Formerly a winegrower in Mercurey, Guy Cinqin flew to Madagascar last November. There, he participated in a hot air balloon raid, leaving from the capital, with stopovers in different places in the country. A total change of scenery. He describes the places visited, the discovery of the Malagasy populations and his solidarity actions born from these meetings.
“When we go to Madagascar, we come back really different », says Guy Cinqin, a former winegrower from Mercurey. “ We feel a lot of energy in this country, between the lush vegetation and the extremely courageous population.. The Malagasy eat their fill: their crops are sufficient for their own consumption “. He dreamed of discovering this country, attracted by travel stories which explained “ that once you go to Madagascar, you become another person “.
Guy Cinqin made this discovery of Madagascar in a balloon. Because he is a recognized hot air balloon pilot who participated in the 3rd Raid of the big island (or the red island), in November 2023. This raid, organized by a pilot from Corrèze, Frédéric Gourinel, and by a tourism organization Malagasy brought together 6 balloons (2 Swiss, 1 American and 3 French) in this island state located in the Indian Ocean. “ For me, it was a beautiful destination to discover this island and its population “. The involvement of the Malagasy authorities can be explained a little: by the virtual absence of tourism on this island, which only receives 500,000 visitors per year “.
The Ministry of Tourism also communicated on the event, “ organized by Madagascar Balloons, which pursues the objective of revealing the natural splendors of the country. The previous editions, in 2016 and 2019, have already left a memorable mark “. This initiative is in line with government policy aimed at “ attract one million international tourists by 2028 “.
Six Malagasy spots
Six flight spots had been chosen “ to help us discover different facets of this magnificent island, particularly in its center », explains Guy Cinqin. “ The journey began with a takeoff from the capital, Antananarivo. We then went to the Ampefy region, rich in volcanoes, on a plateau. We then stopped at Antsirabe, known for its rice fields, then at Fianarantsoa, where we met wine, rice and corn producers, who produce in the mountains, at an altitude of 1,100 meters. »
The journey continued through Ambalabo “ then through the Isalo nature reserve. This region is also called the Malagasy Colorado, with its impressive canyons, even if they are less deep and less large than those of the United States, with hot springs », testifies Guy Cinqin. The raid then headed “ towards the Allée des baobabs on the west coast of the island, in Morondava. It is the emblem of Madagascar “.
The balloon trip went rather well, “ despite tense flying conditions at the start of the raid, which was aimed at experienced pilots, due to the importance of the wind and the small patches which complicate landings », underlines Guy Cinqin. But each arrival of balloons in the different zones of Madagascar was greeted with “ many children. They came to see what was going on and also offered to help fold the equipment. And after the children, the whole village arrives in turn after following, on the ground, the movement of the ball “.
Humanitarian projects
The discovery of the island was an opportunity to launch projects. Because the Burgundian winemaker came across a few French restaurateurs, who were interested in Malagasy wines, discovered during the stages. “ We felt a desire to promote these wines. Which led us to meet French Farmers for International Development (Afdi); this association was already thinking about the subject », specifies Guy Cinqin. “ Their first work dates back to 2005, with producers interested in the idea of setting up a cooperative “.
For these wine processing development projects, Guy Cinqin hopes for real local involvement “ to advance this cooperative project. I am willing to bring technical knowledge, or even used equipment, to help them get started. But funds still need to be found to resolve the transport problem. “. This request for involvement is based on the feelings of Afdi volunteers.
Madagascar has real wealth: “ they have good raw materials », Estimates Guy Cinqin. “ You just need to add a little more technique, specific equipment, work with destemming and do a little more sorting in the vats, to progress in quality. “. The winegrower from the Côte Chalonnaise wishes “ return to Madagascar to attend a grape harvest » and observe “ how things are going, to then launch an evolution of production “.
Different forms of help
The balloonists had also taken with them “ solar panels as well as a pump for a well. During several landings, the children took us to visit their school. What’s remarkable is that they always have a smile, even though they don’t seem rich. There, the children don’t cry, except the rich kids who throw tantrums », observes Guy Cinqin. “ In a school, during the visit, the white people receive a request for help. We promised, but demanded an invoice, as well as a video that attests to the distribution of the aid, which consisted of notebooks and pens. They then kept their word “. And no one insists for long ” neither the children who ask for donations of money, nor the traders in the markets “.
In this country, the Burgundian winemaker discovered cultural differences, particularly in relation to death. “ In the countryside, their vaults are very large and the whole family is buried there. And every two or three years, they exhume them and rewrap them in new cloths », remembers Guy Cinqin. The inhabitant of Mercurey also describes a population different from Africans, “ who love the Vazâs, white foreigners in the Malagasy language.”