Yesterday was a sad day in Fort Dauphin. Extraordinarily, two buildings have collapsed on the same calm dry day, one killing 30 men and the other killing 6 and injuring 8 others.
Both buildings were modern. One the sorting shed at the port, the roof of which caved in.... and the other was a brand new office block being constructed for the Cnaps (tax) office, which was apparently having additional foundations added after 4 storeys had already gone up.
Us vazah (white strangers) in town are often amused or at worst frustrated by the traditional fomba (taboos/traditions) that exist here. One of these is the ritual of killing a beast before you start to build anything .... a chicken for posts / a sheep for a wall / a cow for a house. I have never known why this was taken so seriously until now.
Apparently Tolagnaro (the Malagasy name for Fort Dauphin) means 'old bones'. The whole town is built on the site of an ancient burial ground - these are sacred places that any stranger and certainly vazah are not welcome in. The gossips in town are now convinced that these new buildings didn't respect the traditional fomba before they started construction .... and the ancestors have now shown how cross they are.
I for one will continue to be respectful of this tradition... and can only hope that those responsible for these buildings safety are generous to the families that these 36 men leave behind.
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1 comment:
Salama, Alison. What a horrible and tragic accident. My prayers go out to the families of those who have been killed by this.
Thanks for reporting this.
I've just been turned on to your blog, and will be a loyal follower for sure. I was a studying with SIT in Fort Dauphin Jan-May '09, and have some very dear friends - like family - who live there. Its hard to keep in touch because of communications technology (lack of access or cultural disinterest). So, folks like you are very appreciated for keeping me informed! I hope your work with Azafady is going really well, and would love to read more about it - the world needs as much coverage as it can get about Malagasy Culture.
* Just a side note, while I was in Mada, folks commented all the time about my volobe also! Its a compliment, especially for a woman. Dreads take a more textured place in Malagasy society; most of my brothers in Fort Dauphin have them, where its more accepted, but still very counterculture. I live in Mexico now, and am learning to surf whenever I get down to the beach. Salama a Samson too!
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