Sao Tome
A lost world
Sao Tome
Once an Atlantic outpost of colonial Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe is now Africa’s second-smallest nation and a captivating twin-island paradise, says Laura Gelder
T
here’s a story being acted out in front of me which no one seems able to explain but it involves a cowboy riding a ragged pantomime horse made from a white sheet, a creepy doll with a hole in it, the devil, some big coconuts and a man having a retro telephone pulled out of his backside. In terms of making an impression, Sao Tome is really nailing it – and I haven’t left the airport yet. We flew via a grey November Lisbon and stopped at a steamy Accra before arriving as the sun
set. The island’s coast looked wild and wicked from above, with black rocks dashed by white waves; the interior mercilessly green, with thick jungle and velveteen hills. The airport was cramped and basic and the fresh air outside a relief but the heat is settling around me like a blanket now, and the frenzied drumbeat and shrieking whistles ring in my ears. There are about 30 masked dancers and musicians, some in green and white silk costumes with colourful carnival-esque headdresses; some just wearing
ragged shorts and shirts with freaky masks – one man has improvised by strapping a ripped up beer box to his face. Without a local to hand the story is left unexplained, so I just take it as ‘welcome to Sao Tome’. The following morning I awake in my hotel to sunshine, palm trees and a tempting strip of beach under my balcony and the arrival seems like a dream. Sao Tome and Principe is my first foray into West Africa and all I know so far is that it’s dubbed the Galapagos of Africa. The twin-island nation is an
SAO TOME ILHEU DAS ROLAS
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