Between Madagascar and the United Kingdom, 200 years of relations and a historic treaty
The Anglican Cathedral of Saint-Laurent Ambohimanoro, in the Upper Town of Tananarivo.
Monday September 19, 2022, the day of the funeral of the Queen of England, the place was closed to the public, as a sign of mourning.
The faithful were able, on Sunday, to pay homage to Elizabeth II during a worship of thanksgiving in her memory.
© Sarah Tetaud/RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Many Madagascans followed the funeral of Elizabeth II on Monday.
Private Anglican schools and some of their churches have closed, in a sign of mourning and communion.
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With our correspondent in Antananarivo,
Sarah Tétaud
In her house located a few meters from the Anglican cathedral Saint Laurent Ambohimanoro, a faithful attends, collected, the
funeral of the queen
, broadcast live on television, Monday, September 19.
She confides: “
She lived 96 years.
We knew her, even if she lived far away, we saw her on television.
She had a lot of connections with us Anglican Christians, so I'm very sad today.
I take advantage of this service to pray for his family, but also for the future of our Church, because our Supreme Leader has changed and we do not yet know what to expect.
»
In addition to their religious ties, the UK enjoys a dear place in the hearts of Malagasy people.
In 1817, it was with the British crown that Madagascar signed its first diplomatic treaty.
A turning point in the country's history explained to us by Helihanta Rajaonarison, historian, teacher-researcher at the University of Antananarivo and specialist in the 19th century:
“
This treaty is exceptional insofar as it is the two parties who have reflected and discussed for the construction of this treaty.
And so, it is the first time that a Malagasy sovereign, in this case
Radama I
, is considered as an equal by a great power of the time, here, the British crown.
This treaty recognizes Radama I as king of Madagascar, and therefore the existence of a kingdom of Madagascar, even if in reality all the other kingdoms are not under the authority of Radama I, although this is his vision of the 'unification.
Another highlight of this treaty is that Radama I agrees to stop the
slave trade
.
And, in return, the King of England undertakes to reimburse the loss of earnings.
»
This treaty, implemented from 1820, led to the modernization of the kingdom – industry, architecture, various techniques – and its army, but also stimulated the transcription of the Malagasy language into Latin characters.
It was not until 1896, at the time of French colonization and the abolition of royalty, that the treaty was rendered obsolete.
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