Travel Guide Nosy Lava

South of Nosy Saba, near Analalava, the island of Nosy Lava was home to a penitentiary center that can be visited. Malagasy patriots were interned here during the colonial period, and the prison was filled to capacity after the island-wide uprising for independence in 1947; its inmates included elected members of the National Assembly! In 1972, during the suppression of the student movements that were to bring down the First Republic, the prison was once again full, and a number of leading figures - Madagascan academics, researchers and artists - stayed there. The tour, starting from Analalava, is a pleasant one.