Q1. Please introduce yourself and your works.
Q2. What is the most valuable culture and soul in your country?
Q3. Is there a similar point, or unsimilar point with Japanese characters?
Q4. If there is a cultural gap between teenagers and elders, please tell us about it.
Q1. Please introduce yourself and your works.
I worked for thirty years at the World Bank and finished my career there as the Deputy Director of the World Bank in Tokyo. So this is my second time here. I was on retirement when the President asked me to be Ambassador here in Japan.
My main responsibility as Ambassador is to ensure good relations between Japan and Madagascar, and also to promote trade and investment opportunities in my country to the Japanese business community.
Q2. What is the most valuable culture and soul in your country?
The Malagasy people revere their ancestors. ?They regard the dead with awe and reverence, and they give the afterlife as much importance as the present.? Mourners carry out elaborate rituals at funerals, and if it is deemed that the dead are displeased, further rituals are enacted to appease them.? The most famous of these is the famadihana, or turning of the bones, when the dead are exhumed, entertained, talked to, and reburied with gifts and new shrouds.
Q3. Is there a similar point, or unsimilar point with Japanese characters?
There are many similarities among the Japanese and Malagasy people. First, is our respect of our elders. They have a special place in our society. Another is our politeness, especially with strangers and guests. Just like the Japanese, the major aspect of any Malagasy meal is rice.
Q4. If there is a cultural gap between teenagers and elders, please tell us about it.
The Malagasy people are very traditional, that is the older generation. As in most societies now, we sometimes have a hard time understanding our teenagers. They speak a lot of slang, listen to music we don’t understand, and sometimes dress in unusual clothes. They seem very modern, and sometimes not as respectful to tradition.
Q5. What action do you hope about Waseda Ambassador?
I would like to ask the students and professors to be our at-large ambassadors in Japan to help accomplish our goals in Madagascar. Through better understanding of our culture and our needs, I think that our at-large ambassadors would be of great help.
Q6. Please give a message to students in Japan.
Please come to Madagascar to discover this beautiful island with a unique character and culture. You will see flora and fauna that you will not find elsewhere in the world. You may also contribute to the economy by spending on our particular brand of artisan, such as beautiful embroidered tablecloths, and a large array of our semi precious stones, to mention a few.
I may also add that Madagascar needs the transmittal of the Japanese “know-how.” We would welcome, therefore, any students who have finished their studies, to come to Madagascar to teach in our schools and universities.
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