I went to Madagascar some 6-7 years back. It left a lasting impression on me. I learnt how a nation can be destroyed and how culture holds a nation together.

Madagascar is 3-4 hrs west of mauritius and 2-3hrs east of johanessburg.

As I landed in the capital city and started driving to my hotel, one thing that struck me was the addiction of people to music. Almost everyone was swaying their heads to music from the car driver to hotel receptionist to officials I met..

I knew that this was a country steeped in corruption, and for all practical purposes remains a french colony, irrespective of its independence etc..

My work was in villages offering them telecom access connectivity through our technologies. Our teams were there and I had gone to review the progress that our teams have made..

As I hopped from village to village the same story repeated itself everywhere. Every village had wealthy frenchies or rich indian families (indian migrants predominantly muslims) and impoverished black people..

Most black people homes were a tent with a SONY music system at the center,  almirahs stacked with wine/liquor, tents filled with impoverished/malnourished kids, semi-naked men and women..

A metre of cloth that women drape around their body costs INR 400 at that time equivalent to several thousands in MG francs, which many people could not afford. Most of them wore undies, bras, shorts and most probably imported old clothes.

Most men/women in villages go to work for some days, earn and spend their money on music, sex, beef/pork. Education to kids is only amongst the indians. Most people could barely make their living, but sophisticated music, beer was like oxygen and water to their living.

Madagascar is rich in natural resources. And the best thing they do is to cut it, dig it, lift it and put it into a plane to france, where minerals are extracted. There are no industries that utilise these resources. But in france industries flourished on madagascar soil making gold and other minerals and selling it globally.

Men/women would be paid few MG francs to do this work, and once they earn enough francs that buys them their CD's, sex and food, they enjoy and then go to work again when they need money.

And the top corrupt officials clearly outlined what their needs are. It ranged from US dollars to Indian girls for a night. Indian girls in madagascar cannot be got easily as they are richer and will not give up for few dollars..

This was a country, as I see it was clearly on suicidal mission.

Humans have become monkeys addicted to music and sex.. Frenchies were looting the country out of its resources and whatever people earned were given back to french companies for music, condoms and beer/wine..

Ofcourse Madagascar's greatest industry was/is brewing. Hence beer from madagascar is very famous. This was the things people were proud of..
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We were sitting in the village bar/discotheque, where naked black girls were dancing and inviting people to have sex. It was difficult to control oneself not to prey on the situation, but I somehow managed it.

I was sitting with a set of people (our partners), who were the most educated elite in that country. The guy whom I was sitting with was a well respected gentleman. I asked him what this country is heading to. I asked him "Honestly tell me sir, I can't think of a society like this.. I am not bothered about music, sex and alcohol. Majority of ur indigenous population is poor and they are going down. There is no growth, no plan, no destination.. I pity u people" - I said..

With full booze on his head and tears rolling he told me

"See we are a french colony.. French people have simply destroyed our culture, our bondings within people, our relationships, our familial traditions. Our people mindlessly followed the french culture and aped them in drinking, sex and music.. This process has led us into total addiction.

From a society, this culture has led us into a set of individuals, where we have no respect for elders, values and morals. Today everybody knows we are being looted by Indians and French. But everybody needs money.
It is the driver for corruption. Music and sex are a way of escapades for us to live lightly and this pushes us more into french and indians.

We cannot go back to our culture or value systems. We collectively know as a nation we are not performing well..
See .. I do not have kids.. I dont want them. People with kids want them to somehow get french citizenship and escape to other worlds..

Simply put, French instead of training their guns on us, successfully destroyed our culture, making us individuals and then this whole nation and its resources were up for them to gobble up.."

I felt very sad on that day.. I felt sad, that we have to do business with these people and probably contribute our part to destroy them further.. But I know in my heart, what we are setting up is something that will throw the world open to them and someday they will gain the courage to fight the exploitation..

I understood that day, By destroying a culture of a nation, by making a society into set of individuals, an entire nation and its resources can be looted and raped.. Because a socieity becomes a set of individuals once their moral values and value systems are broken and replaced by irresponsible value systems, which promotes individualism, self-centred attitude and selfishness..

Never, I told myself, Never I should let it happen to my country..
-TBT