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President

We visited the palace that President Didier Ratsiraka built as his residence, just outside Antananarivo. It was evening and dark, so I don't have any pictures of the exterior. But it was meant to impress, more forbidding than beautiful. Everything was bigger than it should be to make you feel small!

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Madame R.

We were invited to dinner by Madame Ratsiraka, the president's wife. Here on photo, left.

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Fauteuils

Those huge arm chairs made us a little giggly.

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Dinner

Madame R. excused herself. The chandeliers had fallen from the ceiling of the state banquet hall. So there was only eery light. She had to leave for Paris and New York the next day. And there was no alcohol. Food was fine and simple.

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Singing

Again, we felt like actors in a film. In that huge banquet hall, a table set for about 60 people, Coca Cola and mineral water bottles on the table...
The friend standing behind Madame R. held a silly speech, held up a fork and said: Madame, you don't mind if I take a souvenir?
We ended up linking arms and singing: Oh, Champs Elysée...

Bizarre...

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What we also came to do

Some 30 Malagasy women had worked for 2 years to form two new Ladies' Circles. We were there to initiate them into the organisation of Ladies' Circle International.
This initiation is called a charter and you can read about it in the next <a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/.179980/article/38/21/?s=q">travelogue</a>