Banner for the diaspora's meet-up event in Aix-en-Provence (with the organizers’ permission) An estimated 120,000 members of the Malagasy diaspora are scattered across all of the world's continents, and there are at least 2,000 organizations around the globe working for the development of Madagascar. And yet, until today, every individual or joint initiative striving to move Madagascar ahead has been functioning in a vacuum and struggles to benefit the country. In order to get to know each other and unite efforts for the development of Madagascar, a number of organizations have decided to hold a three-day conference on campus at the University of Aix-en-Provence, France, called Zama Aix 2016. The conference, to be held in July, will include 12 round tables, 10 workshops, a forum for organizations and artists, cultural performances, and a final concert. The Malagasy diaspora is a large and rather heterogeneous community that still carries a substantial weight in the country’s economy. The World Bank estimates an average incoming flow from the diaspora (remittance) of 13 million US dollars per year (PDF) from 2003 to 2010. . Distribution of the Malagasy diaspora according to social and occupational categories. Source: DDIA (with permission) Writing for the Madagascar Tribune, Lalatiana describes this diverse community as follows: La diaspora malgache s’est construite en plusieurs flux de ce qui s’est avéré plus une émigration de savoir qu’une émigration de travail. Contrairement aux migrants de l’Afrique et du Maghreb qui, à l’origine, se sont expatriés en masse pour répondre à des besoins de main-d’œuvre des industries et des services des pays développés du nord, le migrant malagasy partait en Europe pour y acquérir une formation supérieure propre à satisfaire ses aspirations sociales dans une société malgache qui a traditionnellement toujours considéré le savoir comme valeur essentielle. Majoritairement installée en France (métropole et DOM-TOM, à la Réunion en particulier) , mais aussi en Allemagne, Suisse, Belgique, Italie, Norvège, désormais au Canada et aux USA nouveaux espaces symboliques de succès ou sur le continent Africain, la diaspora malgache, par ailleurs, n’a fait l’objet que d’un faible nombre d’études sociologiques ou anthropologiques. The Malagasy diaspora has come into existence as a result of repeated emigration flows; an emigration for knowledge rather than work. Contrary to migrants from Africa and the Maghreb who originally expatriated in large numbers to respond to the northern countries’ needs for workforce in various industries and services, the Malagasy migrant would move to Europe to gain an advanced academic education which would help him or her live up to their social aspirations in a Malagasy society which has always valued knowledge. Mostly settled in France (mainland and overseas territories), but also in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Norway, and now also in Canada and the USA, symbolic spaces of success, or on the African continent, the Malagasy diaspora has, however, been subject to sociological and anthropological studies on only a few occasions. During this conference, 600 participants will come together for meetings that will focus, among other things, on: In other words, this conference is intended to be a fair — not a job fair, but a fair aimed at the “current actions and actions to come in Madagascar.” All participants are expected to share their feedback and their vision of Madagascar’s future. “Why this conference? To get to know each other and build the future together” Poster explaining the rationale behind the Zama meet up (from Zama with permission) Twelve round tables will allow participants to reflect on how to act together for the good of Madagascar and the diaspora’s greater welfare. There will also be exhibitions, projections, conferences, debates and workshops as well as cultural performances pushing internationally successful Malagasy artists to the forefront. The project’s European cofounders, Roger Rabetafika and Patrick Rakotomalala, are well aware that their vision is quite ambitious, considering that this initiative is the first of its kind in Europe: (Le projet) Zama est effectivement un projet ambitieux, d’abord parce qu’il s’agit en l’occurrence d’une grande première dans l’histoire de la diaspora malgache dans le monde, ensuite parce que, de la même manière que pour la bonne mayonnaise, son succès et sa réussite ne pourront être assurés qu’avec la participation, je dirais même plus – la complicité – de toutes et de tous. .. [..]Et sur une première nous n’avons aucun indicateur qui puisse nous affirmer avec certitude son succès.