French people in Madagascar
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (123,954 (0.618% of total population)) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Madagascar:Antananarivo, Toamasina, Mahajanga, Antsiranana
|
|
| Languages | |
| mostly French, a minority of creole, Malagasy, Plateau Malagasy and Betsimisaraka Malagasy speakers | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| French people, Franco-Mauritian, Franco-Seychellois, White African |
There is a small but recognizable community of French people in Madagascar, of whom the vast majority are born in Madagascar and are descended from former settlers and colonists from France who settled in Madagascar during the 19th and 20th centuries. They constitute a minority ethnic group of Madagascar.
Several early attempts were made by French settlers to colonize portions of the island, to little lasting effect. The French established a greater foothold in Madagascar in the 1840s, when the French established a protectorate over the northwest part of Madagascar following intense negotiations with the Sakalava. By 1894, the entire island of Madagascar was under French rule and in 1896, it was declared a French colony. Many French settlers and colonists then settled in Madagascar, mostly as farmers or political figures. This soon led to financial, political influence and dominance of the colony.
The small French community of settlers continued to dominate and held the majority of the colony's early wealth. However, in 1914, French authorities allowed the government to provide the Malagasy people with their first representative figure and voice in the political sector, despite much uproar and controversy among the French in Madagascar at the time.
French economic aspirations at the time were strained by external and internal forces, particularly the fluctuating economy. The French struggled in many labor sectors. The labor demands from the Malagasy conflicted with labor requirements for Europeans. In 1926, the French were granted access to a government scheme, SMOTIG, a public works scheme.
Another setback to French settlers at the time was the climate. French farmers particularly faced the brunt of this. Several cyclones destroyed crops, placing affected French farmers in much financial trouble.
During the depression of the 1930s, the colonial administration favored coffee over cash crops. From 1932, European farmers had access to 21 Agricultural Credit associations containing several thousand members.
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Wikipedia