M adagascar's independence jubilee: a nation's holiday in times of crisis

The fiftieth anniversary of M adagascar's independence in 2010 took place in the midst of political crisis. The transitory government staged large public parties to mark the J ubilee. Despite a public discussion about legitimacy and justification of this fact, the national holiday was lavishly celebrated. In M adagascar, I ndependence D ay is also an important family event and emphasis was put on private celebrations including family feasts and reunions. As a result, it enhanced the participants' emotional attachment to their personal and local face‐to‐face milieu. This article asks how the golden jubilee was celebrated against a backdrop of political illegitimacy. I contrast official state‐led initiatives and individual agency in the private sphere and discuss how the national holiday has been appropriated and reinterpreted by the population as a family and community holiday. This article is based on qualitative ethnographical fieldwork in A ntananarivo before, during and after the peak of the independence jubilee.