisfy a women’s caprices. They tend to move from one women to another becauseof their travelling.
The shoe-makers, the craftman, the handy-man, the helpers and the others : sadly it will always bout the financial problems.
Prests and religious people : even if some are handsome, they’re devoted to God, let’s not dream.
Corporates and Managers : not only everybody is married but they already have secretaries to keep them busy at work.
Heirs and divorcees : Everyone will think of you as a filthy interested  who is only looking for the money and bling.
However don’t you girls let down, we still have the handsome, single, courteous but not very rich boys. There might be a chance some may prefer men to women. Some don’t go out with girls or fake to. Yes, I’m refering to the gays. There so cute but there’s nothing to do, they’re already too busy to fight for the society to accept them. I’m so sick of all this. It is up to you if you want to obey to this social dogms and let them decide for YOUR LIFE.