Last modified: 2002-05-10 by jarig bakker
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by Antonio Martins 24 April 1999
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Do you think the colors are related to the Indonesian
ones (which in turn are derived from the colors of the liberation movement)?
Harald Müller, 11 October 1996
Very likely as, if I recall correctly, the Malagasy are supposed to
have come from Malaysia / Indonesia, and the red-and-white
Indonesian flag is said to be of pre-European origin.
Roy Stilling, 11 October 1996
Inhabitants of Malayo-Indonesian origin were not the first settlers.
There were populations from Africa before. As you probably know, major
African civilizations were not attracted to the seashore, for various reasons,
including quest for healthier places, and this goes for Madagascar as well.
When navigators from SE Asia arrived, they gained political supremacy and
thus built their kingdom in the highlands (where Antananarivo now lies),
while unmitigated Africans were more or less forced to move towards the
coast. This is why the majority is Merina inside the country and Sakalave
or related people near the sea (this is the same group as in the Comores,
for instance). This is just from memory, but I think that it should be
globally right.
Were there "African" flags or banners in Madagascar before Asians came
in ?
Thanh-Tâm Lê, 2 January 1999
Official name of the country was changed in 1995 and is now: Repoblikan'i
Madagasikar (Republic of Madagascar).