Diego-Suarez Madagascar francophil city
Diego-Suarez Madagascar francophil city
Diego-Suarez Madagascar francophil city
Diego-Suarez, a francophil city of Madagascar
Diego-Suarez Madagascar francophil city
The history of the North capital is particular compared to the colonial time. Created by the French, it does not want to separate from this past which makes the pride of its inhabitants, that to be the “vazaha” city.
Antsiranana, also called Antomboko or Diego-Suarez during the colonial time and right after Independence, is the biggest city of the North of Madagascar, as well as the third port of the Large island. Created by the future marshal Joffre in 1900, it is the capital of the old province of Antsiranana. With the recent installation of the twenty-two regions, in 2004, it thus became the chief town of the Diana.
This city, most francophile and French-speaking of Madagascar, counts currently more than 120,000 souls, and its inhabitants are called Antsiranais. Located at the bottom of splendid bay discovered by the two Portuguese sailors, Diego Diaz and Fernando Suarez in 1500, it is also the administrative capital of the septentrional area of the Island. This bay is famous being the second most beautiful of the world for its surface, after Rio de Janeiro’s.
The general architecture of Antsiranana recalls more than one half-century of presence of the French Army. Military buildings, the Hotel of the Navy, the arsenal, and the rectilinear arteries, parallel and intersect at right angles are there to testify this near past. Crossroads in charge of history, the city counts many communities, for the majority commercial, in various origins. Yemenis, Somali, Comorians, Arabs, Chinese, Indo-Pakistani, and French cohabit with the Antakarana and Sakalava populations.
Ramena
Antsiranana is characterized by the existence of sites and natural resources. Let us quote, among other things, the mythical beach of Ramena, the bays of the Dunes, of the Pigeons, of Emerald, the famous Sugar loaf, the Windsor Castle…
But the most known and the most popular remains the Ramena beach, a fetish place for Antsiranais and the “vahiny”. Located at 18 km east of the town of Antsiranana, Ramena is a fishing village bordered of a beautiful white sand beach length three km, which are between the cape of Andranomody and the point of the Eagle, in Diego-Suarez bay. This beach became mythical by its splendour. It opens on the Indian Ocean, by a large channel of 600 m. In fact, this village is the chief town of the eponymous rural district where, in the south, the Mountain of the French rises considered for its historical natural resources and its historic caves. Ramena is regarded as a rampart-village and the ornament of bay of Diego-Suarez, key destination for tourists in “conquest” of Madagascar. Consequently, we will not be able to affirm “to have discovered North” without having visited Ramena. All that shows that tourism is a lever of the Diana region development.
A health service created by the soldiers
Until the month of March 1900, there existed on the military territory of Antsiranana only one ambulance of 120 beds, on Diego cape, and an infirmary of garrison of 35 beds in the city. The garrison being increased considerably from February to October, health professional trainings had need to be increased. By March 1st, the number of beds of the ambulance had been changed to 160. One month later, a decision of the general governor transformed the ambulance into hospital of 200 beds.
Moreover, four other infirmaries of garrison had been created, from June to December of the same year. It was in Sakaramy with 60 beds, in Ankoriaka with 70 beds, in Diego Cape with 40 beds and in Amber Cape. Currently, the Diana area has the hospital of reference known under name “Hopitaly Manara-penitra”, in addition to the Hôpitaly Be.
An history related to the French presence
More than one century after the passage of Cauche, the first French having visited Antomboko or Antsiranana, on June 26th, 1638, Baron de Benyowsky, to the king of the French Louis XV, sent Nicolas Mayeur to explore all the North of Madagascar. He had started from Louisbourg to bay of Antongil over the northeast coast, on November 14th, 1774, and he was back in December 1775 after having traversed all North as far as bay of Ampasindava and Nosy Be, via bay of Antomboko.
Indeed, after his interview with the king of Antakarana, Lamboeny, at the village and port of Ambodibonera, on July 7th, 1785, Nicolas Mayeur had returned in Louisbourg. An alliance of protection against the attacks of Sakalava of Boeny had been concluded between these two personalities.
A second treaty franco-hova was signed on October 1st, 1895. From this date, the events in Madagascar precipitated: a decree of October 1st, 1895 placed the Malagasy business under the authority of the Foreign Minister of France. A decree of November 11th, 1895 transferred them under the Colonies minister’s thumb, while another decree, dated January 28th, 1896, placed the French establishments of Diego-Suarez, Nosy Be and Sainte-Marie under the direct authority of the general Resident in Madagascar, established in Antananarivo.
These establishments were set up in urban communes. The administrators of Diego-Suarez, Nosy Be and Sainte-Marie exerted the functions of the mayors. In 1956, sixty years after, elected mayors directed the town of Diego-Suarez and these two islands.
Source: http://www.lexpressmada.com
Diego-Suarez Madagascar francophil city. Real Estate Madagascar. Diego-Suarez Madagascar francophil city. Real Estate Madagascar.
