According to scholars, the practice contributes to the country’s impoverishment. The traditional guardians, however, do not agree. For these gentlemen who hold ancestral wisdom, it is a ceremony to pay homage to their ancestors. “ We must do this to purify our body, our soul, and our home. Its very important. We are Malagasy above all », added one of them, Dagobert Ndriahery.
Since January, apart from the bad weather which decimated the cattle herd in Analanjirofo, SAVA, DIANA, part of the Boeny and Sofia Region, without inflating the figures too much, a good hundred thousand zebu have been killed in traditional rituals on the Big Island. A phenomenon that also concerns consumers. “ The meat costs almost 20,000 Ar per kilo. And then I learned that people slaughtered more than 500 oxen in the space of three days. It’s a bit shocking. Why not give it to farmers for example? », laments a mother.
To be clear, tradition firmly demands that the blood of the zebu must flow on sacred ground. THE ancestor, the ancestors need it in order to maintain cosmic balance. So, the bigger the offering, the more the ancestors grant wishes…
The politicians, too, are in on the action. A month before the legislative election campaign, candidates consulted the traditionalists. Wanting to reassure these candidates, they advise them to “kill the fatted calf”. Yes, the stewards use habits and customs to establish their power. They say no to the phenomenon I’m old, but positively nod their heads when it comes to their interest! Would the rites (jôro) serve to ease consciences? Only the ancestors can answer this pertinent question.
Furthermore, progressives do not hide their concerns. However, they encourage the peasants to perfect the pastoral method, given that the latter have hardly changed the practice inherited by their great-grandparents. “ We need the flesh and blood of zebu to honor the ancestors, so we should improve some things. I have the impression that our era stopped at the time of Andriandahifotsy », Specified Sarobidy Seheno, specialist in sociology and rurality in Madagascar.
Apparently, these intellectuals are totally convinced that certain uses of tradition are no longer applicable today. Contemplative breeding must be replaced by another, more effective system.
Iss Heridiny