my first political coup

hi everyone-- i thought this was a good time to update. it seems as though the recent news here hasn't really hit the US. This week has been quite an interesting experience, unlike anything i've ever seen and the situation has escalated over the course of the week. i think i mentioned before the feud between the president of madagascar and the mayor of tana, but in the last few days it has become a real problem and madagascar is deep in political turmoil. the important thing is im safe!! so now you can continue reading with interest rather than worry. the mayor has been holding meetings to rally support downtown and starting monday, there was a huge rally that marched throughout the city. the mayor has been preaching a pacifist movement, however he had amassed such support that it didn't take long before things got out of control. walking around monday morning i was watching from hilltops and it was an incredible sight. i actually ran into three of my british friends from my malagasy class that morning (catherine, maia and tom) and we ended up going around taking pictures and videos. the internet is too slow now but i'll try to upload stuff sometime soon. once things started getting intense, shops started closing and since it has become nearly impossible to buy things...most importantly food. but thankfully the 3 brits invited me to stay with them for now, they have food and a kitchen. so i officially left my hotel and stayed with them for the last two nights. the unfortunate thing is that a massive crowd of poor, angry malagasy people has resulted in a lot of looting and recklessness that has ravaged grocery stores and destroyed pretty much all of the president's property including his company stores and the national tv and radio station. it was very bizarre to be looking at the horizon i've looked at for the last month and see various pillars of black smoke. the day after the radio and tv station were burned i walked by and it was truly decimated. the vast majority of this hasn't been violent though, some people have died but the majority of police fire shots in the air to disperse crowds rather than shoot people, something that i think is more linked to madagascar's not so violent reputation. my hotel was very close to downtown where the drama was happening, as was the house i was staying in the last 2 nights so today we moved to the 3 brit's friend's house in a nice section of town that's well guarded and well stocked with food. so i guess we will wait here for now, stay tuned to the news and see how things pan out. the frustrating thing is that its hard to get good information, as the media's interpretation or falsification of events depends on which side of the conflict they support. the saddest thing is the reality of what this is going to do to an already poor country. apart from tana, other people in the cities have been rallying and pillaging and being destructive. basically, the entire island is being vandalized and looted, businesses are closed, and any semblance of economic development is going to come to a grinding halt or go in reverse. what started as a peaceful pacifist movement really just crumbled into anarchy and it became pretty obvious that the mayor had no control over his supporters or their actions. so here i am, one month into my trip learning about transitions in power, obscure democracies and political coups in a developing nation. who woulda thought? it you would like to read more about it i recommend the bbc because i cant find anything on the news elsewhere. so thats all for now.