Accueil > Documentations scientifiques > Revues archivées > Omaly sy Anio > Archives > Omaly sy Anio (Hier et Aujourd’hui) : revue d’études historiques, volume 12, (...) > L’Expérience de colonisation militaire à Madagascar au temps de (...)
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L’Expérience de colonisation militaire à Madagascar au temps de Gallieni
Omaly sy Anio (Hier et Aujourd’hui) : revue d’études historiques, volume 12, juillet - décembre 1980, pp. 7- 73Auteur : Boutonne J.
Mots clés : COLONISATION FRANCAISE/CONCESSIONS DE TERRES/COLONIES AGRICOLES/MILITAIRES/EXPLOITATIONS AGRICOLES/HISTOIRE/1897-1905/MADAGASCAR/HAUTES TERRES CENTRALES/IMERINA
[ EN ] After a survey of the former experiences of military settlement, with a special reference to the one carried out by Bugeaud in Algeria, the author studies the first steps of a similar attempt by Gallieni in Madagascar. Owing to the fact that tropical products could not grow on the Highlands on the one hand, and that free lands were limited in surface on the other, colonization in that part of the country could only be performed on a small scale. For, it was obvious that military settlement was the normal issue of the French conquest in Madagascar. As early as July 1897, Gallieni officially recommended the creation of agricultural villages in the vicinity of military stations for idle soldiers to exert their ability. Meanwhile, voluntary attempts by individual soldiers at establishing settlements was warmly encouraged. The colonialist soldiers were granted free land, subsidy and public assistance in return for political intelligence, surveillance and defence activities. Their selection was rigorous and required solid knowledge. Individual settlements were supervised by the authorities and could be found in the Highlands only, especially along the main centre-lines leading to the Imerina (Anjozorobe in the North-East for example). Anyway, the colony’s limited means did not allow an extension of the experience. The soldiers were given free lands of average dimensions (ten or dozen hectares) on which they grew local crops (rice, tubers), vegetables and bred cattle. But soon, the market issues were felt because of the lack of means of communication, the restriction of trade exchange and the low prices of home-grown produces. The situation led the colonialist soldiers to take to other activities such as small trades, liquortrades, transport, prospecting, building contracts… The most successful were those who called upon relatives’ or associates’help ; in doing so they avoided moral solitude and mental morbidity. Some of them identified themselves with the country by marrying Malagasy women. As a matter of fact, their relationships with the natives appeared to be rather satisfactory. But ther remained a few problems, the dealing with labour for example. In this respect, the authorities’protection was a source of fraudulent activities as was revealed by the proliferation of false contracts.
Realizing the limitation of individual settlement, Gallieni altered his view on the matter as early as 1901. The 1905 military reform which reduced the number of recruitable farmer-soldiers, the economic crisis which prevailed in the colony and the coming of General Governor Augagneur, a born anti-militarist, merely reinforced Gallieni’s opinion. Subsequently, settlements came to a stop after 1905. The experience was half a success, the soldiers developed a relatively important proportion of the land that had definitively been granted to small settlers on the Highlands (20%) but the surface that was actually cultivated by them amounted to afew hundred hectares only.[ MLA ] Endrika iray izay nisehoan’ny fanjanahantany ny fametrahana voanjo miaramila, izany dia fanohizana ihany ny fampandrian-tany. Ampatsiahivin’ny mpanoratra fa hita tany an-toeran-kafa izany (ohatra tany Alizeria, raha nitondra tany i Bugeaud) fa tamin’ny fitondran’i Gallieni (1896-1905) kosa no nandramana izany teto Madagasikara.
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Vao ny volana jolay 1897 dia efa nanome toro-làlana ny amin’ny tokony hanorenana tanàna manodidina ny toby nentina nampandry tany i Gallieni ka teny no namboly ny miaramila. Nomena tany maimaimpoana izy ireny ary namporisihin’ny Fitondrana tamin’ny fanampiana isan-karazany na dia kelikely aza ny teti-bola natokana ho amin’izany fanandramana izany. Ho setrin’ny fanohanan’ny Fanjakana azy ireo dia niandraikitra ny fiarovana sy fanaraha-maso ny mponina ireny voanjo miaramila ireny. Teto Imerina sy ny manodidina, ary indrindra tamin’ireo faritra novakian’ny làlana nampandrian-tany no nametrahana ny voanjo miaramila (ohatra ny faritra avaratra-atsinanana manodidina an’Anjozorobe). Teto ampovoan-tany dia zakan’ny voanjo tsar any toetrandro fa saingy ireo karazam-boly fanondrana maniry amin’ny tany mafana dia tsy nety novolena ary ny tany azo zaraina dia voafetra ihany koa, noho izany dia voafetra ihany koa ny velaran-tany notrandrahan’ny voanjo miaramila. Saika ny voly fanaon’ny tompon-tany ihany no nataon’izy ireo ary ny vidin’ireny vokatra ireny dia ambany dia ambany. Voatery nampivady ny fambolena tamin’ny asa hafa ny voanjo : varotra madinidinika, varo-toaka, fitaterana, fikarohana vatosoa, fiantohana asam-panorenana isan-karazany. Ireo izay nanafatra ny havany na naka mpiray antoka no saika nahomby ; nisy koa naka vady teto an-toerana ary toa tsy dia ratsy loatra ny fifandraisana tamin’ny Malagasy tompon-tany. Nisy ihany anefa ny olana sy ny fahasahiranana :
ohatra ny aretina izay nandripaka indrindra ireo voanjo izay nitokantokana ;
ny fitadiavana mpikarama koa dia tena zava-nanahirana ny mpanjanaka ary ny fitsabahan’ny Fanjakana tamin’io lafin-javatra io dia niteraka fanamparan-kery sy fahefana ary hosoka isan-karazany. Tamin’ny taona 1901 dia efa tsikaritry ny jeneraly Gallieni fa tsy ho lasan-davitra mihitsy ny voanjo madinika amin’ny ankapobeny ka tsy narisika firy intsony izy tamin’ny fametrahana voanjo miaramila. Tato aoriana kely koa dia nisy lafin-javatra manokana nanafoana tsikelikely ny fanomezan-tany an’izy ireny : ohatra nikasika ny foloalindahy tamin’ny taona 1905, tahaka izany koa ny fahatongavan’i V. Augagneur izay tsy dia nahazohazo loatra ny miaramila… Tao aorian’ny taona 1905 izany dia tsy nisy intsony ny fanomezan-tany ny voanjo miaramila ary raha fintinina dia tsy fahombiazana no fitambaran’ny fanandramana na dia toa tsaratsara kokoa aza ny vokatra azon’ny miaramila raha ampitahana amin’ny an’ny voanjo madinika amin’ny ankapobeny.