‘Out of Africa’ : Madagascar and South Africa since the 1820s

Abstract

Madagascar, by far the largest of the Indian Ocean islands lying off Africa’s east coast and South Africa, the greatest economic and political power on the African continent, are often characterized as unique in the context of African politics. Observers have fostered the notion that both Madagascar, by virtue of its geography and South Africa, by virtue of its minority government’s pretensions, are somehow ‘outside’ continental African affairs. In spite of this perception, the two countries have a history of continued and sustained economic and political relations, largely conducted through informal means, which underscores their position as components of the African tableau. Hampering these contacts have been the divisions inspired by Francophone and Anglophone colonialism and, in the post-colonial period, the rising tide of Malagasy sentiment against South Africa’s apartheid system. Nevertheless, the relationship between the two states, especially in the post-colonial period, has been maintained over the years and, as South Africa moves into the democratic era, will play an important role in the future development of the Indian Ocean island.