These life stories are from the Anosy region of southern Madagascar. In their own words, the indigenous people of Anosy, the Antanosy, describe their lives in the face of climate change, food insecurity and rapid development due to mining. The stories are from four communities: Petriky; Ambinanibe; St Luce and Ilafitisignana and were recorded by community members and staff from our partner, Andrew Lees Trust.
Illafisignana
Ilafitsignana is located 6 kilometres to the south-west of Fort Dauphin, near to the QMM quarry that provides stone for port and road construction. The local mountain to the west of Fort Dauphin is the source of the rock and its rapid disappearance is changing the landscape beyond recognition.
Of the 1,500 people living in Ilafitsignana, at least 124 households have been displaced by the quarry and road building (PIC statistics) and many others have lost their lands. These people are known as 'Personnes Affecteés par le Projet' (Persons Affected by the Project) or 'PAPs'.
In 2005/6, QMM began a compensation programme to PAPs for loss of land. They were offered a choice of land or money but, as villagers perceived the new land offered to be sandy and not good for cultivation, they opted for money. Reported amounts for compensation to villagers who lost land vary according to whether it was fallow, cultivated or titled, but range from 100 MGA/square metre to 400 MGA/square metre.
The compensation process is currently under review as World Bank guidelines are closer to 2,000 MGA/square metre for untitled cultivated land.
In addition to land compensation, villagers also received new housing. The first house was built by QMM and the model largely accepted, but subsequent building contracts were given to local enterprises, which made houses of lower quality with walls that leak when it rains.
The greatest challenge for the community is the lack of livelihoods. The construction phase of the mine – which gave employment to approximately 36 people in the quarry – is now over. Ten people from Ilafitsignana are currently hired as forest guards in the QMM eucalyptus plantation.
QMM has undertaken to fund a variety of social programmes for PAPs through local agencies to help promote vegetable cultivation and livestock projects, sewing, weaving, artisanal products, nets for fishermen, and other income-generating projects, as well as literacy for children excluded from public primary school.
The nearest health centre is Lohalovoky (in Ambinanibe) although it is currently without a doctor. Drinking water is available through seven hand pumps and five taps but these are frequently broken and awaiting the construction of shelters.
Education is available from a public school, built by QMM in 2005, which educates approximately 300 students under five government-paid teachers.
Bruno: hotter and hotter
Bruno, aged 43, is in no doubt that the climate is changing. He describes the drastic impact of rising temperatures and recurrent drought on agricultural production, saying that without the rivers and ocean his community would be unable to survive. But fish production has also greatly decreased, something he believes is due to violations of "the rules of this river" by outsiders.
As a result of mining construction work, the atmosphere and the river are polluted, badly affecting animal and human health. The community's forced relocation to a smaller area has compounded their problems: "there is no more vacant land on which to build a house or farm." The situation is "critical" and their children are going hungry.
He thinks he will probably be forced to go elsewhere in search of casual work, which he deeply regrets, feeling that the head of the family should be there "to [manage] their lives on a daily basis". Separation will be painful, but, he says, "I have to leave if it is necessary."
I went to school a bit late, aged five or six. I think school helped me to think clearly. I spent my childhood studying, with the hope of success. I reached Grade 9... Then my parents...could no longer pay for my education, so I had to drop out.
I returned home to my parents' village where I worked to help them. I farmed during the day and I went fishing at night... When I grew up, I had to start working and taking care of myself. However, I continued to help my parents...
After a few years, I built a house while I tried to save money to gain my total independence... I moved out of my parents' house. I started to pay for my clothes and everything I needed, including food and medical expenses. Then, when I was about 20, I told my father of my intention to marry. I told him I was ready to take care of myself.
I got married... We raised our children, and our lives were good. [My wife] helped me working on the farm and I continued fishing at night...we were eager to work hard to improve our lives.
"It was getting hotter and hotter"
But later...I noticed that the weather had changed from our usual predictions, and the rainy seasons were starting very late... Not only was rice production affected, but also sweet potatoes and cassava. It was getting hotter and hotter, which made planting cassava challenging... When I harvested it, I discovered that the roots had become smaller, compared to my previous harvest.
In terms of rice, I used to collect three to four large baskets and now I can harvest only one small basket. The change is so obvious that it makes me ask the question, "What is happening to the climate?" ... [It has] had an impact on our life, because our production decreases and thus our household income is affected...
I think the reason for such a decrease is [also] lack of rainfall. Only rice fields located in the low-lying plains or near the source of a mountain stream still receive some water... Fields and farmland in upland areas...are deprived of water and therefore it is impossible to plant rice there...
We used to have lots of rain in the past. Now we barely receive enough to irrigate our farmland. I am worried about this change: I predict that there will be food shortages and that poverty will worsen.
"Without the river and ocean, we would be dead"
Our lives depend on the rivers in Ilafitsignana. Since agricultural production is not enough to sustain us, we turn to the rivers to find resources to sell, to make a little bit of money to survive... But fish stocks have decreased drastically as well. Still, we strive to fish as an alternative to agriculture. Without fish, we might be begging in the street.
Before...we could catch lots of fish and fill a large basket...but unfortunately their price was too low. Now the price has increased but conversely it is hard to fill a basket. If you are lucky, you may find 15 fish in a day...
Still, we are encouraged enough by the rising price to continue... I guess that without the river and ocean's resources, we would be dead by now.
"Our river does not appreciate visitors"
Maybe the decrease [in fish] is also linked to the rules of this river being violated...because of the influx of visitors to our village. I believe that our river does not appreciate visitors, because it is forbidden for a visitor to cross the river or to go in it wearing red clothing.
In addition, it is forbidden to clean slaughtered meat – beef, and especially pork - in the river. It is strictly forbidden to wash dishes...but visitors here on a picnic do not respect these fady (customary taboos). I do think that climate change has something to do with the decrease in our fish production, but I strongly believe that it is the violation of the rules as well...
The decline...has also been partly caused by the electricity brought by QMM (QIT Madagascar Minerals - subsidiary of Rio Tinto mining for ilmenite) to the village, which has resulted in lights shining on the river, which scares the fish since they prefer dark areas. I am really sad about the impact of QMM's work...because the fish that used to like living in the river are afraid of the lights and have swum away...out to the ocean via the delta. It is now difficult to find fish in our river.
"It is not surprising our cows die"
I hear that QMM will restrict access to the river... I don't know what will happen to us...if such a restriction is put in place. Fishing with nets will be prohibited. What will be left for us to do?
What is happening is that QMM and the local communities use the same river... QMM uses the river to pump water for its construction work and farmers use the river to feed their livestock and to catch fish...
You can see how the dust from their construction work is covering our environment. There is dust everywhere; the grass and the river are all covered by it. Unfortunately our livestock graze these grasses...[and] drink from the polluted river. Therefore it is not surprising when our cows die one after the other... Here in Ilafitsignana, in total, there used to be 200 cows but now I think there are about 60 left...
We want to have insurance for our livestock, because the impact of QMM's construction work [is what] causes them to die... Worse yet, we are charged fees if we need to vaccinate them or get treatment for sick animals...
Since there is no other source of water here besides the river, we are forced to drink it. This has caused illnesses among the villagers as well.
"The children go hungry"
In the case of fruit trees, the fruit is contaminated or polluted by the dust, and sometimes we eat fruit that is not clean, which causes children and adults to get sick...
Also our fruit trees no longer grow well as they did... Perhaps it's due to too much sun and lack of rain, or perhaps to the dust and polluted air where we currently live. This season we are unable to produce fruit such as oranges and mangoes... We could not make any money since there was no fruit to sell...
[Because of] the lack of food in our village...we are forced to go to Fort Dauphin to buy it... We take our fish catch to sell there... Sometimes we only get home late with the food that is supposed to be lunch for the family; sometimes we are stuck in Fort Dauphin, because we could not sell our products quickly...so during the day our children, who remain in the village, go hungry. They just sit under the shady trees, waiting for their parents to bring them food.
"We have to go elsewhere and find jobs"
[QMM] took the lands in Fanja and Papango [because they are too close to the quarry]. They did not buy them. They said that these lands would remain for us, but I am surprised to see the extent to which their land keeps moving towards our areas. We went to talk to them about it, and they said that they would come back in the near future to work on this issue. So far they have not come.
We are sad because we have not received any money in return for that land [near the quarry] being acquired by QMM but [only money for lost crops]... QMM also had us moved to a more crowded location... Besides the population has increased...
We have to go elsewhere and find part-time jobs to help our families... The places where I can find part-time work are limited: I cannot find a job in Fort Dauphin or any other city because I do not know how to read and write. So I will try to find work in one of the neighbouring villages... Wherever I find a job I'll go, because I have no alternative...
This does pose a problem...because we will be separated. My family will be sad, and they need me every day, since I am head of the family, the one who manages their lives on a daily basis. Also, I...will miss my family.
However, what can I do? I have to leave if it is necessary. But the consequence is that I cannot take direct care of my family. As head of the family, I should stay in the village.
Losing access to forest resources
In the past, there was thick forest, but since QMM has taken over its management, it is as if the forest has diminished... This has made it difficult for us to survive, since our lives depend so directly on forest products... Our children are going to have difficulty finding construction wood and they lack money to buy it elsewhere...
Another problem is the restriction on collecting firewood, despite this being the primary means by which we cook our meals. [Now] people are obliged to go to Fort Dauphin to buy charcoal...
If I have a visitor in my house, our custom is to give them something to eat... Now I do not have a supply of firewood, I cannot rapidly prepare a meal... I am obliged to go off to look for it... [My visitor] might leave without having eaten, which in my culture brings shame on me.
Benefits from new road
People are satisfied that QMM has built the road... [They] can travel easily, and bring their agricultural produce, their fish products and their heavy merchandise to Fort Dauphin.
The road saves them from having to carry their products on their shoulders and walk to town. Also, vehicles can now drive into our village to collect merchandise and people can buy our products, which benefits the local population.
Cost of living changes customs
Concerning marriage customs...in the past...there was the sazozaza (when a young girl is committed to marry her cousin). At this stage, even though the little girl still lives with her parents, if she needs anything [such as medicine], it is the future groom who pays...
After some time, the groom speaks to her parents saying that he thinks that the girl is mature enough for marriage... If the parents determine that their daughter is not yet ready, they tell him...he should continue to wait... After some time, he will...approach the parents of the girl once again, asking for their daughter's hand.
When the request is accepted, they proceed to the marriage ceremony. The groom's parents bring 2 to 3 litres of toaka gasy (locally brewed rum) plus other drinks, as well as a cow for the bride's parents... The bride's family prepares a meal for everybody. This was enough for a marriage ceremony in the past.
Now, however, it is totally different. It is no longer the parents who decide who will be the spouse; their children decide who they will marry... Because of the high cost of living...we now celebrate the marriage outdoors rather than indoors. The reason is to have the highest possible number of guests so that the couple can acquire the maximum number of gifts.
There is one person next to the couple who publicly counts the gifts and estimates their value. Sometimes, for example, a couple collects 10 to 20 pots, 50 plates, 30 spoons and even a cow. The representative of each family [also] counts the money and... announces it publicly... The entire family cheers with joy about the gifts.
The goal of this is to encourage the couple to start their new life together with a minimum of financial difficulties. In the past it was only the couple's parents who paid.
"My children will face a challenging life"
Parents [always] look for a way to help their children to live a better life than they did, so the entire population of the village, knowing how hard life is, participates in each marriage ceremony... They think it is a time to help each other out.
But I think my children will face a challenging life because...there is no more vacant land on which to build a house or farm. If my children are not able to find a job outside our village, they will face a tougher time [trying] to survive.
Sirily: working for foreigners
Sirily, in his 40s, describes the highs and lows of his working life, identifying the factors – personal and external – that have led to changes in his standard of living. Ill-health, often brought on by hard or dangerous work, has meant lean times, but when he was younger, good harvests and fish catches always allowed him and his wife to get "back on track".
As his parents became older and unable to help with childcare, life became tougher. At the same time, pressure on fish stocks was beginning to affect availability. When he and his wife lost their farmland they also lost their opportunity to grow food. Now, he says, "I work for a foreigner" and he describes the risks of being wage-dependent.
Sirily also talks about culture and the problem of outsiders' lack of respect for local traditions. He implicitly acknowledges that bowing to social pressure to give his father a good funeral had a huge economic impact on his family.
My name is Sirily. I have six children: four sons and two daughters...
When we were younger, life was good and cheap... Farming was successful because there was enough rain. Crops were abundant and some were left to rot because people could not consume them all. Now, farm production is poor due to the lack of rain and people go hungry...
My father sent us to a Catholic school, here in Ilafitsignana... Later on, our school was transferred to Ambinanibe...
I took the certificate of elementary education twice and failed. Finally, I told my father that I wanted to stop because I was late to start working. My father wanted me to continue my studies... In the end, my father accepted my plan.
Building up resources
I was hired by an elder in the village to raise his cattle. I told him I wanted my salary to be a cow per year... After a year, another person hired me. I worked there for two years... [then] I got another job... After my fourth year, I had collected four cows for my father...
I then started to farm. I had to slash the forest to clear some land... People kept asking me what I would do with my crop, because I had planted many cassavas... I brought them to Ambinanibe to sell... I suggested to my father that I purchase a cow with the money and [together] we purchased a temboay (young cow) for 4,000 ariary.
Marriage and responsibility
When I was around 18, I was interested in ringa (a local game)... I was still young so I just did whatever I wanted...and so my father decided to find a wife for me. I told my father that I was still too young.
He did not agree. What could I do? People in the past respected what their parents said, so...I married, but because I was still young, 20 years old, I was only married for a week then I left to do military service.
My wife remained in the village with my parents. During my military service, I was punished very often because...I went missing many times, sleeping outside the compound. My father took pity on me and decided to get me out of there after eight months... When I returned home, I had to face my responsibility to look after my wife.
We did not have a child until after a year of living together. I farmed and fished to generate income to support my family. My fish catch from the river was abundant...
I believed I was strong enough to fish at sea as well. So I asked some of my relatives in Ambinanibe, because they already had experience of sea fishing, if they would accept me as a team-mate...They welcomed me warmly and we all started fishing sardines together.
I noticed that the income I made from sea fishing and selling sardines was higher than from fishing on the river. [Then] my cousin suggested that we explore lobster catching as well. After catching lobster for only three days, I could purchase a cow... I continued catching lobster and fishing at sea for another year.
Rewards bring danger
One day, we had an accident...and nearly drowned... I did not work for some time until I had recovered. Then I went back to catching lobster: I was diving... [Once] I was so tired, I slipped and fell down hard on the rocks. I lost all my catch and my tools.
I decided to check out the place where I used to fish, on the river. I saw a lot of people doing very well there. So I said to myself, "Maybe I should go back to where I was safe, because fishing at sea is very dangerous." That is how I came back to Ilafitsignana...
Say fotsy (species of fish found at the river mouth) were the fish we caught... Women had a hard time lifting their baskets because they were always full... Now many people know how to catch them, so their number has decreased a lot. In addition...the size and type of fishing nets [have changed], which impacts on sustainability.
Working together
Then we had a son; with two children I had to increase my income... I fished and I continued to farm. A new species of fish called mazy came to shore. People were excited about catching them.
I gave money to my wife to purchase mazy so that we could sell them. I decided to add our [other] fish to the catch and sell them in Fort Dauphin, for greater profit. I told my wife that it was important that she and I worked together...to improve the quality of our lives...
I would go to Fort Dauphin early in the morning to sell our fish. I was tired, but I strove to make it a success. As a result, we had money but we were short of sleep... I could not keep up with my farming activities so my wife and I had to hire some people to work our land... and we had to ask our relatives for help with planting rice.
Then...we started catching shrimp...and we all had success.
Father's death brings hardship
The working pace I imposed on my life...took a toll on my body... Sometimes I had to stop working for two weeks to treat myself and recover.
My hardships intensified when my parents were older and my father passed away. Throughout the time I was working, my parents raised my children. I left my children with them, and my wife and I worked. But now my father is not with me any more, and my life has changed.
I had to conduct a ritual for the funeral of my father... I had to slaughter several cows...in order to respect our traditions... Everything we had built up was gone with him. What we did avoid was negative comments from our neighbours, who could have criticised what we did for the funeral of our parent.
Overcoming setbacks
We had to work hard before my family got back on track... I fished using nets. It went well until I was diagnosed with a cyst... Finally, my wife decided to take me to the hospital [for] surgery and I remained at home to recover for six months.
Luckily, I had taught my wife how to collect fish and to do other fishing activities... If we had relied on my activities alone, we would have suffered a lot, since I was incapable of working. Then we had our third child. I still felt too weak to fish, so I told my wife to continue with her work.
During that time, we heard that QMM (QIT Madagascar Minerals - subsidiary of Rio Tinto mining for ilmenite) had talked to our village chief, saying that they needed employees... I said to myself, "Maybe that would be an opportunity for me...since I cannot fish any more." Unfortunately, the position...only lasted three months...
After fishing [again] for the first time in a long while, I was reassured that my surgery did not give me any worries... I told my wife that our lives would be back on track... Shrimp [were still] abundant but fish production had started to decrease [and] not everyone who fished was successful.
"Now I work for a foreigner"
Now our land has been taken from us, given by the government to QMM. [At first]... fishing seemed to be rewarding enough because the majority of fishermen got hired by QMM, so there were fewer people to fish and that was how I could manage to make quite a good catch...
Later, QMM started to build the port. They dynamited the mountain nearby and COLAS (a French construction company) started the road building. These activities have had an impact on our lives...
Now I work for a foreigner... If we [do not have a job] our family suffers, because there is no money to bring home at the end of the month... Fishing activities give people more flexible time to work around their house [whereas] I must work every day, otherwise I won't receive a full salary...but the problem with fishing is that the catch is unpredictable, and depends a great deal on sea conditions...and so we have a hard time nourishing the family.
"People have to be pushed to the limit to risk anything"
Money now is allocated for food alone and is not enough to cover other needs. People do not even have enough money to purchase all the food they need...
[In the past] the money generated from fishing and farming was saved, and was not used to purchase food or medicine... And if anyone was sick, we would collect medicinal plants to treat them. This is no longer possible because these plants were appropriated along with the forest...
Now everything costs money... It is very challenging to find money to pay for the doctor and the treatment... People cannot borrow money from their relatives or neighbours any more because they don't have land or crops to use as collateral...
In the end, people wait till the last second, until the patient is dying, before they decide to bring [them to] a doctor... People have to be pushed to the limit to do or risk anything, because of the lack of money. In the end the treatment costs more, because the illness takes time to heal instead of being treated at the beginning.
"Our land lost its sanctity"
Rivers have an important role in our lives. For us in Ilafitsignana, people have the Vatovondrona river, where they perform their ancestral traditions... People also have a special place, called Mahalatsa, where they conduct ritual ceremonies [or seek] help... For example, someone who had a sick child went there to pray...
People made a pact that any time their prayers came true, they would come back and donate money to the togny (a traditional stele, where people pay respect to their ancestors). People would donate hundreds of thousands [of ariary] to show their gratitude, or sometimes bring sheep and slaughter them. But recently, the stele was destroyed, by unknown people; as a consequence, our prayer place lost its value. I think that is why foreigners could enter our area, because our land lost its sanctity.
Profound consequences
People did receive money from QMM in return for their land but the money was not enough for everyone. My grandparents have many children, and the land that was taken belonged to our ancestors, not to a single person, so anyone descended from that ancestor had to receive some of the money. Since we are Malagasy we have to respect the notion of having a large family...
People's hardship would have been less if the money offered by QMM was accompanied by other means [of making a living] such as pieces of land, where people could farm to back up the money from QMM. Unfortunately, the money has been the only resource people have to hand, so I am afraid it is now almost used up.
What makes our situation worse is the lack of rain... I don't think the presence of these foreigners is related to the lack of rain. I think it's God's decision whether the rain comes or not. But I think in the end the consequences of land appropriation by foreigners affect people's lives more deeply than they could ever imagine...
The source of our drinking water, a well, passed down from generation to generation, was affected by the dust from dynamite explosions... [People] complained...to QMM. Then QMM built a water standpipe in each village... But even kids just playing with these standpipes can break them...and no one can fix them...
For the benefit of our future generations, QMM also built a small school in the village.
Relocation brings new tensions
Some tensions occurred when people from different places were forced to live together in one location. Before, only related family members lived together in one hamlet, but now these people have to live together and get used to one another's presence as neighbours.
Raising livestock is very challenging as well because there is not enough space... A lot of people purchased cattle after they received their money...many cows die because they go hungry... Ironically, grass grows within the land appropriated by QMM yet it is prohibited for local people to let their livestock graze there.
"Our children seem not to have a bright future"
My children will suffer more, because [at least] I received a bit of money from QMM but they will face tougher times. People in Ilafitsignana are the poorest of the poor. So our future generation will need some assistance. I think they will need some farmland. Even if parents nowadays send their children to school, they lack enough money to pay for their education all the way to the higher grades...
Some people still have money from QMM's payment and some others were hired to work for QMM. However, if QMM stops hiring some day, then our hardships will be exposed... Our children seem not to have a bright future.
Say Louise: when hardships started
Say Louise, aged 38, from Ilafitsignana, has happy memories of childhood, when her father's job with the port management authority in Fort Dauphin and, later, his farming and fishing, provided for all the family's needs. Harvests and fish were plentiful.
Her difficulties came as an adult, when all three of her marriages ended with her husband walking out. Say Louise felt she had done her best, "but men are hard to satisfy". Left on her own, she borrowed money and set up a small business as a market trader, becoming successful enough to buy a boat to transport her goods to other coastal villages.
She laments the many changes over recent years, especially the loss of land and forest resources and the depletion of fish species. Her efforts to use her compensation money to start another business – a small shop – were unsuccessful as there was too much competition from others who had also lost their livelihoods and were setting up similar enterprises.
When my father was still alive and I was a child, I remember very well that life was good... My family used to live in Fort Dauphin, because my father had a job...with the port management company... We had the opportunity to go to school there until he retired, when my family returned to the village here in Ilafitsignana... My father sent us to the school here, which was very different from the private Catholic school in Fort Dauphin.
My father farmed his ancestral land here. Farming was prosperous in the past because land was abundant and fertile, water for irrigation was abundant... Since [my father] was very hardworking, he farmed a vast forested area where he planted cassava and rice. He grew tons of crops – even our family could not consume them all!...
My father was a skilful [fisherman]. Any time he fished, his family was excited because we knew he would bring home a lot of fish. He made a special fishing net for my brother and me... There were many fish species out there and my brother and I selected the ones we liked and let the others go...
The main species were sâro, fiambazaha and mazy (types of freshwater fish). We did not need to sell fish...they were for our own consumption... My dad...could buy clothes for us when he received his monthly pension.
Making money while at school
Later on...my father sent me to Ankaramena to study, to junior high school... One of my grandparents used to give me a free bag of rice...and I then sold the rice to make money. Because life was so cheap people could give something away for nothing...
I still remember that I made 10 ariary... This price is ridiculous if we think about how expensive rice is today... Besides selling the rice, every weekend I collected the roots of the rosy periwinkle. I dried them out and sold them to collectors [for pharmaceutical use].
A time of abundance
I dropped out of school at Grade 8. My family decided then that it was time for me to get married. In the past, parents sent their children to marry at a very young age...
After a few years my marriage did not work so well, so we decided to get divorced. I returned to live with my parents. While I was there, someone else asked me to marry him.
My second husband worked for the SIFOR (sisal) company...from 6am until 2pm. As soon as he got home, he worked on his farmland. He was hardworking and both of us were successful in cultivating rice and sweet potatoes... Our life was really good...
Our cassava plantation was successful as well. We used to plant [the cassava] around the area where QMM (QIT Madagascar Minerals - subsidiary of Rio Tinto mining for ilmenite) now dynamites rocks... There was enough rain in the past. One tuber of cassava was as big as a person's thigh. Rice crops were abundant due to the availability of irrigation. We did not have to use fertiliser to produce rice.
"My hardships started"
Then, when my father passed away, our life changed... No one was there to help us [to farm]... After his burial, most of the crops were gone...used for funeral expenses.
I got pregnant. Unfortunately, my husband and I had an argument. According to tradition, it was the parents' responsibility to take care of their daughter when she gave birth, not her husband's... [My mother] worked hard to supply food for us... My husband did not take care of me at all... So all this had an impact on my life and my hardships started there.
There was a food crisis at that time and I remember people digging for via roots (a type of plant) for food. They had to treat the roots to make them edible and not poisonous... Luckily, that food shortage was short-lived, not like today when there is a constant lack of food.
"Our life depended on fishing"
Later on...my husband left me and I married another man... He and I worked together to make our life successful. We made fish traps [from grass and sticks]... Collecting these was not challenging then because there was an abundance of resources and there were no restrictions...
We sank our traps in the river... Early in the morning we would check up on our catch. If we were lucky, we went to Fort Dauphin to sell it. The money...was used to buy food. Our life depended very much on fishing. We tried to farm but the land where we lived was not fertile...
Sometimes the traps were not successful; as a result the family could go hungry... People then adopted a strategy: if they made a catch on a given day, they...[saved some of the] money to use on the days when they caught nothing.
"Men are hard to satisfy"
Then, I got pregnant with my second child with my third husband. Amazingly, I had an argument with him... He decided to abandon me and went back to his ex-wife...
I started to wonder how people would look at and judge me; because they would think...that I didn't know how to handle my married life. But I myself was astonished that every time I got pregnant, my husband abandoned me. I thought I did well as [one half of] a married couple, but men are hard to satisfy...
I returned to my parents' home with my children... I was now a single mother; my former husbands never cared about us.
Success with a small business
I knew I had to make it on my own... I thought about selling fruit in Fort Dauphin, but first I had to collect these fruits and I was broke. Finally, I talked to my relatives in the village, because they have fruit plantations. Luckily they were very supportive of me. I told them I would reimburse them as soon as I made profits...
Then I wanted to have my own funds so that I could own the capital and the interest from my sale. Again, I talked to my family about my idea to borrow money... I proposed to share the profits...with the person from whom I borrowed money. I started to collect a lot of goods to be sold in the market in the city... My small business went well and I was happy with the way it turned out.
With my savings, I decided to buy a boat to help me transport my goods to markets. In the meantime, I got pregnant again, but this did not stop me from paddling my boat, and collecting and selling my goods in every market in the villages around here.
Overfishing
People in Ilafitsignana are now deprived of their farmland... As a result, there are many more people living off fishing, and resources are no longer enough... Ambatsy and sâro are almost non-existent. fiambazaha are still around but not as many...angora lo and varavarà were so easy to catch in the past but are almost non-existent now... tofoky are also hard to find...
Fish [were caught close] to shore in the past... now people have to search for them in deep locations – it's as if they have run away...
Children will not know what kinds of fish species made their river famous. I notice, though, that mena hariva is becoming more available... And tsikiliboky and shrimp are the ones that people can still catch, but the volume of these catches is declining too.
Traditions disappear with natural resources
Traditionally, people used honey when they circumcised their children; the [species of] rice had to be vary hôsy (considered the ancestral species) and had to be cooked using vandagnira (a fuelwood). But unfortunately, these old customs are no longer practised... How can people plant vary hôsy when there is no water to irrigate their rice paddies?
People cannot find the necessary resources any more... How will people be able to find honey when access to the forest is restricted, and [the forest itself] is disappearing?...
COLAS (a French construction company) tears down our mountain where the forest grows... That is where they quarry the rocks to supply their construction works... It is amazing to see how they flatten the mountain. Our children will deny the very existence of this mountain some day...
Now, people just ask a doctor to circumcise their children without a big ceremony. Not only do the resources needed for such a ceremony no longer exist, but [people] also lack the money to provide food and drinks [for their guests].
"What we have left is unproductive land"
Our land, especially the land that was fertile, was appropriated by QMM. For example, my family had a rice paddy that had a continuous water supply. It never dried out, even during a severe drought. Unfortunately it was taken from us.
The same thing happened with our cassava farmland. That land was fertile and my family could always plant on it despite a lack of rain because it was located in a cool area of forested land. What we have left, ironically, is the most unproductive land – sandy with few nutrients...
People are supposed to plant rice three times a year but due to the lack of rain and climate change...people have not been able to plant rice for almost a year now. It is frightening to think what will happen.
Water pollution
We also have an issue regarding our drinking water... First, because of the drought the supply has diminished. Second, it is contaminated because every time the dynamite explodes, the gas and dust infiltrate it... Our drinking water [comes] from a well and it is not covered...
Only people who lost their homes because of the construction work were given water standpipes in the places where they were moved. Even these people complain about the insufficient supply, due to intense drought. They say as well that the water standpipe is not well managed, because a lot of people use it... Sometimes the tap is broken only a few months after it is installed.
Air pollution
Dynamite explodes twice a day, at 12pm and 5pm. I am concerned for the quality of the air we breathe and I fear for our health...
My children always cough a lot... They get sick very often. My baby is only six weeks old but is already coughing... Even adults in our village feel weak and sick all the time... We have not faced a health crisis like this before...
People don't have the money to pay for medical treatment. The nearest hospital is in Fort Dauphin and that is far away. I hope that a hospital will be built in our village... I also think that people should not wait until they get sick before they go to see a doctor. People in my village need a prevention programme, for example protected drinking water...
The government and QMM must be held accountable to make sure that at least people's health is taken care of.
Positive and negative change
There are positive changes such as improvements in the houses... Roads have been repaired and widened. Travel is not our main concern any more. There is even a project to build a new road to Ankarefo which will improve our village and create a flow of people and goods.
But in terms of the distribution of money in return for our land, maybe some people in my village would say it was positive, but I would not say so... When my family received the money, since the land was our ancestral land, every family member had to share it...
Our land was also undervalued because the government said that we did not have crops on it when they took it. They claimed that our land was not productive and thus was not worth much. However our land was vast and fertile... We harvested a lot of crops such as rice, sweet potatoes and cassava, and these crops fed the family throughout the year.
There was inequality in the distribution of money as well... People who had fruit trees on their land received a lot more money.
How can I say I have benefited by receiving the money, money that did not even last years, but only months?... With that money, I had to buy food, pay for my children's medical expenses, meet daily needs such as salt, oil, firewood – and now that firewood is not available any more, I had to buy charcoal from Fort Dauphin.
"Too many people doing the same activities"
When I received my share [of the compensation], I had a plan to make good use of it...to open a small shop, care for my children and use the rest for food... But there were too many people doing the same activities, thus the sales were bad. In the end, I had to consume my own goods by the end of the day because no one bought them; I could not make a profit...my capital did not grow but instead diminished.
People who received money from QMM in return for their land, and those who did not receive money because their land was not included in the area appropriated by QMM – in the end all are experiencing hardship... With the first group, the money was spent quickly. With the second group, their land was unproductive due to the lack of rain... Now everyone relies on fishing.
"If our children are illiterate their future will be dark"
If I have enough money, I hope my children will succeed in their education so that they can secure their livelihoods.
But if I cannot find money to send them to school, I will feel bad because it is as if I am putting my children's future in jeopardy... Maybe we will strive to make sure that at least two of my children will succeed, to secure our family's future.
If our children are illiterate, certainly their future will be dark, because they will not be able to find jobs and they don't have anything else left because our ancestral land has been appropriated by QMM. The future generation will have...fewer opportunities in their lives.
This interview has been specially edited for the web and cut down by more than half. Some re-ordering has taken place: square brackets indicate 'inserted' text for clarification; round brackets are translations / interpretations; and dots indicate cuts in the text. The primary aim has been to remain true to the spirit of the interview, while losing questions, repetition, and confusing or overlapping sections.
