Continued..
Parents who had twins had to abandon them or they themselves were banished from the community. The practice was legislated against in 1982 but old habits die hard. So, Fatma became an advocate for the extermination of this evil practice. She set up a settlement in support of abandoned twins and their parents at the twin village in Mananjary. The settlement received support from funds she raised and her earnings.
Fatma demonstrated courage by ignoring the local “fady” or taboo on twin curse in spite of insinuations of harm to befall her. She told the story of her navigating the Pangalanes canal from Mananjary to Fanivelona to attend the celebration of the oldest twins living in the community, thirty years after the abolition of the “fady kabana”. She was warned not to undertake the journey that would upset the ancestors. Determined, she embarked on the journey but got lost in the body of waters with two snakes swimming along on both sides of her boat. It seemed…
Source: Leadership Newspaper
