History of São Tomé and Príncipe
History of São Tomé and Príncipe |
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Chronological |
São Tomé and Príncipe portal |
The islands of
History of Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe
The first successful settlement of São Tomé was established in 1493 by
The cultivation of sugar was a labor-intensive process, and the Portuguese began to import large numbers of slaves from the African mainland. By the mid-16th century, the Portuguese settlers had turned the islands into Africa's foremost exporter of sugar. São Tomé and Príncipe were taken over and administered by the Portuguese crown in 1522 and 1573, respectively.
However, superior sugar colonies in the
In the early 19th century, two new cash crops, coffee and cocoa, were introduced. The rich volcanic soils proved well suited to the new cash crop industry, and soon extensive plantations (roças), owned by Portuguese companies or absentee landlords, occupied almost all of the good farmland. By 1908, São Tomé had become the world's largest producer of cocoa, which still is the country's most important crop.
The roças system, which gave the plantation managers a high degree of authority, led to abuses against the African farm workers. Although Portugal officially abolished slavery in 1876, the practice of forced paid labor continued. In the early 20th century, an internationally publicized controversy arose over charges that Angolan contract workers were being subjected to forced labor and unsatisfactory working conditions. During the Great Depression, worker exploitation worsened.[2]
Sporadic labor unrest and dissatisfaction continued well into the 20th century, culminating in an outbreak of riots in 1953 in which several hundred African laborers were killed in a clash with their Portuguese rulers. This "
During the 1967–70 Nigerian Civil War, São Tomé served as the major base of operations for the Biafran airlift. The airlift was an international humanitarian relief effort (the largest civilian airlift to date) that transported food and medicine to eastern Nigeria. It is estimated to have saved more than a million lives.[3]
Movement towards independence
By the late 1950s, when other emerging nations across the African Continent were demanding independence, a small group of São Toméans had formed the
Modern São Tomé and Príncipe
In 1990, São Tomé became one of the first African countries to embrace
The army
The cohabitation period ended in March 2006, when a pro-presidential coalition won enough seats in National Assembly elections to form and head a new government.
In the 30 July 2006 presidential election, Fradique de Menezes easily won a second five-year term in office, defeating two other candidates Patrice Trovoada (son of former President Miguel Trovoada) and independent Nilo Guimarães.[6] Local elections, the first since 1992, took place on 27 August 2006 and were dominated by members of the ruling coalition.[7]
See also
- History of Africa
- Politics of São Tomé and Príncipe
- List of heads of state of São Tomé and Príncipe
- List of heads of government of São Tomé and Príncipe
- Religion in São Tomé and Príncipe
References
- ISBN 9780875868486.
- S2CID 230584498.
- ^ McCullum, Hugh. "Biafra was the beginning". www.biafraland.com. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ "IFES Election Guide | Elections: Sao Tome & Principe Presidential July 29 2001". www.electionguide.org.
- ^ Seibert, Gerhard (2003). "The Bloodless Coup of July 2003 in São Tomé e Príncipe". Lusotopie. 10 (1): 245–260.
- ^ "Incumbent wins vote". The New Humanitarian. 2 August 2006.
- ^ "27 August 2006 Local Elections in São Tomé and Príncipe". africanelections.tripod.com.
- ^ "Sao Tome's ex-prime minister elected president in one-man race". Reuters. 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Sao Tome and Principe country profile". BBC News. 14 May 2018.
- ^ "Jorge Bom Jesus inaugurated as prime minister". EIU. 7 December 2018.
- ^ "Opposition candidate Carlos Vila Nova wins Sao Tome presidency: partial results". Africanews. 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Sao Tome opposition wins legislative vote". Africanews.
- ^ Boechat, Geraldine (11 November 2022). "Patrice Trovoada takes office as Prime minister of Sao Tome and Principe". Medafrica Times.
- ^ "Coup attempt thwarted in Sao Tome and Principe, PM says". www.aljazeera.com.
Further reading
- ISBN 1-85065-589-8– Overview of the decolonization of Portugal's African colonies, and a chapter specifically about São Tomé and Príncipe's experience since the 1970s.
- Eyzaguirre, Pablo B. "The independence of São Tomé e Príncipe and agrarian reform." Journal of Modern African Studies 27.4 (1989): 671–678.
- Frynas, Jędrzej George, Geoffrey Wood, and Ricardo MS Soares de Oliveira. "Business and politics in São Tomé e Príncipe: from cocoa monoculture to petro‐state." African Affairs 102.406 (2003): 51–80. online
- Hodges, Tony, and Malyn Dudley Dunn Newitt. São Tomé and Príncipe: from plantation colony to microstate (Westview Press, 1988).
- Keese, Alexander. "Forced labour in the 'Gorgulho Years': Understanding reform and repression in Rural São Tomé e Príncipe, 1945–1953." Itinerario 38.1 (2014): 103–124.
- Weszkalnys, Gisa. "Hope & oil: expectations in São Tomé e Príncipe." Review of African Political Economy 35.117 (2008): 473–482. online[dead link]