Avelo (Ghost)
Tarika, Son Egal, 1997
(Rasoanaivo)
Avelo was written to scare people. The Malagasy used to be very respectful of their ancestors, so I was thinking how the ancestors might rise up.
I read a newspaper feature about a gang who open tombs and steal sacks of bones to be sold for profit. Because of poverty, Malagasy people are now ready to do anything, even if it involves stealing the bones of the ancestors - the worst crime a Malagasy could commit.
Another incident behind the song was the burning down of the Rova, the old royal palace. That is the saddest part of recent Malagasy history for me because I deeply believe in all of the kings and queens who ruled Madagascar. I would like them to all come out and punish those bad politicians.
On the way to Moramanga, where a famous atrocity took place in 1947, there is a river called Mangoro. People were so distressed about the numbers of corpses lying around for dogs to eat, they just shovelled them into trucks and threw them into this river, or they were put into a mass grave in a little forest nearby.
Having talked to the old men who witnessed these atrocities (and now live in the poorest conditions you could imagine), and felt how strongly they still believed in the spirit of those who gave up their life for the sake of the country's freedom, it made me realise how very weak and worthless our current politicians are. I would like the ancestors' spirits to rise up and punish the traitors who made Madagascar one of the poorest countries in the world.
These very poor old people really gave me the strength to produce this album. I listened to them in their little huts, telling me the stories and then blessing me to go on and keep on with fighting.
The stories of old people...
It's a pleading sound, a sound of sadness/Please listen, please listen/It tells the story of traitors/Who traded their country for money.
We have to use the old people as a medicine/Please listen, please listen/They are the bridge which leads us to the search for truth/The truth which is hard to find/Because it has been covered by laws erected to disguise it.
My tears and prayers/Please listen, please listen/Because all the martyrs were just dead without recognition/What has become of them? Just dust...
Who dares? Who dares?/Stealing my bones?/Burning my ancestors'?/Since the land is mine, I am coming back/I will haunt you, you will have nightmares/I will make you cry, I will haunt you.
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