Albert Sylla
Encyclopedia
Albert Sylla was a Malagasy
doctor
and politician
.
father and a Creole
mother, Louisa Sylla on 18 February 1909 in Tuléar. There are rumours that Sylla was of Senegal
ese ancestry, but these rumours are limited to the internet
and the Malagasy
diaspora
. As a child he was educated in nous
Catholic missions, attending the Brothers of Saint Gabriel in Nosy Be
, and later the College of the Saint Joseph
Christian Brothers
in Tamatave. After being admitted to the Myre de Vilers
school, he began studies at the School of Medicine in Antananarivo in 1926, where he gained the rank of Senior Medical Officer; the highest degree attainable by local officials.
In 1932 in Tamatave he married Laguet, a lady of European and Réunion Creole
heritage, and they had six children. The family lived in Fianarantsoa
, Tuléar, Tananarive, Mananara, Île Sainte-Marie
and lastly Tamatave, where he was posted in September 1946, after the birth of his son Jacques
. Sylla helped form Parti des déshérités de Madagascar (PADESM), and he entered politics when he was elected as a provincial councillor on 30 March 1952. In the same year he became Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Tourism.
In 1953 he was elected as a councillor to the Assembly of the French Union
, and he ran on the list of "Entente franco-malgache dan l'Union francaise". On 28 August 1956, whilst attending a reunion in Tamatave, he became president of the local chapter of the UDSM, which had been formed by Norbest Zafimahova.
In 1958 he became a member of the National Assembly of Madagascar
. During this time he travelled extensively, and made unofficial visits to South Korea
, Algeria
, India
, Taiwan
, France
, Belgium
, Kenya
, Japan
, Greece
, amongst others.
After Madagascar gained independence from France on 26 June 1960, Sylla was appointed by President Philibert Tsiranana
to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, and chaired Madagascar's delegation at meetings of the Organisation of African Unity.
On 19 July 1967, an Air Madagascar
Douglas DC-4
, on a scheduled flight from Antananarivo
to Tamatave and Diego Suarez
, crashed after take-off from Ivato International Airport, killing 42 people, including Sylla.
The Madagascar Cabinet held an emergency meeting after the crash, and it was announced that Sylla would be given a state funeral
.
Sylla was succeeded as foreign minister by Jacques Rabemananjara
on 22 August 1967 after President Tsiranana reshuffled his cabinet as a result of Sylla's death.
His son Jacques Sylla
served as Prime Minister from 2002 to 2007.
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Biography
Sylla was born to an unknown FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
father and a Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
mother, Louisa Sylla on 18 February 1909 in Tuléar. There are rumours that Sylla was of Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese ancestry, but these rumours are limited to the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and the Malagasy
Malagasy people
The Malagasy ethnic group forms nearly the entire population of Madagascar. They are divided into two subgroups: the "Highlander" Merina, Sihanaka and Betsileo of the central plateau around Antananarivo, Alaotra and Fianarantsoa, and the côtiers elsewhere in the country. This division has its...
diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
. As a child he was educated in nous
Nous
Nous , also called intellect or intelligence, is a philosophical term for the faculty of the human mind which is described in classical philosophy as necessary for understanding what is true or real, very close in meaning to intuition...
Catholic missions, attending the Brothers of Saint Gabriel in Nosy Be
Nosy Be
Nosy Be is an island located off the northwest coast of Madagascar. Nosy Be is Madagascar's largest and busiest tourist resort. It has an area of 312 km2 and its population was officially estimated at 36,636 in 2001....
, and later the College of the Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
Christian Brothers
Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation, founded in France by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle and now based in Rome...
in Tamatave. After being admitted to the Myre de Vilers
Charles Le Myre de Vilers
Charles Le Myre de Vilers was governor of Cochinchina and resident-general of Madagascar . He was a member of the French National Assembly from 1889 to 1902 ....
school, he began studies at the School of Medicine in Antananarivo in 1926, where he gained the rank of Senior Medical Officer; the highest degree attainable by local officials.
In 1932 in Tamatave he married Laguet, a lady of European and Réunion Creole
Réunion Creole
Réunion Creole or Reunionese Creole , or Créole Réunionnais in French is a creole language spoken on Réunion...
heritage, and they had six children. The family lived in Fianarantsoa
Fianarantsoa
Fianarantsoa is a city in south central Madagascar.Fianarantsoa is the capital of Haute Matsiatra Region. It was built in the early 19th century by the Merina as the administrative capital for the newly conquered Betsileo kingdoms....
, Tuléar, Tananarive, Mananara, Île Sainte-Marie
Île Sainte-Marie
Île Sainte-Marie, known as Nosy Boraha , is an island off the east coast of Madagascar. The main town is Ambodifotatra. The city covers an area of 222 km2, and had a population estimated at 16,325 in 2001.- City :...
and lastly Tamatave, where he was posted in September 1946, after the birth of his son Jacques
Jacques Sylla
Jacques Hugues Sylla was a Malagasy politician. He was the Prime Minister of Madagascar under President Marc Ravalomanana from February 2002 until January 2007. He subsequently served as the President of the National Assembly of Madagascar from 2007 until 2009.Sylla was born on the island of...
. Sylla helped form Parti des déshérités de Madagascar (PADESM), and he entered politics when he was elected as a provincial councillor on 30 March 1952. In the same year he became Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Tourism.
In 1953 he was elected as a councillor to the Assembly of the French Union
French Union
The French Union was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial system, the "French Empire" and to abolish its "indigenous" status.-History:...
, and he ran on the list of "Entente franco-malgache dan l'Union francaise". On 28 August 1956, whilst attending a reunion in Tamatave, he became president of the local chapter of the UDSM, which had been formed by Norbest Zafimahova.
In 1958 he became a member of the National Assembly of Madagascar
National Assembly of Madagascar
The Parliament has two chambers. The lower house is the National Assembly .The Assembly has 160 members, elected for a four year term in single-member and two-member constituencies...
. During this time he travelled extensively, and made unofficial visits to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, amongst others.
After Madagascar gained independence from France on 26 June 1960, Sylla was appointed by President Philibert Tsiranana
Philibert Tsiranana
Philibert Tsiranana was a Malagasy politician and leader, who served as the first President of Madagascar from 1959 to 1972....
to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, and chaired Madagascar's delegation at meetings of the Organisation of African Unity.
On 19 July 1967, an Air Madagascar
Air Madagascar
Société Nationale Malgache de Transports Aériens, Société Anonyme, operating as Air Madagascar, is an airline based in Antananarivo, Madagascar. It is the national airline operating services to Europe, Asia and neighbouring African and Indian Ocean island destinations. It also operates an extensive...
Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
, on a scheduled flight from Antananarivo
Antananarivo
Antananarivo , formerly Tananarive , is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana....
to Tamatave and Diego Suarez
Antsiranana
Antsiranana , named Diego-Suarez prior to 1975, is a city at the northern tip of Madagascar.Antsiranana is the capital of Diana Region.-Transports:...
, crashed after take-off from Ivato International Airport, killing 42 people, including Sylla.
The Madagascar Cabinet held an emergency meeting after the crash, and it was announced that Sylla would be given a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
.
Sylla was succeeded as foreign minister by Jacques Rabemananjara
Jacques Rabemananjara
Jacques Rabemananjara was a Malagasy politician, playwright and poet. He served as a government minister rising to vice President...
on 22 August 1967 after President Tsiranana reshuffled his cabinet as a result of Sylla's death.
His son Jacques Sylla
Jacques Sylla
Jacques Hugues Sylla was a Malagasy politician. He was the Prime Minister of Madagascar under President Marc Ravalomanana from February 2002 until January 2007. He subsequently served as the President of the National Assembly of Madagascar from 2007 until 2009.Sylla was born on the island of...
served as Prime Minister from 2002 to 2007.