He is the disc jockey politician, a charismatic, fresh-faced entrepreneur who swapped the turntables and nightclubs of Antananarivo for a movement that this week has culminated in the ousting of Madagascar’s twice-elected president.
So when Andry Rajoelina, 34, was to be inaugurated as Africa’s youngest president yesterday, all expected a carnival of sound. His supporters have taken to blaring out Malagasy pop music to get crowds in the mood. This may be the first African coup with its own soundtrack.
Images of the man this week have appeared incongruous: a sharp suit and baby face amid the sharpshooters in army fatigues, an unlikely alliance between the soldiers who have seen it all before and the 34-year-old who has got it all to come.
But behind the boyish good looks lies a ruthless ambition that has surprised many.
“When he became mayor I had never heard of him before. But he was a charming person, he was easy to be around,” said a former adviser to Rajoelina, who wished to remain anonymous.
“In fact, he seemed quite shy and very polite. I never believed he could become what he is today — now it is very hard to know who this man really is,” he said.
Born to a relatively wealthy but unexceptional family and privately educated, Rajoelina was working the ramshackle clubs and bars of Antananarivo as a DJ by the time he was 20.
“He would play wherever he could,” said Liana Herisoa, chief editor of Rajoelina’s privately owned TV station. “For friends, in clubs, all over Antananarivo.”
The snappy young DJ then moved into promoting other performers, and had soon set up his own radio station. And as Viva radio pumped out a hugely popular foot-tapping mix of international hits, pop music and love ballads, Rajoelina’s profile began to rise.
Ultimately establishing himself as a successful entrepreneur at the helm of Injet, an advertising company, his appeal was instant. Just as that of former president Marc Ravalomanana — a self-made dairy tycoon — had been when he came to power after elections in 2001.
Early political aspirations were realized in Rajoelina’s TGV (Tanora Malagasy Vonona, or Young Malagasy’s Determined) movement, the party platform from which he launched his mayoral campaign. Rajoelina soon earned himself the nickname TGV — as much a reference to his movement, as to the French high-speed train — a reflection of his unstoppable and feisty character.
The train finally arrived last week. With the support of a powerful core of rebellious troops, within an army that had tried to remain neutral until the bitter end, Rajoelina has spearheaded a dramatic regime change.
Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of "47 democrats" accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed today after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month. Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham (岑子杰), who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021. "Let me spend some time with my family," Sham said after arriving at his home in the Kowloon district of Jordan. "I don’t know how to plan ahead because, to me, it feels
Polish presidential candidates offered different visions of Poland and its relations with Ukraine in a televised debate ahead of next week’s run-off, which remains on a knife-edge. During a head-to-head debate lasting two hours, centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s governing pro-European coalition, faced the Eurosceptic historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing populist Law and Justice party (PiS). The two candidates, who qualified for the second round after coming in the top two places in the first vote on Sunday last week, clashed over Poland’s relations with Ukraine, EU policy and the track records of their
‘A THREAT’: Guyanese President Irfan Ali called on Venezuela to follow international court rulings over the region, whose border Guyana says was ratified back in 1899 Misael Zapara said he would vote in Venezuela’s first elections yesterday for the territory of Essequibo, despite living more than 100km away from the oil-rich Guyana-administered region. Both countries lay claim to Essequibo, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens. Guyana has administered the region for decades. The centuries-old dispute has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered massive offshore oil deposits a decade ago, giving Guyana the largest crude oil reserves per capita in the world. Venezuela would elect a governor, eight National Assembly deputies and regional councilors in a newly created constituency for the 160,000
North Korea has detained another official over last week’s failed launch of a warship, which damaged the naval destroyer, state media reported yesterday. Pyongyang announced “a serious accident” at Wednesday last week’s launch ceremony, which crushed sections of the bottom of the new destroyer. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called the mishap a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness.” Ri Hyong-son, vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Party Central Committee, was summoned and detained on Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. He was “greatly responsible for the occurrence of the serious accident,” it said. Ri is the fourth person
RSS