Your attempt to be clever in response to the recent coup in Madagascar was in extremely poor taste (Upfront, March 19).
There has already been a bloodbath, with over 100 people being killed by government troops, and thousands injured. As someone who has family there, we have been extremely worried about the situation.
The former President appropriated funds for his own use (e.g., a $60 million airplane) and made numerous deals with other countries and companies that did not benefit Madagascar at all. Then when demonstrators came too close, he ordered his troops to shoot them.
The country is in turmoil still–not everyone supports the young leader who has been installed (Andre Rajoelina, who does not resemble an animated Disney character), and there are continuing protests and demonstrations. The U.S. State Department still has a travel warning urging Americans not to go to Madagascar.
Virtually all tourism has stopped (we had to cancel our own trip), seriously hurting the economy of one of the world’s poorest nations. Most people in Madagascar live on less than $1 per day, and now there are even fewer ways to earn money.
Making a joke of another country’s catastrophe is the height of insensitivity. It highlights one of the world’s (especially America’s) serious problems: thinking that events happening somewhere else don’t affect us and are only worth viewing as entertainment. These were real people who died; families were left without their fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers. It’s not funny at all.
Please think a little more next time before treating a serious episode such as this with so little consideration for those involved.
Kelly Smith
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2009.
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It is not making a joke out of other countries’ misfotune. I am an African we are sick and tired of power hungry people like Rajoelina. He is nothing but a power monger somebody who does not love his own country. If Rajoelina loved his country he would have used the protests to bring reform not to take power uncostitutionally, history has shown the likes of him who promises manna while wanting power unconstitutionally are worse dictators than every body else. I do not know the truth about the previous president but is sickining that poor nations especially Africa people bent on using extra constitutional means to take power. The economy of that country has not improved but has degreased, we know that Rajoelina’s supporters burned down some businesses which were employing people, those people are now unemployed. Still fighting corruption by being thier own enemies. Every day we keep on blaming the West for our own mistakes is time that Africa reed itself of the likes of Rajoelinas, Mugabes of this world.