Why Traffic Jams and Overstuffed Supermarket Trolleys Reveal The Pitfalls Of Misjudged Prosperity

Picture this: a retired high-ranking official, suited up, charmingly nostalgic, seated before an international TV anchor. The question? “What is the state of Madagascar today?” His answer? Traffic jams and supermarket trolleys. Not potholes or poverty, not the deforestation or the wealth of biodiversity hanging by a thread. No, prosperity, he says, is proven by our busy streets and full caddies.

Let that sink in.

For a country where 80% of the population depends on subsistence farming, where nearly 75% of people live on less than $1.90 a day, this is either audacious optimism or a dangerous case of rose-tinted glasses. But let’s unpack the “logic” of it—humor me, if you will.

The Traffic Jam Economy

Sure, Antananarivo’s streets are clogged. A gridlock of Renault 4s, second-hand Toyotas, and an increasing number of those fancy SUVs that barely fit on our charmingly chaotic streets. On the surface, more cars might suggest a growing middle class, more consumer power. But here’s the truth: many of these cars are a legacy of low import taxes on second-hand vehicles. That SUV? It might be on its fourth life, held together with duct tape and prayers.

Meanwhile, the average Malagasy citizen isn’t sitting in traffic; they’re navigating the potholes on foot or crammed into a rickety taxi-be. And if we zoom out of the capital to rural Madagascar, the image is even starker: ox-carts, bicycles, or just plain old barefoot walking. Measuring prosperity by cars in Tana is like measuring ocean depth by the puddle in your yard—it’s charmingly irrelevant.

Supermarket Sweep: The Trolley Mirage

And then there are the supermarkets. Shiny, air-conditioned, and loaded with imported goodies that scream modernity. The retired high-ranking official sees full trolleys and declares victory over poverty. But let’s break down the cart contents, shall we?

Often, it’s the city’s elites—expats, successful entrepreneurs, influential politicians, and prominent business leaders—filling these trolleys. Imported wine, cheeses, and those delightfully overpriced cookies. Sure, some middle-class families might be in there, carefully choosing staples: rice, oil, canned sardines. But for most Malagasy people? Shopping happens in the vibrant street markets, where rice and beans are weighed in scoops and bargaining is a survival skill.

It’s a fantasy to assume supermarkets represent national wealth. They represent urban bubbles of convenience, disconnected from the lived reality of most Malagasy people.

Madagascar’s Wealth, Misunderstood

Here’s where our retired friend might have focused instead: Madagascar’s true wealth isn’t in the number of bumpers in traffic or trolleys in Jumbo Score. It’s in our breathtaking biodiversity, our rich cultural heritage, and the resilience of our people.

We are the stewards of 5% of the world’s plant and animal species, most of which are found nowhere else. But our forests are shrinking, and species like the indri and the aye-aye are on the brink. Our culture is an incredible tapestry of traditions, proverbs, and stories, but so many of our rural communities still lack access to basic education and healthcare.

If wealth is measured by what we have, then Madagascar is astonishingly rich. But if prosperity is measured by access, equality, and opportunity, we have a long way to go.

The Danger of Simplistic Narratives

The retired high-ranking official’s comments might seem laughable, but they’re also dangerous. When we equate traffic jams and trolleys with success, we risk ignoring the deep structural issues that perpetuate poverty.

Madagascar isn’t poor because it lacks resources; it’s poor because those resources are unevenly distributed, often exploited, and too rarely reinvested in the people who need them most. Until we address these systemic challenges, any vision of prosperity will remain an illusion.

A Wake-Up Call

So, to our retired high-ranking official, I offer this friendly suggestion: next time you’re interviewed on international TV, speak not of bumpers but of books, not of trolleys but of teachers. Celebrate the potential of Madagascar’s youth, the ingenuity of its farmers, the beauty of its landscapes. Speak truth, even when it’s uncomfortable, because Madagascar deserves nothing less.

And as for the rest of us? Let’s keep our eyes open, our voices loud, and our dreams for Madagascar big enough to see beyond the traffic jams.

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