AHMEDABAD: Kawnene (pronounced Conan) Reza Fidahoussen , a young Madagascan, who participated in the African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings with his father, is excited to be in Gujarat. And why not? His family emigrated to the east African island over a century ago from Lalpar, a village 25 km away from Jamnagar, and it is his first visit to his ancestral motherland."What amazes me is how easily we can communicate with the locals here in Gujarati - a language we still speak at home and with relatives in Madagascar ," said Kawnene. "Of course, my language has a tinge of French and Malagasy, but it still shows how language travels across the globe and is conserved," he said.It's not just the language though. Kawnene and his father are eager to make the most of their trip by trying out authentic Gujarati cuisine, and a visit to Lalpar. "Ladva and rotlo are not foreign to us. Gujarati preparations are frequently made and enjoyed by families and community at large, but we are enamoured by the famed Gujarati spread," said Kawnene, currently a student of agriculture in Canada."We belong to the Khoja community that has settled in many east African nations for long. There is a legend of how we ended up in Madagascar, an island," he said."The group that started off from the coast of Gujarat was caught up in a storm and landed at the island instead of mainland Africa, in countries such as Tanzania and Kenya which were Gujarati strongholds," said Kawnene, adding, "I don't know how true it is, but it's fascinating how the communities create collective memories."Like all immigrants, the Fidahoussens also had left their native with barely anything more than the clothes on them, in early 19th century, and then became successful traders. The family has maintained its import-export business for three generations.Kawnene adds that new-generation Gujarati youths in Madagascar are also going into sectors such as telecommunications, energy and production apart from the thriving retail business, for which Gujaratis are renowned across Africa.

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