Madagascar Makes Slate Magazine's Road and Kingdoms column

An interesting article on the effects of the economic plight of Madagascar since 2009 told through the declining narrative of one of the southern gemstone towns.

We've met the "sailor-mouthed" gemstone dealer mentioned in the article.  The New Yorker featured him in an article back in 2006.  He's a very affable and entertaining man with a very gracious wife.

Here's the article:

A Cursed Land:Droughts. Bandits. Locusts. Inside the boom and bust of a Madagascar frontier town. by Aaron Ross

Some other Mada Articles by Aaron Ross

Why Madagascar's Children Have the Most at Stake in Friday's Presidential Election

Madagascar: When the Aid Dries Up

Plague Highlights Public Health Failings in Madagascar

Madagascar, Where Child Prostitution Is Common, Cheap and 'Trivial'

Madagascar's Crisis in Pictures Madagascar's Election: A Nervous Wait