Out of Africa

We keep commenting that it doesn’t feel like we’re in Africa.  And, in a sense, we’re not.  I’d expected all the people in Madagascar to look like those in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, but that’s not the case at all.  And these people don’t identify as Africans.  That’s because the Malagasy people have origins in Malaysia, with their ancestors immigrating here in the 1500s.  Many are lighter in color and smaller in build, and have distinctly Asian features.  This also explains all the rice, and rickshaws we see on the street, and much of the architecture, too.

Again and again, wherever we go, by bus or on foot, children see us and yell 'Vazaha' (vis-aah).  This is the Malagasy word for 'foreigner' or 'visitor', and we take it as more of a greeting than a label.  Someone said that it's easy to feel like a rock star when you visit a third world country.  And yes, we definitely feel like stars here!