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Madagascar

MADAGASCAR In Search of Libertalia

Date
October 2, 2019
Author
Rich Manley

“Ours is a brave, a just, an innocent, and noble cause; the cause of Liberty. I advise a white ensign, with liberty painted in the fly, and if you like the motto, A Deo a Liberate, for God and Liberty, as an emblem of our uprightness and resolution…The men, who lent an attentive ear, cry’d, Liberty, Liberty; we are freemen.”

-A General History of Pyrates, Captain Charles Johnson

 

I scanned through my grandfathers travel journal, a mysterious compendium of legends and his experiences to remarkable and remote regions around the world. I stopped on an enticing photo of a pirate. His name was Thomas Tew. Intrigued, I read further and discovered that Mr. Tew was the Admiral of Fleets to a legendary pirate utopia called Liberatalia. The colony was developed by Captain James Mission in the early 1700s under the influence of a radical Dominican Friar named Caraccioli who instilled the notion in Mission that religion was a weapon used as a form of control. I read on in fascination. Libertalia was the ideal safe-haven, a society in which all colors, creeds, and beliefs were to be free of scrutiny, “No man had power of liberty over another”.

Diving off the coast off Ile Ste-Marie in Madagascar, was my first stop. Shark infested waters awaited below, and perhaps a clue as to why this journal was leading me here. A big circle pinpointed these exact coordinates in my grandfathers journal. What seem like a wild goose chase, a fun excursion to an exotic island, would turn into an exciting quest for answers.

I will have to trek through the dense and biodiverse jungles of Andasibe, climb and cross the giant limestone pillars of Tsingy, navigate caves and large underground routes, and meet locals in fishing villages in Morondava, performing magic and interacting with people wherever I can. Surely, these people have heard of the legends and could guide me in the right direction. My grandfather has left me clues, pictures of him climbing the Baobabs, with an Arabian anecdote stating they were “plucked from the ground by the devil” and turned upside down so the roots protrude toward the sky.

Maybe Libertalia doesn’t exist, perhaps it was simply a figment of Captain Johnsons imagination, a mere fable. Or, maybe, it was what the island stood for as an entire nation – freedom, independence, liberty. Madagascar had been an island torn by internal conflict, rebellions, pirate enclaves, and usurped leaders, but it survived and became a strong independent nation with a rich and beautiful heritage. My grandfather had a way of teaching me lessons. His journey was not an ego driven escape or personal vendetta, Libertalia meant something. In the end, there was only one way to find out what my grandfather was after.

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Rich Manley

Photographer | Adventuruer | Illusionist
Rich Manley, a world-wide adventurer and explorer, has studied archeology, anthropology, and culture. His adventures incapsulate extreme skills and activities such as underwater exploration, trekking and climbing through deserts, mountains and glaciers to reach his destinations. Through the nature of this "off the beaten path" travel, Rich is able to capture organic and stunning photography and video from around the globe.
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© 2020 Expedition Rich, Rich Manley. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Website by INLANDLIGHT

About

Rich ManleyRich Manley is a world-wide adventurer and explorer. Inspired by his late grandfather, who was a traveling doctor, adventurer, and magician, Rich explores the globe by following in his grandfathers footsteps.

Shattering cultural barriers through his own magic, he chronicles his global expedition, while investigating man-made ecological catastrophes, indigenous cultures, and other compelling stories.

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© 2020 Expedition Rich, Rich Manley. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Website by INLANDLIGHT

About
Rich
Manley

Rich Manley, a world-wide adventurer and explorer, has studied archeology, anthropology, and culture. His adventures incapsulate extreme skills and activities such as underwater exploration, trekking and climbing through deserts, mountains and glaciers to reach his destinations. Through the nature of this "off the beaten path" travel, Rich is able to capture organic and stunning photography and video from around the globe. Well versed as a magician, Rich uses his talents of sleight of hand to amaze and shatter cultural barriers an attempt to learn from all those he encounters. An advocate of preservation of wildlife, cultural heritage sites, and the environment, Rich uses the lenses eye to expand the awareness and the beauty of the natural world. Rich chronicles his global expedition as he investigates man-made ecological catastrophes, indigenous cultures, and other compelling stories.