Antananarivo - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
There is a very elite upper class contrasted by masses of poor people. - Jul 2020
No. - Jun 2016
There are some biases among a certain proportion of the population. Historically, there was a certain trend for the more fair-skinned/Austronesian-origin Malagasy to view themselves as superior to Malagasy with darker complexions, but this is diminishing. There was also historically some animosity among Malagasy toward the Indo-Pakistani and Chinese populations, who became prominent in commerce over the last century. How much these things still influence day-to-day interactions or would impact you would largely depend on the attitudes of any given individual you meet - it varies a lot and there's been a push among the younger urban generation in particular to leave the past in the past. I'm not aware of any prejudice against Muslims - they're a minority that has long been established on the island. Men and women are fairly equal in general in Madagascar, although there are some traditional gender roles that persist in some families, which some women find limiting. Both genders are well represented in the public sphere and generally both have a say in the family sphere. - Mar 2015
Yes, but they tend to be within the Malagasy community. Generally, the darker your skin the more likely you are to be discriminated against, but this seems to apply more to Malagasy than to expats. There is a large ethnic Indo-Pakistani community (some Muslim, some Hindu) and there is a certain amount of prejudice against them from other Malagasy. There also is a certain amount of discrimination against anyone who is perceived to be Chinese or African. In general, there is the assumption that "vazaha" (foreigners) are French, and there is certainly an amount of dislike that can go with that. There are really no apparent prejudices against Americans, but people may not even consider the fact that you could be American. - Apr 2013
I have not heard of, nor experienced, any problem with prejudices. There are some anti-French sentiments, however. - Apr 2010
Not that I saw. Most of the Malagasy that I encountered told me that they preferred to work for non-Indian families due to bad treatment and pay, but I cannot prove this. - Dec 2008
