Jacques Rabemananjara (23 June 1913 – 2 April 2005) was a Malagasy politician, playwright and poet. He served as a government minister, rising to
Vice President of Madagascar
The vice president of Madagascar was a political position in Madagascar during the era of Malagasy Republic.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vice President of Madagascar
Vice presidents of Madagascar, *
Politics of Madagascar
Government of Madaga ...
. Rabemananjara was said to be the most prolific writer of his negritude generation after Senghor, and he had the first
négritude
''Négritude'' (from French "nègre" and "-itude" to denote a condition that can be translated as "Blackness") is a framework of critique and literary theory, mainly developed by francophone intellectuals, writers, and politicians in the Africa ...
poetry published.
Early life
Rabemananjara was born in
Maroantsetra
Maroantsetra , formerly Louisbourg, is a market town and domestic seaport in Analanjirofo Region, Madagascar, at the northern end of the Bay of Antongil. In 2018, Maroantsetra counted 42,529 people. Even though it is a small city, Maroantsetra ...
in
Antongil Bay
''Helodranon' Antongila'' (Bay of Antongila), more commonly called Antongil Bay in English, is the largest bay in Madagascar. This bay is on the island's east coast, toward the northern end of the eastern coastline of the island. It is within A ...
in eastern
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
on 23 June 1913, of Betsimisarakan origin. He began his education on the island of Sainte Marie, but soon left to finish his studies at the seminary at
Antananarivo
Antananarivo (Malagasy language, Malagasy: ; French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known ...
, the capital of Madagascar.
In 1935–36, the Madagascan authorities prohibited any further publication of a monthly journal of young people of Madagascar, which he was responsible for. The magazine, ''Revue des Jeunes de Madagascar'', had 10 issues.Jacques Rabemananjara Lehman Universit /ref> The journal was an early example of political writing pre-dating later more well-known examples of
négritude
''Négritude'' (from French "nègre" and "-itude" to denote a condition that can be translated as "Blackness") is a framework of critique and literary theory, mainly developed by francophone intellectuals, writers, and politicians in the Africa ...
Despite his leadership of the journal, Rabemanajara was chosen in 1939 to attend a commemoration in Paris for the 150th anniversary of the French revolution. Having travelled to Paris he was able to not only gain entry to the Sorbonne and took courses in administration, but also to get his first collection of poetry, ''On the Steps of the Evening'', published. In Paris, he met the
Senegalese
Demographic features of the population of Senegal include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
About 42% of Senegal's population i ...
poet and politician
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor ( , , ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese politician, cultural theorist and poet who served as the first president of Senegal from 1960 to 1980.
Ideologically an African socialist, Senghor was one ...
and
Alioune Diop
Alioune Diop (10 January 1910 – 2 May 1980) was a Senegalese writer and editor, founder of the intellectual journal ''Présence africaine'', and a central figure in the ''Négritude'' movement.Presence Africaine''.V. Y. Mudimbe The Surreptitious Speech . Retrieved 21 November 2008.
Influenced by the work of fellow Malagasy poet
Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo
Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo (4 March 1901 or 1903 – 22 June 1937), born Joseph-Casimir Rabearivelo, was a Malagasy people, Malagasy poet who is widely considered to be Africa's first modern poet and the greatest literary artist of Madagascar. Par ...
, his early work dealt in classical alexandrian metre with the early history of Madagascar. His 1940 work ''Sur les marches du soir'' dealt with the forced exile of Queen
Ranavalona III
Ranavalona III (; 22 November 1861 – 23 May 1917) was the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar. She ruled from 30 July 1883 to 28 February 1897 in a reign marked by ultimately futile efforts to resist the colonial designs of the go ...
. She had been removed by the French colonial powers in 1897. Rabemananjara published his play ''Les dieux malgaches'', the first modern Malagasy play in French, This play dealt with the pre-colonial past and with the coup that unseated King
Radama II
Radama II (September 23, 1829 – May 12, 1863 'contested'' was the son and heir of Queen Ranavalona I and ruled from 1861 to 1863 over the Kingdom of Madagascar, which controlled virtually the entire island. Radama's rule, although brief, ...
in 1863.
Politics
After the war, Rabemananjara also met Raseta and Joseph Ravoahangy, who was a partner with Rabemananjara in the creation of the MDRM ( Democratic Movement for the Renovation of Madagascar).
Rabemananjara was elected to represent the Tamatave region in 1946 as the third member of the National Assembly from Madagascar. As a journalist at this time he interviewed
Ho Chi Minh
(born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), colloquially known as Uncle Ho () among other aliases and sobriquets, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician who served as the founder and first President of Vietnam, president of the ...
including his association with the Malagasy politician Jean Ralaimongo. He was suspected of being involved in the instigation of the 1947
Malagasy Uprising
The Malagasy Uprising (; ) was a Malagasy nationalist rebellion against French colonial rule in Madagascar, lasting from March 1947 to February 1949. Starting in late 1945, Madagascar's first French National Assembly deputies, Joseph Raseta, ...
, despite the fact that he had urged the rioters to be calm. He was arrested, and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour.
During his captivity he wrote the poems ''Antsa'', ''Lamba'' and ''Antidote''. Rabemanajara was eventually pardoned in 1956. Rabemananjara's freedom allowed him to attend the first International
Congress of Black Writers and Artists
The Congress of Black Writers and Artists ( French: ''Congrès des écrivains et artistes noirs''; originally called the Congress of Negro Writers and Artists) was a meeting of leading black intellectuals for the purpose of addressing the issues o ...
in Paris. He was one of the main speakers and earned a place at the top table of this important conference, which was funded by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
Philibert Tsiranana
Philibert Tsiranana (18 October 1912 – 16 April 1978) was a Malagasy politician and leader who served as the seventh prime minister of Madagascar from 1958 to 1959, and then later the first president of Madagascar from 1959 to 1972.
Duri ...
asked him to join a number of ministries, namely minister of economy, industry, mines and power; then minister of agriculture; and then minister of state for foreign affairs. He also took the post of
Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
.
Later years
Rabemanajara was again exiled after the 1972 revolution, but this was his choice and he was not to return for 20 years. He died in France on April 2, 2005.
*''Témoignage malgache et nationalisme''. Paris: Présence Africaine, 1956.
*''Nationalisme et problèmes malgaches''. Paris: Présence Africaine, 1958.
Plays
*''Les dieux malgaches''. Gap: Ophrys, 1947.
*''Agape des dieux Tritiva: Une tragédie''. Paris: Présence Africaine, 1962.
*''Les boutriers de l'aurore''. Paris: Présence Africaine, 1957.
Prizes
*1988:
Grand prix de la francophonie
The Grand Prix de la francophonie is presented annually by the Académie française at the initiative of the Canadian Government to a personality who contributes to the development of the French language throughout the world.
Laureates
* 1986: ...
*1997: Salon de la Plume Noire (Paris, 10-12 octobre), consacré au poète Jacques Rabemananjara
*Member of "l'Academie Nationale des Arts, des Lettres et des Sciences de Madagascar"
See also
*
Ny Avana Ramanantoanina
Ny Avana Ramanantoanina (1891–1940) was a Malagasy poet and playwright. He is among the most celebrated literary artists of Madagascar, principally renowned for his poetry, but also his stories and plays. He wrote during the French Madagascar, ...
*
Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo
Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo (4 March 1901 or 1903 – 22 June 1937), born Joseph-Casimir Rabearivelo, was a Malagasy people, Malagasy poet who is widely considered to be Africa's first modern poet and the greatest literary artist of Madagascar. Par ...
Elie Rajaonarison
Elie Rajaonarison (November 15, 1951 - November 27, 2010) was a poet, artist, professor and civil servant from Madagascar. Considered the standard-bearer for modern Malagasy poetry,Auzias & Labourdette (2008), p. 142 Rajaonarison's published poe ...
*
Aimé Césaire
Aimé Fernand David Césaire (; ; 26 June 1913 – 17 April 2008) was a French poet, author, and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature" and coined the word in French. He ...
*
Léon Damas
Léon-Gontran Damas (March 28, 1912 – January 22, 1978) was a French poet and politician. He was one of the founders of the Négritude movement. He also used the pseudonym Lionel Georges André Cabassou.
Biography
Léon Damas was born in Ca ...
*
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...