Jacques Rabemananjara (23 June 1913 – 1 April 2005) was a Malagasy politician, playwright and poet. He served as a government minister, rising to Vice President of Madagascar. 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, developed mainly by francophone intellectuals, writers, and politicians of the African ...
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 2005 it had a population of 42,529 people.
History
Maurice Benyovszky arrived in Maroant ...
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 Anal ...
in eastern
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
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 ( French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "An ...
, 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, developed mainly by francophone intellectuals, writers, and politicians of the African ...
.
Albert S. Gérard Albert Stanislaus Gérard (1920-1996) was a Belgian scholar of comparative literature, specializing in African literature. His ''African Language Literatures'' was praised by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (; born James Ngugi; 5 January ...
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
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
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 Senagalese poet and politician
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor (; ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was the first president of Senegal (1960–80).
Ideologically an African socialist, he was the major theoretician o ...
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. The Surreptitious Speech V. Y. Mudimbe, , accessed 21 November 2008]
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 he also met Raset Ravoahangy who was a partner with Rabemananjara in the creation of the MDRM ( Democratic Movement for the Renovation of Madagascar).
He 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), commonly known as ('Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), (' Old father of the people') and by other aliases, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as Prime ...
including his association with the Malagasy politician
Jean Ralaimongo
Jean Ralaimongo (1885–1944) was a teacher who came to prominence after campaigning to get the French government to give citizenship to the people of Madagascar. Ralaimongo wanted Madagascar to become a French département and therefore part ...
. He was suspected of being involved in the instigation of the 1947
Malagasy Uprising
The Malagasy Uprising (french: Insurrection malgache; mg, Tolom-bahoaka tamin' ny 1947) was a Malagasy nationalist rebellion against French colonial rule in Madagascar, lasting from March 1947 to February 1949. Starting in late 1945, Madagasca ...
, 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 of ...
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 is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Philibert Tsiranana
Philibert Tsiranana (18 October 1912 – 16 April 1978) was a Malagasy politician and leader, who served as the first President of Madagascar from 1959 to 1972.
During the twelve years of his administration, the Republic of Madagascar expe ...
asked him to join a number of ministries and take the post of Vice President.
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 1 April 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) is among the most celebrated literary artists of Madagascar. He is principally renowned for his poetry, but also wrote stories and plays. He wrote during the French Madagascar, colonial period and is conside ...
*
Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo
Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo (4 March 1901 or 1903 – 22 June 1937), born Joseph-Casimir Rabearivelo, was a Malagasy poet who is widely considered to be Africa's first modern poet and the greatest literary artist of Madagascar. Part of the fi ...
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 poet ...
*
Aimé Césaire
Aimé Fernand David Césaire (; ; 26 June 1913 – 17 April 2008) was a French poet, author, and politician. He was "one of the founders of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature" and coined the word in French. He founded the Par ...
*
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 Cay ...
*
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 t ...