This is the first of a series of posts featuring the Santomean art scene, highlighting the best artists and their works. Two of the most well known artists in Sao Tome are Kwame Sousa and Rene Tavares. Their works are exhibited at the local Teia D’Arte gallery.

Seven Photographers This is the first part of the series. There’s some great photographers on Flickr who have pictures from Sao Tome. They include Márcia Estima, Ana Rainho, António Sousa, José Augusto, Isaac Afonso, Alexandra Fonseca, Maria Cartas, Rui Almeida, and Inna Moody. I’ve assembled galleries from my favorites, and posted slideshows from the photographers are after the jump. Also check out […]

Gross Domestic Product. GDP in current U.S. dollars. Not adjusted for inflation. In the 2000s Cape Verde took a clear lead it front of Sao Tome and Guinea-Bissau. The local currency was pegged to the Euro. Largest tourism industry. More charts after the break. GDP growth rate. Percentage change of real GDP compared to previous year. Real […]

The capital of the Lobata region (the northern side of the island) is Guadalupe. Out on the sea there’s a small islet called the Ilhéu das Cabras (Island of the Goats).

This is part of series of posts in my effort to research the culture and politics of São Tomé and Príncipe for my upcoming film Paradise, Inc. São Tomé  has not produced internationally famous names. However there is colorful mixture of local musicians.

There is no extensive literature and local people are not keen on reading.

This is São Tomé – a tropical island largely unexplored and unexploited by tourism. All of this is about to change. There are large unexploited oil deposits discovered near the island. There’s a BBC Program which explores, though rather superficially, issues around oil in African countries. Including Sao Tome. The program does however include an interesting interview […]

There’s a number of islets around Sao Tome, including Santana Islets, San Miguel, Rola Islets and Praia Pesqueira.

In São Tomé and Príncipe, Portuguese folk music fused with African rhythms, much like in Brazil (a country which Saotomeans really love), has produced some spectacular music.

There were around 800 plantations on the island but many are now run down and unused.

Building in small towns and plantations are mostly Portuguese style and date back from the colonial age. They have whitewashed or colored walls, red tile roofs, and wooden verandas. Cubata – typical wooden house on stilts? Neco Braganca writes a blog on the Santomean architecture.

Better healthcare than in many African countries, however lacks of statistics in many areas.

TVS There is one local television station TVS (Televisão Santomense). One of the popular shows on the channel is the daily Telejornal. Check the video after the break. Tela Non There’s an online newspaper Tela Non (Our Land) for the international audiences. Canal Santola Canal Santola is community for ‘Santomeans and their friends’ which relays news […]

Compulsory for all children between six and twelve. Many adults have had little formal schooling.

Just a few thousand of the islanders speak Portuguese as a first language. Only about hald of the islanders are literate in Portuguese. Crioulu The great majority of the population speak a language known as the Gulf of Guinea Creole, or Crioulou, which is based upon old-fashioned Portuguese mixed with various Bantu languages. There are […]

The Santomean demographic is mixed. Many islanders are a mix of Portuguese-African descent, but the majority of islanders are of solely african origin. Most are descendats either of slaves or of the indentured workers brought form other Portuguese colonies nearly a hundred years ago. This is a blend of African, Portuguese, and Caribbean culture. This is […]

Everybody knows Sao tome and Principe is rich in animal and marine life. But one of the most interesting stories is that of the Sada turtles. Beaches around the islands, north, east, and south-east of the country are used by nesting marine turtles. Altogether, five species can be seen in Sao Tomé.

Principe. Praia Banana. Used for the Bacardi Commercial. Praia Formosa. Ilheu Bom Bom. Ilhéu Caroço. Roça Ponta do Sol. Basic rooms in the main house 25€. Manager: Jean-Claude Godtbil (Belgian. His number: +239 925 105). Einstein send his friend here to do a an experiment during the solar eclipse.