Androy
Encyclopedia
Androy is a region in southern Madagascar
.
Area
Androy (literally "where the roy (Mimosa delicatula) is," but more commonly translated as "land of the thorny bush" or "spiny desert") is the most southern region of Madagascar. It is located south of the Tropic of Capricorn
roughly between the Mandrare and Menarandra rivers (between these two are the Linta and the Manambovo rivers). It is 19,540 km2, has four districts (Ambovombe-Androy
, Bekily
, Beloha-Androy and Tsihombe and is bordered by the Mahafaly
people to the west (Atsimo-Andrefana
) the Antanosy to the east (Anosy
) and the Bara people
to the north (starting at about Isoanala
). Androy has 51 Communes and 881 Fokontany (see Subdivisions of Madagascar).
Population
In 2005 the estimated total population of Androy was 600,000 inhabitants, with a population growth rate of 2.7% (means population will double in 25 years if not reduced). The population is almost entirely Antandroy
("people of the thorny bush") or Karembola (in the southwest), with small numbers of Antanosy, Mahafaly
, Merina
and Betsileo
who also live there. There are another estimated 150,000 Antandroy living in other parts of the island, many of them having moved due to recurring famine in the Androy region. Almost half of the total population of Androy lives in the Ambovombe-Androy district, which has a population density of 40/km2. The strip along the southeast coast (which has been described by some as "the Tandroy Cradle"), is the most densely populated. Bekily has about 150,000 (24/km2), Beloha-Androy has about 110,000 (16/km2) and Tsihombe has about 75,000 (29/km2).
Climatology
The Androy region is semi- to sub-arid with an average rainfall of just 400mm (350mm along the southwestern coast to 700mm towards the north), which is unevenly distributed during the year (though there's generally more rain December through February). Other than the Mandrare river, most riverbeds are dry for much of the year and it has frequent droughts (generally every eight to ten years) which often lead to Kere (famine). Coupled with this are almost constant strong, drying winds, especially along the coast, known as "Tiokatimo." Water is in such short supply that it is delivered by truck to some people and sold by those who sell it from oxcarts to others. The periodic famines have caused somewhere between 15 and 30% of the Antandroy to have left Androy, having moved west to Toliary or to northern Madagascar.
Economy
Due to inadequate water and a large population, Androy has become a region of chronic food insecurity and is one of the poorest regions in Madagascar. Due to this a variety of international organizations including the European Union
, Groupe de Recherches et d'Echanges Technologiques
(GRET), Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), UNICEF, the World Food Programme
are all working there. Most people are subsistence farmers (it's estimated that less than 5% of the land is farmed) growing cassava, maize, sweet potatoes, legumes, cowpeas, groundnuts, lentils, millet, sorghum and mangos (rice is not possible due to how arid Androy is). Cash crops include sisal (grown only in the lower Mandrare river region) and groundnuts (cotton production has declined). They also pastoralists who raise cattle, sheep, goats and chickens. Zebu are central to the religious and social life of the Antandroy. While they supply milk, meat and leather, they are also a very important determinant of the status and wealth of the Antandroy people. While Androy borders the ocean, there is minimal fishing, most for local consumption. Of the almost 20,000 km2, only 344 km2 are forested.
Trades include silversmiths (generally part-time), tailors, cobblers and carpenters. Basketry is still practiced, but blacksmiths and those who dye cotton cloth, weave silk and make pottery have declined. Stores are mostly quite small, located in urban centers and are mostly owned by Indo-Pakistanis, Chinese and Malagasy from the highlands. There are also weekly markets where homegrown produce is sold and things like soap, cooking pots and other things can be purchased.
History
Some argue the Antandroy are a "composite ethnicity" of many clans of diverse origins (including the Sakalava, Bara, Mahafaly and Antanosy) who arrived in migration "waves," settling in Androy only several centuries ago. There is also evidence of "pre-Antandroy" inhabitants from as far back as the 11th and 12th centuries. For a timeline of the history of Androy, see below.
Archaeology
Forests
Maps
Mining
Coal
-
Tsavorite
- Initially found in Gogogo and more recently in Behara.
NGOs
Tourism
Weather
et al. See References below.]
10th to 13th Centuries
-possible evidence of human consumption of Aepyornis
eggs near Talaky at the Manambovo rivermouth
-Manda ("enclosure") Civilization, which arose in the 10th Century and fell in the 13th, had towns near Bekily
and Bekitro
, Andaro on a tributary of the Linta near Fotadrevo, east of Lanany river's junction with the Manambovo, west of Vohimena, north of Vohipary and at Bebajine. Based on archeological finds, several of these towns appear to have been involved in trade by sea with Zimbabwe
, Mozambique
and the Swahili Coast (sites of "pre-Tandroy" inhabitants identified by stone-and earth-walled enclosures).
14th to 15th Centuries
- population in Androy fell dramatically, as did imports, with most settlements located for defense of villagers (one of the largest at that time, Ampahijoloke, was defended on three sides by river cliffs).
16th Century
- Royal center of the Andriamanare (Zafimanara), Tandroy's royal clan/dynasty (who dominated Androy till the 18th century), at Ampotake. There were also royal centers located in Montefeno and Anjampanorora (25 km south of Ambaro).
- beginning of expansion of the Antandroy kingdom
17th Century
1649 - Ancient royal settlement at Montefeno, ruled by King Andrianmififarivo, king of Ampatres, was visited by soldiers sent by Governor Étienne de Flacourt
from Fort Dauphin
).
late 1600s - King Andrianjoma, who lived near Ambaro, became the founding ancestor of the Tekonda line of Andriamañare.
18th Century
early 1700s - Menarandra area of southwestern Androy annexed by Maroserana dynasty
1703 - Shipwreck of the Degrave, an English East Indiaman, at Belitsaky (25km from Ambovombe?). Robert Drury (sailor)
visited the royal capital of Fenoarivo (Ambaro) shortly thereafter. His crew is massacred by the Antandroy and he is kept as a slave till 1709. [For more information see ]
- different clans from the east, north and northwest invaded Androy and put an end to the ruling dynasty of the Andriamañar
- beginning of the development of what Mike Pearson et al. described as the "megalithic and monumental" Antandroy tombs
19th Century
- Androy remained independent of the expanded Imerina Kingdom
- further expansion of number of communities in Androy, especially near Faralambo where the Afomarolahy clan settled
20th Century
1901-1903 - French conquered Androy, though area remained in a State of Emergency due to continued Antandroy resistance to French rule
1917 - State of Emergency in Androy ended
1928 - Henry de Heaulme arrives in Fort Dauphin, having driven down from Tananarive in a Harley Davidson motorcycle with his wife and son in the side car. His intent was to export mica from Anosy and sisal from Androy through Fort Dauphin. This family also gets involved in conservation efforts and later also gets into the tourism business.
1928-29 - Destruction of Cactus
by cochineal beetle (had been introduced near Toliary in 1925 and spread east, north and south at a rate of 100km per year, leading to the death of somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 cattle, turning the countryside gray and leading to extensive deforestation and emigration of Antandroy people.
1930-31 - Deadly famine, exacerbated by destruction of prickly pear cactus by cochineal beetle. This cactus had provided protection to herders and their cattle as well as both fruit and water to people and cattle. This resulted in half the population of in the Tsihombe district decreasing by half, though the number of dead versus those who emigrated out of the area is unclear.
1936 - Drought. Also, the first sisal plantation near Amboasary is established by Établissements Gallois. Henri de Heaulme established his sisal plantation and the Berenty forest reserve.
1940 - Vichy France takes over control of Madagascar.
1943-44 - Up to half of those in Androy emigrated due to the severe famine. Another 15,000 died.
1956 - Drought.
1950s-60s - Boetchi (Swiss), de Heaulme and Jenny families and the Lyonnaise and Marseillaise companies exported wild castor oil beans, cattle (10-30,000/year), mica and sisal, much of it from Androy.
1958 - Monja Jaona
formed the Madagasikara Otronin'ny Malagasy (MO.NI.MA.)--Madagascar for the Malagasy--party which he led till his death. This became a significant regional party which represented both radical intellectuals and peasants from the south (especially Androy).
1960 - Madagascar declared its independence from France.
1971 - Monja Jaona claimed authorship of April armed insurrection by impoverished peasants in Androy who were upset by the corruption of government tax collectors at a time when their cattle herds were being ravaged by disease. There were also frustrations due to the failure of the government to provide disaster relief in response to a serious drought which was followed by floods. On April 1-2 more than 1,000 armed members of the MO.NI.MA. attacked 5 military posts in the Tulear province, resulting in 1 of the security forces killed and 11 wounded. This was quickly and harshly suppressed by the government, with 45 of the MO.NI.MA. killed, 9 wounded and 847 held for questioning. Monja Jaona and hundereds of MO.NI.MA. members were arrested and sent by cargo ship from Fort Dauphin to Nosy Lava where they were imprisoned.
1972 - Monja Jaona and the MO.NI.MA. party, which had become a left-wing opposition movement, gained the support of Tananarive's university students and urban radicals who, though MO.NI.MA. was banned by the government, led demonstrations against President Tsiranana until his fall May 1972.
1991-92 - Major famine in Androy with major responses by UNICEF and the World Food Program and also by Catholic and Malagasy Lutheran churches.
2003 - Famine in Androy
2006-07 - Famine in Androy
2011 - Major famine in Androy
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
.
- Capital: Ambovombe-AndroyAmbovombe-AndroyAmbovombe-Androy , or just Ambovombe, is a town in Madagascar.Ambovombe-Androy is the capital of the Androy region. It is not officially a city .The town is situated near the south coast at ....
- Chief: Andrien Hatrifenjanahary (since 2007)
Area
Androy (literally "where the roy (Mimosa delicatula) is," but more commonly translated as "land of the thorny bush" or "spiny desert") is the most southern region of Madagascar. It is located south of the Tropic of Capricorn
Tropic of Capricorn
The Tropic of Capricorn, or Southern tropic, marks the most southerly latitude on the Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This event occurs at the December solstice, when the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun to its maximum extent.Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five...
roughly between the Mandrare and Menarandra rivers (between these two are the Linta and the Manambovo rivers). It is 19,540 km2, has four districts (Ambovombe-Androy
Ambovombe-Androy
Ambovombe-Androy , or just Ambovombe, is a town in Madagascar.Ambovombe-Androy is the capital of the Androy region. It is not officially a city .The town is situated near the south coast at ....
, Bekily
Bekily
Bekily is a town in Toliara Province, Madagascar....
, Beloha-Androy and Tsihombe and is bordered by the Mahafaly
Mahafaly
The Mahafaly are an ethnic group of Madagascar that inhabit the plains of the Betioky-Ampamihy area. Their name means either "those who make taboos" or "those who make happy", although the former is considered more likely by linguists...
people to the west (Atsimo-Andrefana
Atsimo-Andrefana
Atsimo Andrefana is a region of Madagascar. It borders Menabe in north, Amoron'i Mania and Haute Matsiatra in northeast, Ihorombe and Anosy in east and Androy in southeast. The capital is Toliara and the population was estimated to be 1,018,500 in 2004...
) the Antanosy to the east (Anosy
Anosy
-Introduction:Anosy is a region in southeastern Madagascar. It borders Androy region in west, Atsimo-Andrefana in north-west, Ihorombe in north and Atsimo-Atsinanana in north-east. This region runs from approximately Manantenina in the northeast corner of the region, west to Ranomafana, west to...
) and the Bara people
Bara people
The Bara people are a Malagasy ethnic group living in the southern part of the central plateaus of Madagascar, in the Toliara Province, especially in the Ihosy-Betroka area. They are estimated to account for 3% of the overall malagasy population. Along with Sakalava, Bara are one of the two...
to the north (starting at about Isoanala
Isoanala
Isoanala is a town and commune in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Betroka, which is a part of Anosy Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 17,000 in 2001 commune census....
). Androy has 51 Communes and 881 Fokontany (see Subdivisions of Madagascar).
Population
In 2005 the estimated total population of Androy was 600,000 inhabitants, with a population growth rate of 2.7% (means population will double in 25 years if not reduced). The population is almost entirely Antandroy
Antandroy
The Antandroy are a traditionally nomadic ethnic group of Madagascar inhabiting the arid southern part of the island called Androy roughly located between Amboasary and Beloha and between the ocean and Bekily. Their name means "people of the thorns" in reference to the spiny thickets of endemic...
("people of the thorny bush") or Karembola (in the southwest), with small numbers of Antanosy, Mahafaly
Mahafaly
The Mahafaly are an ethnic group of Madagascar that inhabit the plains of the Betioky-Ampamihy area. Their name means either "those who make taboos" or "those who make happy", although the former is considered more likely by linguists...
, Merina
Merina
The Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
and Betsileo
Betsileo
The Betsileo are a highland ethnic group of Madagascar, the third largest in terms of population, numbering around 1.5 million and making up about 12.1 percent of the population. Their name means "The Many Invincible Ones" which they chose for themselves after the failed invasion of Ramitraho...
who also live there. There are another estimated 150,000 Antandroy living in other parts of the island, many of them having moved due to recurring famine in the Androy region. Almost half of the total population of Androy lives in the Ambovombe-Androy district, which has a population density of 40/km2. The strip along the southeast coast (which has been described by some as "the Tandroy Cradle"), is the most densely populated. Bekily has about 150,000 (24/km2), Beloha-Androy has about 110,000 (16/km2) and Tsihombe has about 75,000 (29/km2).
Climatology
The Androy region is semi- to sub-arid with an average rainfall of just 400mm (350mm along the southwestern coast to 700mm towards the north), which is unevenly distributed during the year (though there's generally more rain December through February). Other than the Mandrare river, most riverbeds are dry for much of the year and it has frequent droughts (generally every eight to ten years) which often lead to Kere (famine). Coupled with this are almost constant strong, drying winds, especially along the coast, known as "Tiokatimo." Water is in such short supply that it is delivered by truck to some people and sold by those who sell it from oxcarts to others. The periodic famines have caused somewhere between 15 and 30% of the Antandroy to have left Androy, having moved west to Toliary or to northern Madagascar.
Economy
Due to inadequate water and a large population, Androy has become a region of chronic food insecurity and is one of the poorest regions in Madagascar. Due to this a variety of international organizations including the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, Groupe de Recherches et d'Echanges Technologiques
Groupe de Recherches et d'Echanges Technologiques
Groupe de Recherches et d'Echanges Technologiques is a non-governmental association supporting international cooperation, professional solidarity and poverty reduction in the countries of Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America...
(GRET), Japan International Cooperation Agency
Japan International Cooperation Agency
The Japan International Cooperation Agency is an independent governmental agency that coordinates official development assistance for the government of Japan...
(JICA), UNICEF, the World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
are all working there. Most people are subsistence farmers (it's estimated that less than 5% of the land is farmed) growing cassava, maize, sweet potatoes, legumes, cowpeas, groundnuts, lentils, millet, sorghum and mangos (rice is not possible due to how arid Androy is). Cash crops include sisal (grown only in the lower Mandrare river region) and groundnuts (cotton production has declined). They also pastoralists who raise cattle, sheep, goats and chickens. Zebu are central to the religious and social life of the Antandroy. While they supply milk, meat and leather, they are also a very important determinant of the status and wealth of the Antandroy people. While Androy borders the ocean, there is minimal fishing, most for local consumption. Of the almost 20,000 km2, only 344 km2 are forested.
Trades include silversmiths (generally part-time), tailors, cobblers and carpenters. Basketry is still practiced, but blacksmiths and those who dye cotton cloth, weave silk and make pottery have declined. Stores are mostly quite small, located in urban centers and are mostly owned by Indo-Pakistanis, Chinese and Malagasy from the highlands. There are also weekly markets where homegrown produce is sold and things like soap, cooking pots and other things can be purchased.
History
Some argue the Antandroy are a "composite ethnicity" of many clans of diverse origins (including the Sakalava, Bara, Mahafaly and Antanosy) who arrived in migration "waves," settling in Androy only several centuries ago. There is also evidence of "pre-Antandroy" inhabitants from as far back as the 11th and 12th centuries. For a timeline of the history of Androy, see below.
Additional Information
AntandroyAntandroy
The Antandroy are a traditionally nomadic ethnic group of Madagascar inhabiting the arid southern part of the island called Androy roughly located between Amboasary and Beloha and between the ocean and Bekily. Their name means "people of the thorns" in reference to the spiny thickets of endemic...
Archaeology
Forests
Maps
Mining
Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
-
Tsavorite
Tsavorite
Tsavorite or tsavolite is a variety of the garnet group species grossular, a calcium-aluminium garnet with the formula Ca3Al2Si3O12. Trace amounts of vanadium or chromium provide the green color....
- Initially found in Gogogo and more recently in Behara.
NGOs
Tourism
Weather
Timeline
[much of the below information from Mike Parker PearsonMike Parker Pearson
Michael "Mike" Parker Pearson is a professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield in England. His books include The Archaeology of Death and Burial, Bronze Age Britain, Architecture and Order and In Search of the Red Slave...
et al. See References below.]
10th to 13th Centuries
-possible evidence of human consumption of Aepyornis
Aepyornis
Aepyornis is a genus of aepyornithid, one of two genera of ratite birds endemic to Madagascar known as elephant birds. This animal was the world's largest bird until its extinction, about 1000 years ago.-Description:...
eggs near Talaky at the Manambovo rivermouth
-Manda ("enclosure") Civilization, which arose in the 10th Century and fell in the 13th, had towns near Bekily
Bekily
Bekily is a town in Toliara Province, Madagascar....
and Bekitro
Bekitro
Bekitro is a town and commune in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Bekily, which is a part of Androy Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 16,000 in 2001 commune census....
, Andaro on a tributary of the Linta near Fotadrevo, east of Lanany river's junction with the Manambovo, west of Vohimena, north of Vohipary and at Bebajine. Based on archeological finds, several of these towns appear to have been involved in trade by sea with Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
and the Swahili Coast (sites of "pre-Tandroy" inhabitants identified by stone-and earth-walled enclosures).
14th to 15th Centuries
- population in Androy fell dramatically, as did imports, with most settlements located for defense of villagers (one of the largest at that time, Ampahijoloke, was defended on three sides by river cliffs).
16th Century
- Royal center of the Andriamanare (Zafimanara), Tandroy's royal clan/dynasty (who dominated Androy till the 18th century), at Ampotake. There were also royal centers located in Montefeno and Anjampanorora (25 km south of Ambaro).
- beginning of expansion of the Antandroy kingdom
17th Century
1649 - Ancient royal settlement at Montefeno, ruled by King Andrianmififarivo, king of Ampatres, was visited by soldiers sent by Governor Étienne de Flacourt
Étienne de Flacourt
Étienne de Flacourt was a French governor of Madagascar, born at Orléans in 1607. He was named governor of Madagascar by the French East India Company in 1648....
from Fort Dauphin
Fort Dauphin
Fort Dauphin can refer to:Canada* Fort Dauphin , in Manitoba* Fort Dauphin , in Nova ScotiaHaiti* Fort-Liberté in HaitiMadagascar* Fort Dauphin...
).
late 1600s - King Andrianjoma, who lived near Ambaro, became the founding ancestor of the Tekonda line of Andriamañare.
18th Century
early 1700s - Menarandra area of southwestern Androy annexed by Maroserana dynasty
1703 - Shipwreck of the Degrave, an English East Indiaman, at Belitsaky (25km from Ambovombe?). Robert Drury (sailor)
Robert Drury (sailor)
Robert Drury was an English sailor on the Degrave who was shipwrecked at the age of 17 on the island of Madagascar. He would be trapped there for fifteen years. Upon returning to England a book allegedly recounting his memoirs would be published in his name in 1729...
visited the royal capital of Fenoarivo (Ambaro) shortly thereafter. His crew is massacred by the Antandroy and he is kept as a slave till 1709. [For more information see ]
- different clans from the east, north and northwest invaded Androy and put an end to the ruling dynasty of the Andriamañar
- beginning of the development of what Mike Pearson et al. described as the "megalithic and monumental" Antandroy tombs
19th Century
- Androy remained independent of the expanded Imerina Kingdom
- further expansion of number of communities in Androy, especially near Faralambo where the Afomarolahy clan settled
20th Century
1901-1903 - French conquered Androy, though area remained in a State of Emergency due to continued Antandroy resistance to French rule
1917 - State of Emergency in Androy ended
1928 - Henry de Heaulme arrives in Fort Dauphin, having driven down from Tananarive in a Harley Davidson motorcycle with his wife and son in the side car. His intent was to export mica from Anosy and sisal from Androy through Fort Dauphin. This family also gets involved in conservation efforts and later also gets into the tourism business.
1928-29 - Destruction of Cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
by cochineal beetle (had been introduced near Toliary in 1925 and spread east, north and south at a rate of 100km per year, leading to the death of somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 cattle, turning the countryside gray and leading to extensive deforestation and emigration of Antandroy people.
1930-31 - Deadly famine, exacerbated by destruction of prickly pear cactus by cochineal beetle. This cactus had provided protection to herders and their cattle as well as both fruit and water to people and cattle. This resulted in half the population of in the Tsihombe district decreasing by half, though the number of dead versus those who emigrated out of the area is unclear.
1936 - Drought. Also, the first sisal plantation near Amboasary is established by Établissements Gallois. Henri de Heaulme established his sisal plantation and the Berenty forest reserve.
1940 - Vichy France takes over control of Madagascar.
1943-44 - Up to half of those in Androy emigrated due to the severe famine. Another 15,000 died.
1956 - Drought.
1950s-60s - Boetchi (Swiss), de Heaulme and Jenny families and the Lyonnaise and Marseillaise companies exported wild castor oil beans, cattle (10-30,000/year), mica and sisal, much of it from Androy.
1958 - Monja Jaona
Monja Jaona
Monja Jaona was a Malagasy politician and early nationalist. Jaona founded the Madagascar for the Malagasy party and agitated for the downfall of the Tsiranana regime in 1972. He was also the mayor of Tulear...
formed the Madagasikara Otronin'ny Malagasy (MO.NI.MA.)--Madagascar for the Malagasy--party which he led till his death. This became a significant regional party which represented both radical intellectuals and peasants from the south (especially Androy).
1960 - Madagascar declared its independence from France.
1971 - Monja Jaona claimed authorship of April armed insurrection by impoverished peasants in Androy who were upset by the corruption of government tax collectors at a time when their cattle herds were being ravaged by disease. There were also frustrations due to the failure of the government to provide disaster relief in response to a serious drought which was followed by floods. On April 1-2 more than 1,000 armed members of the MO.NI.MA. attacked 5 military posts in the Tulear province, resulting in 1 of the security forces killed and 11 wounded. This was quickly and harshly suppressed by the government, with 45 of the MO.NI.MA. killed, 9 wounded and 847 held for questioning. Monja Jaona and hundereds of MO.NI.MA. members were arrested and sent by cargo ship from Fort Dauphin to Nosy Lava where they were imprisoned.
1972 - Monja Jaona and the MO.NI.MA. party, which had become a left-wing opposition movement, gained the support of Tananarive's university students and urban radicals who, though MO.NI.MA. was banned by the government, led demonstrations against President Tsiranana until his fall May 1972.
1991-92 - Major famine in Androy with major responses by UNICEF and the World Food Program and also by Catholic and Malagasy Lutheran churches.
2003 - Famine in Androy
2006-07 - Famine in Androy
2011 - Major famine in Androy