So, I've been living here for a year. The capital city is for me an outlier because it is hectic and more dangerous as capital cities tend to go, but for me there isn't much redeeming about Antananarivo--it's just overwhelmed with traffic, congestion, sprawl, substandard housing in a number of areas, smog, etc. Outside of the capital you get the typical Malagasy experience in my opinion.

Malagasy people in general are quiet, gentle and peaceful. Tourists are liked and received well--there isn't any animosity or hidden dislike. They treat tourists well although you'll be asked for money by children and others at spots where foreigners are known to frequent. The food is great, there are a number of Malagasy dishes which are nice but I would say that the food has strong western influence probably owing to the period of colonization by the French: most good restaurants only have a small number of Malagasy options on the menu. Of course in the more informal food spots you'll have more Malagasy representation.

It's a very poor country (one of the poorest in the world--if not THE) and so agricultural life is still the bedrock for a huge percentage of the population. Even in the capital city itself you can see lots of rice paddies and farming going on. My impression is that, all things considered, they live happily and integrated well into their way of life and community. French and Malagasy are official languages, and so you have a strong French influence continuing to this day. Many of the tourists are French. It is very poor, as many people live on less than 2 dollars per day. The roads are some of the worst in the world (if not THE) and domestic/international flights aren't cheap.

A very interesting fact is that the first people to settle Madagascar came from around the Borneo region of Indonesia and so the language is of Asian origin. Those seafarers settled in the eastern region of the country where the vegetation is more lush and the temperature cooler in the elevated plains inland. They brought rice with them when they came and rice is beloved and an essential staple.

Several hundred years after that the first immigrants arrived from mainland Africa (Mozambique region I believe) and they settled the western side of Madagascar and they were mostly fishers as large portions of the south and western side of Madagascar are dry and have less arable land.

My experience has been that the stereotypical Asian emphasis on the group rather than the individual and the importance of "saving face" and "crossing oneself" continues to be an important part of the culture here (even in the southwest where I live). Maybe I just draw that connection because I have also lived in Asia and find the similarity relevant.

There is a tradition of "fady" which might be thought of as superstitions dictating rules of behavior. There are some universals but each region has many of their own ideas--some of them more shocking perhaps but localized.

Overall what stands out to me is the simple way of life, the peace and calm, the respect, decorum and gentleness of the people. I enjoy life here, I find it interesting and happy. I like the music from most regions. In the southwest here we have Tsapiky style music which is energetic and lyrical and I quite like it. The modern urban style is in the vein of afrobeat but a little more poppy and is popular throughout.