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São Tomé and Príncipe
Are situated in Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon.
Discovered and claimed by Portugal in 21 December 1470, the islands’ sugar-based economy gave way
to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century – all grown with plantation slave labour, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political party’s precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003.
The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea promises to attract increased attention to the small island nation.
Population
Today the population can be divided between Angolares, reportedly descending from the survivors of a shipwrecked slave ship in the 1540s, liners or Children of Earth, descendants of the first Portuguese settlers and freed slaves, services, labourers contract from Cape Verde, Angola, and Mozambique, and Tonga’s descendants of Servicemen.
São Tomé and Príncipe has four national languages: Portuguese (the official language, spoken by 95% of the population), and the Portuguese-based creoles Forro (85%), Angola (3%) and Principense (0.1%). French is also taught in schools, as the country is a member of Francophone.
Ethnic groups
Mestico, Angola (descendants of Angolan slaves), ceilings (descendants of freed slaves), services (contract labourers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), Tonga (children born of services on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese)
Asians, mostly Chinese minority, including Macanese people of mixed Portuguese and Chinese ancestry from Macau.
Most of the rural population is tied to the plantations (plantations). These people are the descendants of Angolan and Mozambican contract labourers and Cape Verdians. The word tonga is a pejorative term by which some liners refer to these people. Descendants of Cape Verdians remain a small and distinct community, many of whom still seek to migrate.
Culture
The country is made up of two main islands, Sao Tome and Principe, and several small islets. Laying on the equator the climate is hot and humid, although different micro climates mean there are planes of dry grass in the North of Sao Tome, un spoiled rainforest in Principe, fresh and cool climates in the mountains. The islands are of volcanic origin with fertile soil and rich vegetation. Unique to the country are a number of species of flowers, birds and butterflies. Rainy season is from September to May and the dry season is from June to August.
The culture of Sao Tome and Principe is, like its people, the mixture of European and African. One example is our unique Tchiloli.
The typical plays or performances and Tchiloli Auto Floripes are anachronisms from the authentic colonial culture adapted to modern African environment. Auto of Floripes, which takes place in the month of August (15th and the following Sunday) on the island of Principe, involves the whole population in the dramatic battle between Christians and Moors, with a surprising turn at the end of the story.
What concerns music and dance, supposedly an influence from the former Kingdom of Congo, Congo is the Dance, Samba, imported from Brazil, are two names from “ANGOLA”, crystal waters, formerly the dance of the Portuguese colonist elite, and others, mainly from the former Portuguese colonies.
Food
Gastronomy in STP has a chapter of its own. The traditional stews often include more than 20 different aromatic and medicinal plants, and take many hours to prepare. The typical ingredients in food are Sao Tomean: Fish (fresh, salted, smoked or sun dried) goat, pork (fresh or salted) or chicken.
These can be Accompanied by beans, rice, bananas (ripe, green, fried, boiled, grilled or mashed), breadfruit and manioc flour among others. Food is traditionally served with palm wine.
Dishes
E.g: of STP dishes: Djogo, Souoo/Fluta/Coco, Blabla, Z Equentchi/Sucli/Zetee, Calulu, Gandu Maiaua, Vadoo Cuacua, Barriga De Peixe Andala, Feijoada a moda da terra, Molho no fogo, Kufungu, Fiote, Begue…
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