Rally of the citizen's collective “Wake Up Madagascar.” Photo: Facebook, used with permission. The sixteenth Summit of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) will take place on November 24 and 25 in the capital of Madagascar, Antananaviro. Taking place every two years, the summit brings together heads of state and government leaders from the member states of the IOF, which represents French-speaking nations. At the summit, delegates discuss international politics, global economics, cooperation between Francophone nations, human rights, education, and democracy. In preparation for the arrival of the many heads of state, the Madagascan government has been keen to clean up the country's capital, so foreign guests see it in its best light. The administration has taken drastic steps to achieve this. New roads have been built, but the many homeless people who live in the capital have been relocated, as well. Felaniaina Diamante has published photographs showing homeless people being moved during the night ahead of the summit. She writes: Afindra monina vonjy maika(…) aloha ireo”mahantratsika”fa manimba mason'ny vahiny@frankofonia…Noraofina t@camion ben'ny CUA. Our destitute citizens are being […] hurriedly moved because their presence might shock the guests of La Francophonie. They were transported by a dump truck from the city council. A collection of photos showing the evacuation of homeless people in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Photo: F. Diamante, used with permission. Pamela, who lives in Antananarivo, confirms this information: J'étais outrée de voir comment ces personnes ont été transportées en pleine nuit, entassées dans un camion. Les SDF ne pouvaient pas vraiment refuser l’offre faite, les policiers leur ont proposé des vivres et des couvertures. Mais dès le lendemain matin, quelques-uns sont revenus à la case départ expliquant que le lieu ne leur convenait pas. Pourquoi a-t-on laissé le nombre de SDF s'accroître dans ce quartier, pour subitement décider de les embarquer, quelques jours avant ce sommet ? I was furious to see how these people were transported in the middle of the night, crammed in a lorry. The homeless people couldn't really refuse the offer in front of them. Police officers offered them food and blankets. But the very next morning, some of them came back to square one because the place wasn't suitable for them. Why has the number of homeless people been left to increase in this neighbourhood — to decide suddenly to send them packing several days before the summit? The citizen's movement “Wake Up Madagascar” works to expose the realities of daily life for Malagasy people. In one of the capital's public squares, the movement organised a sit-in to call out to leaders attending the summit. The group described the objectives of its demonstration in an open letter to the Secretary-General of the IOF: Madame La Secrétaire Générale, Nous, citoyens malgaches, sommes honorés d’être les hôtes du 16e Sommet de la Francophonie, bien que l’organisation de l’événement et les mesures prises pour son déroulement sont loin d’avoir acquis l’adhésion de tous. Nous vous souhaitons la bienvenue dans notre humble pays. Malheureusement, ce Sommet qui se veut fédérateur écarte l’âme même de Madagascar qu’est sa population. Les mesures prises au nom du confort et de la sécurité des prestigieux invités ne servent qu’à cacher la réalité du Malgache de 2016 et pour certains d’entre nous, alourdissent la précarité quotidienne durant la semaine consacrée à la Francophonie. Par ailleurs, un budget faramineux a été mis à disposition de l’Etat pour l’organisation de l’événement. Cependant, les dépenses occasionnées dans la préparation du Sommet restent opaques et les détails, jalousement gardés par l’Administration. Malgré les incessantes demandes de la société civile et de simples citoyens, le budget y affecté et ses sources sont volontairement laissés flous, laissant planer des doutes et des inquiétudes légitimes. Madam Secretary-General, We Malagasy citizens are honoured to host the sixteenth Summit of La Francophonie, even though the event's organisation and preparation has far from gain the support of everyone. We wish you a warm welcome to our humble country. Though this summit aims to unify, unfortunately it casts aside the very soul of Madagascar: its people. Steps taken in the name of comfort and security for the prestigious guests only serve to conceal what life is like for a Malagasy citizen in 2016. For some of us, daily life has been made all the more precarious during the week devoted to the summit. Moreover, a budget of staggering proportions has been made available to the government to organise the event.