My daily life in Madagascar, it is still dark when I wake up among my family members, bathed in the morning freshness of June. On the high plateaus, the temperature is around zero in this season. I get my blanket, which also serves as my “lamba*” for the day. Despite the cold, I have to get up, rekindle the fire and prepare breakfast for the whole family.
Outside, calm reigns, there is not a cat, or rather, not a zebu. The neighbors are also awake, but they remain sheltered from the relative heat of their modest mud houses with straw roofs.
I rekindle the fire and my young brothers and sisters get up to enjoy its beneficial warmth. We gather around the hearth, and I prepare the “easy”, a rice soup sometimes garnished with brèdes for more flavor.
Around six o'clock, the sun finally rises, enveloping the village in a thick veil, a subtle mixture of smoke and fog. The lowing of the zebus is heard. The long-awaited hour of the day has finally come for the still numb population.
Before devoting themselves to their daily activities, everyone has a rice breakfast. The children head to school, the men go to the fields to weed or harvest, while the women finish household chores before joining the men. Only the elderly and children who are too young stay in the village. For my part, I am lucky to go to school.
My name is Hery, I am 14 years old, and this is how the morning takes place in my country, far away, daily life in Madagascar.
*Lamba: A large piece of fabric used by the Malagasy people as clothing and a blanket for the night. It can also designate a smaller fabric worn by women to adorn themselves elegantly.
This morning story in my distant country evokes the tranquility and simplicity of daily life in Madagascar, where familiar gestures punctuate the community days. Discover the traditions, landscapes and cultural richness of this captivating island in the Indian Ocean.
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