Madagascar: Pan-African health in Rajoelina finds favorable echoes

Text by: Sarah Tétaud Follow

In asserting that the hostilities and the doubts expressed against his remedy, which he presents as being curative, are due to the fact that it was developed in Africa, Andry Rajoelina succeeded in a double blow: being brought to the skies by Internet users of the African continent, and evade the question of clinical evidence of the effectiveness of its decoction. To the questions posed, responses borrowed from a strong nationalist and Africanist streak that hit home, at the expense of scientific arguments.

Publicity

From our correspondent in Antananarivo

" The new Sankara ", " brave and determined ", " keeping his head high ", " slayer of the West ": the adjectives and metaphors to describe the Madagascan president flooded social networks yesterday after his interview on our radio.

► Read also: Covid-Organics: "The problem is that it comes from Africa", says Andry Rajoelina on RFI

" He, at least, had the courage to say that since there are no other better solutions from other countries, there is the drug found in Madagascar, which we will stick to this solution there. "

For this actor of the Malagasy civil society as for many Internet users of the country, the president Rajoelina comes out big winner of his intervention. He was able in particular, they say, to publicly challenge the WHO and was able to prove to the world his willingness to ignore the warnings of this international organization.

For the political scientist Toavina Ralambomahay, also elected municipal of the opposition to the town hall of Antananarivo, the head of state played on a tight rope: " He uses a frustration shared by the African population, including Malagasy . The fact of having been despised, underestimated for practically all of human history, of having been colonized is like revenge. However, using national and continental pride to give credibility to the tambavy-organics remedy is an argument, but it is better to raise the debate on the scientific field. "

For others, the real issues lie elsewhere

Arguments dismissed so far in favor of findings or observations made and repeated by the president and his entourage, so far unverifiable. For Faraniaiana Ramarosaona, a civil society activist, the debate is elsewhere. 

“ We are wasting energy on this herbal tea, while people in our country are dying of hunger. And we still do not see the socio-economic recovery plan arrive when it is the most important. "

The most skeptical, some of whom call the Malagasy head of state “ opportunistic pan-Africanist ”, “ conspiratorial ” or even “ dangerous imposter ”, are impatiently awaiting the results of clinical trials carried out by the African Union, Senegal or again South Africa. 

As a reminder, to date, the Big Island officially has 183 cases of Covid-19 infections, including 105 healings and no deaths.

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• Madagascar
• Andry Rajoelina
• Coronavirus

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