Huh? In Madagougou, to hope to get by a little, there’s a necessary step: bizina… meaning business, generally informal, to generate small profits.

My bizina

Before the current terrible descent into hell, yes, indeed, everyone did a little business at their own level to make a little extra money.

Stop ou encore ?

And it’s no secret that business is when I buy something at a certain price and resell it for a higher price.

I recover my working capital to be able to make new transactions, and the small profit I generated allows me to improve my daily life a little.

Investir à Madagascar : dans quels secteurs ?

But that was before

You could do that in many sectors: food, cars, real estate, etc.

It worked because a market still existed. As small as it was, it existed. And that’s what allowed everyone to scrape by as best they could.

But today? Wow… No more water, no more electricity, and above all, monstrous inflation in recent years, while incomes haven’t budged much.

Race results?

The purchasing power of the vast majority of the popular class has melted like snow in the sun. It’s become “survival mode” for everyone, and the priorities now are only two: housing and food. Zay, vita.

The rest has therefore become an accessory, superfluous, even a luxury.

And the immediate consequence is that business is also dying. The tiny little market has disappeared; people no longer have the means. And if they can do without middlemen, they’ll do it to reduce costs.

And the worst thing is that to get by, everyone is going to get into business. Lots and lots of sellers… but very few buyers.

And since prices have skyrocketed, these sellers can’t go below a certain threshold, which means that the possible margins have also melted like snow in the sun. Resale at cost price has become widespread.

And food?

Until now, we thought that people would always need to eat. Indeed… except when food poisoning and intoxications are so violently in the news.

Really bad luck, because here again, it’s the businesses of professionals in related sectors (restaurants, eateries, catering spaces, etc.) that have immediately suffered the backlash from this appalling news.

Anyway, I don’t want to say anything, but it’s a bit of a disaster, isn’t it? Everyone I interview today in Madagougou invariably tells me the same thing: tsy mandeha ny sera, tsy misy kil, sahirana poor daholo ny olona…

“Y a rien qui marche, on est dans la mer*de”

De facto, it has become widespread impoverishment. Except for the small handful who are gorging themselves in high places, of course. For them, there’s no need to worry; everything’s fine with their bulging offshore accounts.

But you, the average citizen? You’re the manenganiny party, eh? Your salary has now become peanuts and your little businesses are no longer working.

And that’s how shitty ideas start to flourish here and there. Like? Like, a career in drugs, scams, thefts, burglaries, receiving stolen goods, murders, and all that.

Izay zany sisa ilay Madagougou. Nandresy ny tolona. And you know, I wouldn’t be any worse than him 🤣