I am not sure I should be writing this post (for several reasons). However, I think the "unintentional comedy" appeal of this story is too good to ignore.
The event took place in Washington,DC at the Annual National Prayer Breakfast (sic) on Feb 3, 2005. The one and only president of the US of A.,G.W, was addressing the attendance; here is a passage from the speech that day:
"THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you for the warm welcome [...]I want to thank His Excellency Marc Ravalomanana, from the -- Madagascar, the President of that great country. And welcome to our country, Mr. President. (Applause.) Tambien, mi amigo, the President of Honduras, Ricardo Maduro -- welcome, glad you're here[...]"
This speech convinced me that the Prez holds Madagascar in higher regards than any other countries. We are his #1 favorite, if you will.
Why ?
1st evidence: he refers to Madagascar as THE Madagascar, not just any Madagascar mind you but THE Madagascar ;) (not to be confused with the movie I guess) What other one name country can claim the same title ? The Canada ? The France ? Nope. Maybe the Kazakhstan (I would have to check with Borat...I digress.)
2nd evidence: "President of that GREAT country": he probably was not referring to the size of Madagascar, which is still smaller than Texas.
3rd evidence: "His Excellency Marc..." In the meantime Ricardo Maduro only gets "mi amigo". Take that, Honduras !
4th evidence: listen carefully as he is about to pronounce the name of our leader. (need real player to listen)
That's right, Ladies and Gents, I present to you the Malagasy President : "Marc RavaloMAN !"
How geeky-cool is that ? Our president is a superhero ! How can that be possibly topped ? Other countries may have Leader Maximo, commander in chief or Chairman, we have Superman's archrival: RavaloMAN ! My life is now officially complete.
Now If we could only figure out his superpowers...Hum... Maybe X-men's professor Xavier mind-reading power ? Or Harry Potter's invisible cloak ?....
To G.W's credit, one is not supposed to pronounce the last vowel of a Malagasy name...Sure he dropped the last 3 letters, but it's just a small mistake, no big deal, like nucular for nuclear so it could have been worse. Really, it could have, can you imagine if Madagascar was still a kingdom and he had to introduce king Andrianampoinimerina ? Now that would have been fun ! I can totally hear it:
"Let me welcome my good pal, King APM, in the (white ) house,...Holla !"
Anyway, I am just glad that Madagascar is finally getting recognized properly in the high sphere of power. Hey neither Jacques, Angela or even Vlad were there but our Marc got (supehero) VIP treatment. World, get ready for "SuperMarc and G-Dubb": the next take over !
PS: breaking news: Apparently, GW also took a liking of Google calling it "The Google": here is his take on Google:
"Maria Bartiromo: "I'm curious, have you ever googled anybody? Do you use Google?"
President Bush: "Occasionally. One of the things I've used on the Google is to pull up maps. It's very interesting to see -- I've forgot the name of the program -- but you get the satellite, and you can -- like, I kinda like to look at the ranch. It remind me of where I wanna be sometimes.""
I am speechless.
Tags:
That is just hilarious! I know the superpower - ability to eat mucho bananas. no, just kidding. **ducks before lots of bananas are thrown**
ReplyDeletenot cool, Mosi ;) the banana story is a urban legend and you know it...until further notice ;p
ReplyDeletehey Jo,
ReplyDeleteSounds like a plan ;). Embrace the geekitude :) !
funny post. Since we have oil, we've became THE Madagascar...:)
ReplyDeleteDon't forget pictures if you meet again, lucky geeky bloggers!
tattum,
ReplyDelete>Hum, oil...should we get prepared for an incoming invasion or Iraq was enough ? By the way, the book "State of denial " by Woodward on the reasons for War in Iraq is a must-read. Promise, more pictures if the geeky bloggers meet again ;)
Hilarious!!!!
ReplyDelete" "Let me welcome my good pal, King APM, in the (white ) house,...Holla !" "
...LOL!!
Dubya rocks. Good post lova!
Thank you Amrita ! Our good friend GW is always a great source of inspiration and unforeseen comedy. I believe the words he is looking for are "google earth" :)
ReplyDelete;) le plus drole comme le notait mon roomate, vu le niveau du bonhomme, il y a des chances qu'il ne sache meme pas ou se touve Madagascar...
ReplyDelete> Hello Appu,
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by :) Could not resist a tiny jab at GW when he mentions my homeland. Sorry for the last post. I get mixed up in languages quite often . If I may suggest the translator in th sidebar, it is not perfect but it can do the trick sometimes.
> Salut Many,
je me demande parfois si le fait que Bush fasse autant de bourdes ne le rend pas plus sympathique aux yeux du public, c'est comme si Bourvil se presentait aux elections, il aurait sans doute entr 5 a 10% des voix :)
des noms, on veut des noms :)
ReplyDeleteHAHA! I don't think Bush knew Madagascar even existed about five minutes before he made that introduction.
ReplyDelete>Cinthia, so true, so true. That or he thought it was the name of the Lion in the animated movie ;)
ReplyDeleteAhahahaha tooo funny!
ReplyDeleteHello Mirana,
ReplyDeletelong time no see :) I am very glad to hear from you. Are you on a blogging break ?
Hey Lova! Yes it has been a very long time...Yes I am indeed on a very long blogging break ~sigh~ hopefully I will get my act together soon very very soon (as soon as I hear I got a job lol)
ReplyDeletehey Mirana,
ReplyDeleteWishing you the best on your job search prospect. I know it is harsh out there as I too am in the job hunt process. It's almost complete though. Good luck and keep courage !