While the Jesuits left disappointed, the Lazarists came to try their luck. Two Lazarist priests arrived on the 4th December 1648, Fathers Charles Nacquart, and Gondree, young priests of thirty and twenty-nine. They landed at Taolanaro. They started their mission at that place. They were greatly encouraged by favour of the king of that region. The people also cooperated and welcomed them in their midst. And in no time they spoke the Malagasy language, communicated with the people and preached the Good News to them.
Due to the absence of didactic materials, they had to improvise some materials to facilitate their work. Nacquart started to write a catechism in Malagasy language. They had a different approach from that of the LMS missionaries who came to the island in early nineteenth century. The LMS missionaries translated the Bible into the Malagasy language. These methods produced different effects from the reception of Christianity by the indigenous people. The LMS made more and lasting converts while the Lazarists struggled without success.
Nacquart used some Koranic words and expressions in his catechism (Hubsch 1992:174). He realised during his encounters with the people that they were already influenced by the Muslim religion brought by the Arab traders who arrived there before them. So he tried to build from what the people already knew. He also wrote a few prayers and thirty short homilies. He compiled them with his catechetical book. The theme of his teaching converged around three Christian mysteries: the Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), the Incarnation and the Sacraments (1992:174).
His work was of great use later on for the missionaries coming to Madagascar. It was published in 1657, seven years after his death.
Gondree died six months after their arrival. He did not adjust to the harsh climate of Madagascar. Nacquart was left alone to carry on the Lazarists' mission. His task was not easy, both among the French community and the local people. He died on the 29th
May 1650. In all he baptised seventy-seven people and blessed ten marriages (Hubsch 1992:175).
Then Fathers Bourdaise and Mounier arrived in August 1654 to take over the mission from him. A few months later, Mounier died. The Lazarists sent four more missionaries to replace him and strengthen their mission in Madagascar the following year. Only two of them arrived on May 1656, the other two having died during the journey. The two new comers did not last. They died of malaria. Bourdaise was left alone again. After experiencing hardships, fatigue, and sickness, Bourdaise himself died on the 24 June
1657.
In 1663, four more Lazarists missionaries arrived; but they were disappointed by the situation. Villages were torn apart by the war between the local people and French settlers. They sent more missionaries whose mission became more and more difficult.
At last they decided to leave the country on September 1674. All of the French settlers left the island with them. In a period of twenty-five years, the Lazarists sent thirty-one priests and ten religious brothers to Madagascar. Only two of them survived and managed to return to France, their country of origin (Hiibsch 1992:179). After long struggles, they had no choice but to abandon their mission in Madagascar. No more foreign missionaries came to the island until the arrival of the LMS, London Missionary Society, in 1818.
5- Radama's contract with Great Britain
Andrianampoinimerina died in 1810. His dream was to bring the whole island under one kingdom; but it was only a dream. His son Radama I succeeded him on the throne.
He was a young man of seventeen, having been born in 1793, when he came to the throne for the first time. Despite his tender age, he showed aptitude and intelligence in carrying on his father's dream. He consolidated his kingdom at Imerina and continued the conquest of other kingdoms. He did it in order 'to fulfil both his father's wishes and of his own ambitions to become a great conqueror in emulation of Napoleon' (Brown 1978:132).
I Figure 5: Andrianampoinimerina in his traditional garments, painted during colonisation. He said 'Ny ranomasina no valamparihiko'. He refused to cooperate with any European.
Radama had no difficulty in raising an army larger than that of any possible adversary in a densely populated kingdom of Imerina. He was self-sufficient in everything except firearms and ammunition for the conquest. His only income for these was the exportation of slaves. He was the patron of slave trade in Madagascar. He captured potential slaves during military expeditions and brought them to the coast at Toamasina to be exchanged for firearms and ammunition. During his reign, an average of two thousand slaves was exported each year from Imerina (1978:129).
During this time Robert Townsend Farquhar was the British ambassador in the island of Mauritius which was already a British protectorate. He was commissioned to extend the British hegemony around the Indian Ocean region. He was informed about Radama's plan to bring the whole Madagascar under one kingdom. He thought that alliance with him could bring the British policy to its achievement. He then sent first Jacques Chardenoux on June 1816 as an unofficial delegate to establish contact and gain information. The delegation was well received with affection and respect by the
king. Farquhar was well pleased with this initial contact. He proceeded with the official delegate. This second was to secure a general treaty of friendship and alliance. He sent Le Sage on November 1816. This latter managed to conclude a general treaty of friendship and peace but failed to address the question of the abolition of the slave trade.
The British had three specific goals that pushed them to conclude this alliance: firstly, to acquire sovereignty over Madagascar so that it would become open to British influence and trade, secondly, to use Radama's power to oust the French from the island, and thirdly, the abolition of the slave trade by persuading Radama to prohibit the export of slaves (Belrose 1992:188). The two first goals could be achieved by the conclusion of a treaty but the last one needed another step.
The failure to address the subject of the slave trade was a disappointment to Farquhar.
But the ground was already prepared for further negotiation. He delegated James Hastie on July 1817 to address this matter to Radama. His mission was to convince Radama that
it is more advantageous to him to keep his people in his dominions, and by their labour to provide those articles which his country produces in sufficient quantity to exchange for the merchandise of Europe and India which he requires, than to depopulate his country by the sale of his subjects, and of his unfortunate neighbours, whose country he lays waste in order to gratify his desire (Brown 1978:140).
Radama was not convinced at first, but when Farquhar offered him provision of the equivalent in arms and money in lieu of the proceeds of the slave trade, he accepted. In his great kabary-speech on the 9th October 1817, he prohibited the export of slaves.
Anyone who disobeyed it would receive the most severe punishment or be reduced to slavery. Farquhar seeing his policy crowned with success, returned to England on leave. General John Hall replaced him.
Hall ruined Farquhar's policy by ignoring the treaty. He refused to pay the 'equivalent', and now he recalled Hastie from Antananarivo (Brown 1987:143). Radama was infuriated by this breach of faith. He immediately ordered the resumption of the slave trade. It continued until July 1820 when Farquhar's home leave was finished. Back in Mauritius, he immediately set about to repair the damage caused by General Hall. He re-appointed Hastie to go back to Madagascar and renewed the treaty. This time he went with a LMS missionary, Rev David Jones. After a long explanation, Hastie managed to re-convince Radama to ratify the renewed treaty. Meanwhile Radama asked for help in instructing his people. With the support of the king Rev David Jones set to work without losing time. Many more missionaries and artisans were to come to help him.