Madagascar Overland - Paradise for whom? Part two

As a chocolate addict, a lover of essential oils, and a vegan with a deep affection for fruits, I felt like I was in heaven at the 1,500-hectare cacao plantation in Madagascar (Mada). With its mansion, swimming pool, and staff on standby, nature was so intense that all my senses—smell, hearing, sight, touch, taste, and my third eye—were at full capacity, making me present and living in the moment at all times. My early morning chakra meditations were done with utmost joy, and I had an out-of-body experience connecting to everything around me while on the island.

Traveling to Northern Mada, Nosy Be, from the moment I flew onto the island, I felt it was truly a natural paradise. Traveling around Nosy Be island, the hypnotizing scent of ylang-ylang blossoms drifted through the air—no wonder it's named 'the perfumed island.' The main city of Nosy Be is Andoany (its colonial name being Hell-Ville). Apart from the grocery shopping, open market, cafes, and the delight of seeing the Ethiopian Airlines office with its air conditioning blasting, it is not as interesting as the Ambatoloka beach area. Andoany connects Nosy Be to mainland Madagascar by ferry, mainly to Ankify. While Ambatoloka beach hosts most hotels, bars, restaurants, and a vast number of western men over 70 years old with young teenage black women (a scene in Mada that hurt my soul), I rented a car for the day and looped the whole island for my birthday. It was an epic adventure with strangers, ending at an expat bar on the beach.

While traveling and observing the country as a conscious traveler, I also strive to connect with not just nature but its inhabitants from all socio-economic backgrounds, seeking my own truth within the countries I travel to, especially as a fellow African. Although I loved Madagascar as a unique place to visit with amazing things to experience, it was quite difficult and stressful to witness the inequality between foreigners and the local community. Choosing to look beyond the tourist traps and trying to see the bigger picture as a conscious traveler and a highly educated African, it dawned on me that everywhere I went on the main island or surrounding islands, the unfair distribution of wealth was evident in every sector—not between Malagasies, but almost like an economic colonization by foreigners. These foreigners own not just homes, resorts, islands, and huge plantations, but also groceries, jewelry stores, coffee houses, etc.

It was a similar uneasy feeling and experience I had when traveling solo in Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa)—that feeling of being treated as a second-class citizen as a black woman even on my own continent, Africa, but respected more as a tourist. Seeing the natural wealth of Mada yet noticing the Malagasy population in dire poverty, with the lowest literacy rate in Africa, was heartbreaking. So many youths in all parts of Mada were unemployed; isolated and worn-down villages existed next to expensive resorts owned by foreigners. It was heartbreaking to see the bigger picture! Thus, my untaxed tourist fee payment for their anger, frustration, and distrust of foreigners like me was intentionally stolen $100 from my bag, as well as finding every opportunity to scam and bully me, especially by tour operators and service providers with their currency exchange scams. To them, I was just another tourist. My soul was heavy with sadness. As much as I loved traveling in Mada, I had to share my experience with a deeper understanding of this complex continent, Africa, that is healing from its past.

Madagascar is a must-visit destination with its unique flora and fauna and phenomenal natural wonders. However, stay alert at all times, even in your room as a traveler, and be cautious with hotel managers, especially if you are female. Remind people of your rights and expectations. Many travelers advised me to be less sensitive and more aggressive, but feeling the lessons of some pains and being emotionally uncomfortable has always been my strength. The enlightenment that comes after the experience is the high of living my truth with a more spiritually connected universal purpose. I strive to be kind rather than right and not react out of fear of the environment before fully comprehending its context.

Traveling to Mada reminded me that although I have enjoyed traveling solo since I was young, as a conscious solo African woman in Africa, I have encountered similar incidents, issues, and learning lessons that shocked me. I have come to accept my sensitivity as an Ethiopian and American since my identity, pride, and awareness of my rights as a human are imprinted in who I am. Thus, my intolerance for unfairness and colonial residue in Africa is high. But I try to let my wisdom, intellect, kindness, love, and inner strength guide me to seek understanding. I remind myself to pray to be used for a higher purpose rather than merely reacting emotionally to prejudice against brown tourists and the master-like regard towards white westerners.

So, I will keep traveling to every country in Africa on my bucket list, to find my own analysis of each country with an African woman's wisdom and truth, without a middle agent distorting my lens or my passion for justice overwhelming my senses. I am confident that I will see a more inclusive, progressive African economy and society in the near future, built by Africa!

Melkam Guzo (Happy Travels)

“Take only pictures, leave only footprints, kill nothing but time” 

                                         ☆Conscious Traveler

By Dutchess @Deldeyoch