Word Of The Day: Fihavanana

Do you know what fihavanana means?

“Fihavanana” is one of, if not, the most important values of the Malagasy society.

There is no word that loyally and precisely translates “fihavanana” in English, but the closest one would be “friendship”.  Many definitions have been given to the fihavanana such as “excellent interpersonal relations “(Rasedinarivo), or “for every human being, the imperious moral obligation to consider his/her neighbor, no matter his/her origin, as parent (havana)” (J. Rabemananjara), but according to Victor Rajaonah in his book “Ne Tuons Pas Les Morts’ (Let’s not kill the dead), “you do not explain Fihavanana, you live it”.

Familial Bond

This concept has been passed on from generation to generation and even if nowadays it doesn’t have the same weight as before, Fihavanana still plays a valuable role in the social life of the Malagasy. The root of the word is “Havana”, meaning parent. The first circle of the fihavanana is the family, in the large sense of the term as opposed to the nucleus family, in which the “mpihavana” share the same ancestors and therefore the same blood, the same origin. Added to this, there are the havana by alliance; the spouses’ families are also havana.

Then comes the havana in the very large sense of the term, which includes friends, neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances, team mates, etc. To the Malagasy, whoever has a certain type of relationship can be qualified as a havana.

Social Bond

Havana, as a social bond, implies a sense of unity and a mutual aid. When you are mpihavana, you are expected to support each other in your community, may it be a project, a happy event in your family or sickness or loss of loved ones. In the ancient days, the Malagasy had what was called a “valin-tanana” which was a form of a mutual aid in someone’s project. The valin-tanana (return of a hand) consisted principally of working together on someone’s land one time, and doing the same for others the next time. In this case, working on a piece of land would have taken several days if the owner had performed it alone, but it would be done in one day if the whole village lent a hand. The same principle applies for projects such as building a house, a barn, or a stable. On happy occasions, the Malagasy did not forget to include all the havana. Those who can afford it would have 300 or more guests during a wedding to the extent that some people would see it as a showoff, but fundamentally, the intention is to share the happiness with all of the havana.

In Death

The fihavanana comes out even stronger when difficulties appear, or sad events occur. In case of a death for example, all havana (in the very large sense) will come to support the family and when they present their condolences, they give a certain amount of money to help the family support the funerals’ expenses. The family takes note of everyone who presented their condolences so that they will not miss it when the [sad] opportunity to return the favor occurs in the future. Even those who were not in good terms with the dead would show their support because “ny Malagasy tsy miady amam-paty” (The Malagasy does not quarrel the dead”).

The Malagasy illustrates the fihavanana with numerous ohabolana (proverb). Here are some examples:

- Aleo very tsikalakalam-bola toy izay very tsikalakalam-pihavanana‍

One prefers losing money than losing fihavanana

- Fanambadiana tsy raikitra, tsy maharatsy fihavanana

A marriage that could not materialize does not break the fihavanana

- Varotra tsy raikitra tsy maharatsy fihavanana

A trade that could not be concluded does not break the fihavanana

Nowadays, the fihavanana is still very strong in the countryside and the remote areas, but the closer you are to the large cities, the more the fihavanana has a tendency to fade. Our question for you is, how do we keep fihavanana strong and alive today?