Life Full of Thorns

One Saturday evening, at about five o’clock, Rita went to meet Andrianaivo as usual at the village chapel. The weather was not pleasant. The sky was cloudy and the atmosphere was gloomy. Rita sat alone under the mango tree, patiently waiting for Andrianaivo to arrive.

As time passed, Rita became anxious. Andrianaivo was always punctual, and she could not understand why he had not appeared yet. She had already been waiting for more than two hours. Nevertheless, she decided to wait a little longer, as she was known for her patience. The place was deserted and complete silence surrounded her.

Suddenly, from nowhere, six or seven tall and powerful men appeared before Rita. She became extremely frightened. One of them approached her and asked:

“What are you doing here?”

“I am waiting for someone. You are not from this village, I suppose?”

“Of course not! Now shut up!”

The men immediately attacked Rita. They held her tightly and tied her hands and legs. They threatened to kill her if she shouted for help. The kidnappers then placed her inside a gunny bag and carried her to their leader, who was waiting nearby.

The leader sold Rita for a small amount of money to French traders who had come to Madagascar in search of slaves.

Later, Andrianaivo arrived at the chapel hoping to meet Rita. Sadly, he could not find her. He became extremely worried and could not control his anger and sadness. He walked repeatedly around the chapel yard like a mad man, hoping that Rita would suddenly appear.

After waiting for one and a half hours, he went to Rita’s home. However, Elizabeth Ratnamaka assured him that her daughter was not there. Andrianaivo then searched throughout the village, but all his efforts were useless. Finally, he realised that all his hopes had been destroyed.

Meanwhile, Rita was overwhelmed with fear. She constantly wondered what would happen to her. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she thought about her parents and, above all, her beloved Andrianaivo. The thought that she might never see him again caused her unbearable pain.

News spread throughout the village like wildfire that Rita had disappeared. Everyone was shocked, as it was the first time that someone had gone missing there. People gathered at Rita’s home to comfort and support her parents.

“Don’t worry! We will find her soon,” assured the villagers.

Both young and old men searched the bushes around the village. However, the possibility that Rita had been kidnapped never crossed their minds, although some villagers had noticed strangers in the area earlier.

The French traders showed no compassion. They were cruel and merciless. When Rita attempted to escape, they severely whipped her, insulted her and attacked her violently.

She was transported in a cart to the port of Tamatave. There, a ship was waiting to sail towards Isle de France, an island situated in the Indian Ocean.

One of the French traders expressed his happiness:

“We are lucky to bring along with us some twenty slaves. I hope we will get a good price for them.”

“We hope so!” the others replied.