Madagascar Reflection

LAMBDA STRANGERS

“You mean Madagascar the movie?” “Do you really have penguins there?” “I didn’t know there were real people living there!” These are the comic questions and statements I often deal with when I meet the lambda stranger from the Other Side. Fortunately, I am always happy to answer these questions and shed a light on the reality of my country and its cultural identity. When I was a child, I thought Madagascar was the whole world. I assumed that everyone in the world was like me, my parents, my siblings and friends. I reached a point where I hypothesised that the country was a celestial body in space which solely revolved around the sun. From my several scientific inquiries, mostly based on cartoons, I also deducted that

It allowed to me to put myself in the shoes of the lambda stranger and answer his questions.

“ Madagascar, the movie, was not based on the country and its reality. Although it has made the name of the country popular, it did not have any noticeable positive impact on the economy. If you want to know more about the island, it is best to visit it and of course, in the meantime you have in me a Malagasy as a friend willing to give you a glimpse of Madagascar through our shared experiences.”

If I did not know how to express myself in English none of this would have been possible. Wars are created because of misunderstandings. Friends are made with understanding. One way through which understanding can be reached is also by writing and reading. These were the focus of Communication for Impact, a course offered by ALU to strengthen students’ communication skills. Multilingual ability is a journey of continual learning and self-discovery. The amount of territory visible on one’s map is equivalent to the amount of territory one has dared to

Why? Because it challenges us to act and think globally.

On the other hand, there is undoubtedly an obstacle that stands in the way of the globalization of multilingual ability. Colonialism made it such that nations worldwide are fluent in a few countable languages. English is one of those. As such, native speakers that are already familiar with their culture knowing that everyone else is learning their language might tend to stay comfortable and not erect their halves of the bridges.

In her article, “Speaking in Tongues” , Zadie Smith describes a Dream City as being a “place of many voices - where the unified singular self is an illusion – everything is doubled, everything is various. You have no choice but cross borders and speak in tongues.” This is exactly what global citizenship is about. It is knowing that cultural identity is by nature dynamic, flexible and plural. It is being an advocate of cultural equality. It is saying loudly, “I love my country” while saying with another voice “It is a country, like other