As Madagascar celebrates the 60th anniversary of its gaining Independence from France, some citizens still bear the scars of colonialism.
Randriamamonjy can point to the marks on his legs and back, reminders of the manual labour French and Senegalese riflemen forced him to perform as a 20-year-old in 1947, the year the Malagasy Uprising began. When he refused, he was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Others suffered worse fates. As many as 90,000 Malagasies died during the the two-year uprising, which was one of the earliest revolts in the French colonies and was brutally shut down. Madagascar wouldn’t gain its independence until 1960.
Some in the country say that with the nation’s dependence on France, Madagascar is still not free.
