Meeting the Mayor

Because the ADRA project is a relatively big deal in this region, we do a courtesy visit to the mayor of Fandriana.

The town hall is (I assume) left over from French colonial days, so it’s relatively impressive although crumbling. We go into the mayor’s office, up an external staircase at the back. I turn off the video until I can work out whether anyone will be offended if I film.

Being the only white person, as well as filming with a tripod, means I attract a fair degree of attention wherever we go in this region. Today I’m wearing a black bandanna, sunglasses, and a black Roma footy shirt with plenty of adverts on it. The mayor asks if I’m American. I risk a joke: ‘I’ve never been so insulted in all my life!’ It works - breaks the ice of the awkward formality.

Then it resumes. Mark from ADRA-UK does a speech, Warren the director of the project does a speech, and the mayor does a speech. It sounds slightly artificial – it is all complimentary, about what an honour it is to be working in partnership with each other, and all that – but, I think, important in its diplomacy. You can imagine what power officialdom can have in a very poor area, so it’s vital to have the mayor on your side.

The speeches are translated from Malagasy to English, or vice versa. The mayor is a young guy, fairly tall, who sits listening to the speechifying with what looks like an amused detachment. Watching him, I wonder how he uses whatever power and budget he has. For good, or for corruption?

Concluding, he says a very unusual thing, which exactly accords with what I’ve been thinking about while watching him:

‘Aid always becomes political. People associate themselves with successful projects for political ends. I pledge I will not let that happen here.’