deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The Republic of Madagascar, previously known as The Malagasy Republic. It is an island country off of the bottom coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. It is the second largest island country in the world.

There has been human activity on Madagascar for thousands of years. Various European ‘explorers’ bumped into Madagascar with the French finally ‘absorbing’ it into the French Colonial Empire in 1897. They continued to rule the country until 1960 when it was given it’s independence.

The flag is a simple presentation of history and tradition. The red and white colors were on the flag of the Marina Kingdom – before the French arrived. The color green represents Hova, a city where the lowest peasant commoners live. It’s the history of who the people were then, who they are now and an inclusive symbol of the country. The flag is simple and profound. Overall a good flag.

Madagascar Martyrs’ Day, also known as Commemoration Day or Insurrection Day, officially memorializes those who died in the Revolt of 1947 against the French. Madagascar had been a Frenchcolony since 1896 and then was named an overseas territory within the French Union in the 1946constitution. Although the French constitution accorded the people of Madagascar full citizenship, itsassimilationist policies contradicted the goal of independence for Madagascar. Consequently, Malagasynationalists formed a movement for autonomy from France.
On March 29, 1947, the people staged a nationalist uprising against colonial forces that eventuallyspread to one-third of the island. After months of fighting and the arrival of additional troops fromFrance, the colonial army was able to regain control of the island. Casualties from the conflict werereported as high as 80,000 and as low as 8,000, depending on the source. French military courts triedthe leaders of the revolt and executed 20. According to some reports, other court hearings resulted in5,000 to 6,000 convictions with a range of penalties from imprisonment to capital punishment. OnMarch 29 the Malagasy government and people remember those patriots who sacrificed their lives inthis rebellion for their country’s freedom.