Publications
Migração e colonização no império português do pós-guerra: Estratégias individuais e respostas institucionais
A study reveals that the Portuguese colonial government's migration policies during the post-war era, aimed at promoting social mobility for Portuguese settlers, often led to the degradation of opportunities for colonized populations. Specifically, Cabo Verdean families, facing ecological crises in the 1940s, sought relocation support from the Ministry of Colonies but were instead directed to the Roças agricultural plantations in São Tomé and Príncipe—a move that perpetuated social depreciation rather than advancement. The research highlights institutional responses that prioritized European colonization strategies over addressing the needs of Cabo Verdean migrants, underscoring systemic biases in colonial migration policies.
Plantation afterlives in São Tomé and Príncipe: Tourism and the coloniality of leisure
Colonial plantation complexes, or 'roças,' in São Tomé and Príncipe are being repurposed as heritage sites and leisure destinations, yet their histories of slavery and racialized extraction persist. The study introduces the concept of 'coloniality of leisure' to describe how these violent pasts are softened or reframed into appealing experiences through strategies like 'ruinous nostalgia' and 'colonial reenchantment.' These approaches, combined with spatial arrangements such as land concessions and foreign investment, perpetuate colonial patterns without addressing underlying inequalities. Plantation tourism thus serves as a contemporary mechanism of postcolonial governance, managing memory, value, and inequality while avoiding resolution. The research analyzed 28 travel features, corporate materials, policy documents, and archival sources to uncover these dynamics.
“No porão do navio como saco!”: temporalidades e modos de trabalho das roças santomenses
A study of the Roças of São Tomé and Príncipe reveals the enduring impact of colonial labor practices on the lives and temporal experiences of workers, particularly under conditions of slavery. The research highlights how the transition from 'the time of the white man' to 'the time of the company' (post-nationalization) was marked by exploitation, dehumanization, and punitive labor regimes. By analyzing narratives from interlocutors, the study underscores the centrality of contractual labor in shaping lives and temporalities, illustrating how daily routines were devastated by the 'punishment' of enslaved existence. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the historical and social memory of Cape Verdean experiences, particularly in relation to São Tomé and Príncipe.
Da nacionalização à reforma agrária das roças de São Tomé e Príncipe
The Roças of São Tomé and Príncipe, historically akin to large plantation systems under Portuguese colonial rule, underwent significant transformations following nationalization in 1975 and a land reform in 1991. These state-mediated processes reshaped the territorial composition and social dynamics of these areas, transitioning them from vast agricultural enterprises to smaller, community-oriented territories. The study, based on ethnographic fieldwork, reveals that while land was redistributed for cultivation purposes—without conferring ownership—to former workers or servants, the Roças retained their structural influence in the islands' interior and coastal regions. This research highlights the enduring impact of colonial legacies on contemporary land use and social organization in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Desenvolvimento turístico em São Tomé e Príncipe no contexto dos Pequenos Estados Insulares em Desenvolvimento
A critical analysis of São Tomé and Príncipe's tourism development reveals a dual model: one fragmented and hybrid on São Tomé Island, the other exogenously driven toward sustainable luxury tourism on Príncipe. This asymmetry underscores the lack of a coherent national strategy, exacerbating structural vulnerabilities like economic dependence in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The study proposes the Modelo de Desenvolvimento Integrado e Sustentável (MDIS-STP), a four-pillar framework integrating tourism, agriculture, blue economy, and regional logistics to foster balanced growth. This approach aims to enhance resilience and adaptability for other SIDS facing similar challenges.
Building the Framework for Sustainable Tourism in Príncipe Island
A shift towards community-centered tourism development on Príncipe Island, São Tomé and Príncipe, is feasible but requires a holistic strategy. This approach would prioritize local skills enhancement, infrastructure improvements, governance reforms, and product diversification to ensure sustainability and maximize benefits for the local community. The study, based on extensive fieldwork and multi-stakeholder collaboration, challenges the current exogenous tourism model driven by international investment, advocating instead for an endogenous model that aligns with local needs and values.
Inclusive design to overcome isolation
The establishment of the roças, Portuguese agrarian settlements on São Tomé island between the 19th and mid-20th centuries, created a hierarchical network that still influences community segregation today. These settlements functioned as self-contained units linked by roads and railways, designed to maximize production and profit while isolating smaller dependencies from one another. The study reveals how this built environment persists in shaping societal structures, using space syntax analysis and in situ observations to demonstrate the enduring impact of colonial urban planning on social dynamics.
Serviçais (contratados) de Angola para as roças de cacau em São Tomé e Príncipe
A significant historical and economic insight reveals the complex dynamics of labor migration, recruitment, and repatriation during the colonial cacao plantations (roças) in São Tomé and Príncipe. The study, focusing on 'serviçais' or contracted workers from Angola, uncovers the systemic challenges faced by these workers, including forced migration, harsh working conditions, and the broader implications for the island's agricultural economy. Researchers employed a combination of archival analysis, historical documentation, and demographic data to trace the patterns of labor movement, repatriation processes, and their lasting social impacts. This work highlights the human cost behind the economic prosperity of São Tomé and Príncipe's cacao industry, offering a nuanced understanding of colonial labor systems in Africa.
Vogais tônicas orais do kabuverdianu do Príncipe: uma análise fonética
A phonetic analysis of the Kabuverdianu language spoken on Príncipe Island reveals nine distinct oral tonic vowels, expanding the previously documented two central vowels. The study found that acoustic dispersion significantly influences vowel definition, with mid-vowels showing closer proximity in frequency space, reducing dispersion between mid-high and mid-low pairs ([e] vs [ɛ], [o] vs [ɔ]). This research sheds light on the phonetic characteristics of Kabuverdianu, a language brought to São Tomé and Príncipe through Cape Verdean migration since 1903. Data from four native speakers were analyzed using Praat software, providing insights into the linguistic ecology of the Gulf of Guinea region.
Companhia da Ilha do Príncipe (Portugal/São Tomé e Príncipe), 1894-1975: Desenvolvimento de um Projeto Agrícola e Gestão do Grupo CUF
A comprehensive analysis of the Companhia da Ilha do Príncipe reveals its pivotal role in shaping São Tomé e Príncipe's colonial agricultural landscape from 1894 to 1975. The study highlights how this Portuguese enterprise, rooted in intensive cacao cultivation, integrated advanced management practices and industrial infrastructure while relying on forced labor. By examining annual reports and corporate records, researchers uncovered the intricate dynamics of production, workforce exploitation, and administrative strategies that defined the company's operations under the CUF group's leadership. This historical and economic investigation provides a nuanced understanding of colonial agricultural development in equatorial Africa.
Digital pathways for enriched communities and futures: plantation heritage in São Tomé and Príncipe
Digital globalization has transformed information access, yet its benefits have largely bypassed least developed countries (LDCs), perpetuating historical biases and systemic inequities that hinder heritage valuation. This study highlights the potential of e-learning tools to drive sustainable heritage management, social cohesion, and peacebuilding in São Tomé and Príncipe by reinterpreting the roças—cocoa and coffee plantations established by Portuguese colonizers in the 19th century—as living sources for intergenerational learning. The research emphasizes the importance of inclusive community involvement in the design process to ensure equitable and meaningful heritage preservation, bridging gaps left by traditional approaches.
Exile and contract: journeys of the mozambicans to S. Tomé and Príncipe (1940 to 1960)
Between 1940 and 1960, migration from Mozambique to São Tomé and Príncipe's colonial plantations revealed shifting dynamics of coercion and social homogeneity. Initially, migrants included both voluntary individuals and 'undesirables' sent as forced labor, but by the mid-1950s, the latter nearly ceased, leading to a more uniform demographic—primarily from Northern Mozambique—driven less by personal choice than state agreements. This migration strengthened Mozambican identity among returnees while complicating political consciousness due to the plantation system's isolation. The study, based on Maputo's Historical Archive, traces these patterns through labor demands, family reunifications (e.g., Cape Verdean women joining Mozambican partners), and the islands' role in shaping colonial-era identities.
Territory, Economy, and Demographic Growth in São Tomé and Príncipe: Anthropogenic Changes in Environment
Nearly five centuries of human activity on São Tomé and Príncipe have profoundly altered the islands' landscape, replacing natural habitats with plantations (roças) and settlements, introducing exotic species, and depleting resources for urban growth. This transformation, driven by exponential population growth and urban expansion, is causing significant environmental deterioration, including deforestation, illegal sand mining, and the decline of endemic biodiversity. The study highlights the absence of effective territorial planning as a critical factor exacerbating these challenges, threatening the islands' unique ecosystems and biodiversity.
CAMPESINATO E AGRICULTURA DE SUBSISTÊNCIA EM SÃO TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE: NOTAS PARA SE PENSAR DESENVOLVIMENTO E INCLUSÃO / Peasantry and subsistence agriculture in São Tomé and Príncipe: notes for thinking about development and inclusion / Campesinos y agricultura de subsistencia en Santo Tomé y Príncipe: notas para pensar sobre el desarrollo y la inclusión
São Tomé and Príncipe remains deeply entrenched in an agrarian-export economy, marked by subsistence agriculture that perpetuates rural poverty despite the decline of sugar as its dominant cash crop. While coffee and cocoa emerged as key exports in the 19th century, the archipelago has failed to diversify or industrialize, leaving its rural population dependent on a fragile market for survival. A field study in Monte Café (2018–2019) reveals how weak state capacity post-independence solidified this precarious model, with nearly all rural households trapped in poverty due to limited economic opportunities and underdeveloped infrastructure.
Cocoa Markets and Value Chains: Dynamics and Challenges For Sao Tome and Principe Organic Smallholders
Despite measures to support organic cocoa production as part of São Tomé and Príncipe's (STP) development strategy, persistent imbalances in the global value chain continue to threaten the livelihoods of smallholder producers—who account for most exports—and ecosystem sustainability. The study reveals that these tensions stem from asymmetries in international markets and challenges specific to organic cocoa production in STP. Using panel data analysis from FAOSTAT, researchers examined the dynamics of the cocoa value chain, highlighting its potential but also the structural barriers hindering smallholders' economic viability and ecological stewardship.
The Art of Running Away: Escapes and Flight Movements During the Great Depression in São Tomé e Príncipe, 1930–1936
During the Great Depression (1930–1936), contract workers in São Tomé e Príncipe's cocoa plantations employed strategic flight as a response to oppressive labor conditions, revealing complex agency within coerced labor systems. Analysis of archival records from the island's labor inspectorate uncovered three primary flight strategies: forming runaway communities, blending into 'native' (forro) groups, or negotiating with sympathetic authorities. These findings connect São Tomé’s experiences to broader global patterns of resistance in plantation and indentured labor systems, illustrating how workers navigated repression while asserting autonomy.
Totic: Portuguese Pre-Colonial and Colonial Diplomatic Agents of Territorial Exploration and Exploitation of Sao - Tome and Principe Islands of the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean 1485-1975
A comprehensive analysis of Portuguese diplomatic agents reveals their pivotal roles in the pre-colonial and colonial exploration, exploitation, and colonization of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1485 to 1975. The study identifies 210 prominent figures who orchestrated territorial expansion, resource extraction, and forced migration, providing a detailed account of their changing portfolios and exploitative policies over nearly five centuries. This research fills critical gaps in historical records by documenting the full spectrum of foreign actors involved, offering new avenues for future studies to delve deeper into individual roles and impacts.
“Somos Descendentes!” − Contranarrativas e Agenciamentos Musicais dos Coletivos de Tchabeta na Roça Agostinho Neto (São Tomé e Príncipe)
Descendants of Cabo Verdean migrants in São Tomé and Príncipe reclaim their identity through the musical practice of tchabeta, challenging historical narratives of forced migration and slavery. This study reveals that music serves as a mechanism for reterritorialization, enabling the creation of new existential spaces and modes of being. By analyzing the quotidian use of tchabeta among Cabo Verdean collectives in the Roça Agostinho Neto, the research demonstrates how this practice reactualizes suppressed colonial-era musical expressions (such as batuko) to assert agency and redefine cultural belonging in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Discovering Neverland: São Tomé e Príncipe and the development of the agricultural heritage of a multi-ethnic population
São Tomé e Príncipe's colonial agricultural system, known as roças, offers a unique lens to understand the nation's human development and cultural heritage. This study reveals that the diverse agricultural products cultivated over centuries—marked by migration, slavery, creolism, and gender emancipation—reflect a deep culture-nature relationship. It proposes that agro-food geographical indications (GIs) could enhance sustainable development by boosting export prices for cocoa and coffee while promoting indigenous fruits and eco-tourism, including the breeding of native species like São Tomé bees. The research combines historical analysis with socio-economic insights to highlight STP's potential for territorial and economic growth through heritage-based strategies.
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