The talk describes those men and women sailing under the skull and crossbones flag. Buccaneers, privateers, profiteers and pirates, with Blackbeard amongst the most famous and feared. They lurked in ‘safe haven’ ports in the West and East Indies during the 17th and 18th centuries. Their targets were ships as they returned to Europe laden with spices, silks and sugar, having first offloaded their cargoes of slaves for the plantations. Mary Read and Anne Bonny(two cross-dressing women pirates) sailed with the famous Black Jack Calico. Why did sailors and others turn to piracy? Were they criminals, robbers and murderers- or just desperate to make a living even unlawfully? They have been glamourised and woven into legendary stories from Treasure Island and Peter Pan to the films ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’- as well as Gilbert & Sullivan’s operetta ‘The Pirates of Penzance’. Today pirates still exist, attacking and boarding ships to hold crews and cargo for ransom.
A little bit about our speaker
Vivien Morgan is a former TV News Journalist and Documentary Producer/Director, who picked up a camera to become a TV Video journalist pioneer for the BBC and ITN. Travelling undercover she reported from the closed Communist countries, from Tibet and Myanmar and Iran.
Her media career led to globally working for the UN, government agencies and charities. As a Senior University Lecturer, she wrote two books on the emergence of video journalism and mobile journalism.
She now gives talks on a range of topics while teaching Creative Writing and Mobile Journalism. Also working as a Communication Consultant for CBD and Mushroom start-ups .She does pro bono for SpeakersforSchools and The Media Trust on media training and career advice.