Stories about Sao Tome and Principe

“Cousins” from São Tomé and Príncipe Unite the Diaspora Through Online Radio

  31 December 2012

They say that "We Are All Cousins" and they make use of online tools and social media to unite virtually the people of São Tomé and Príncipe in the diaspora and spread around the world. Global Voices spoke to Guedes Machado Medeiros, general coordinator of the informal group "Somos Todos Primos", which began as a blog and quickly became a community online radio station.

New Twists in the Political Crisis in São Tomé & Príncipe

  7 December 2012

One week after a censure measure by opposition parties passed in Parliament against the minority government of São Tomé and Principe, the President formally removed the government. Online reactions took no time at all, in the midst of the storm that threatens the political stability of the country.

São Tomé & Príncipe Accedes to the New York Convention

  3 December 2012

In February 2013, São Tomé and Príncipe will become the fourth Portuguese language country undersigning the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, announced the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. Last June, Law Professor at the University of Macau, Fernando Simões, recommended the...

Political crisis in São Tomé and Principe

  1 December 2012

In recent days, São Tomé and Principe has plunged into a political crisis situation involving a motion to censure the government, scenes of fist fighting in the National Assembly, and a mass protest calling for early elections.

Concern over Subterranean Water in the Sahel

  11 November 2012

We are told that miners do everything to waterproof the soil and ensure that waste does not contaminate subterranean water. But it must be recognized that there is always a risk, as they can never be completely sure that they are not contaminating subterranean pools. Moreover, with the impact of...

São Tomé & Príncipe: Deforestation Threatens Biodiversity

  13 October 2012

São Tomé and Príncipe, like other islands in the Gulf of Guinea, is one of the countries on the West African coast that stands out when the issue at hand is biodiversity. However, large areas of its unique forests are disappearing to make way for monocultures for the production of biofuel.

Portuguese, a Global Language?

  31 August 2012

A community page on Facebook, Língua Portuguesa: Uma Língua Global? (Portuguese Language: A Global Language?) [pt], provides a diversity of materials to promote the debate about the expansion of Portuguese language and its consequences. Several critical issues on the policies of this language of around 200 million speakers are addressed,...

Sao Tome and Principe: Deforestation of an Area of Unique Biodiversity

  1 August 2012

“In the distance a bulldozer was relentlessly doing its work while the whole landscape seemed to be mourning the destruction.” denounced [pt] João Pedro Pio, a biologist living in Sao Tome and Principe, after visiting a former forest known for its unique biodiversity. The area – mapped on his photopost –...

Sao Tome and Principe: Memories of a Lonely Navigator

  21 April 2012

Follow the blog Odisseia nos Mares (Odysseys in the Seas) [pt] and navigate through the stories of Jorge Trabulo Marques – a retired Portuguese journalist and photographer who lived in São Tomé and Príncipe for 13 years during colonial times. Trabulo blogs on his memories of São Tomé, including lonesome...

Online Highlights from the Portuguese-Speaking World in 2011

  31 December 2011

2011 has been another year in which bloggers and activists from a number of Portuguese-speaking countries have come together to report, translate and promote blogs and citizen media from all over the world. This article selects the highlights in the coverage of Lusophone countries on Global Voices over the last year.

Lusophone Heritage of “Portugality” Around the World

  5 December 2011

A Facebook group and a mapping website called “Portugality” have been created to explore the cultures that result from the “global cultural fusion started by Portuguese navigations of the XVth. century and lasting to this day in places like Brazil, Mozambique, East Timor or Malacca”.

Sao Tome and Principe: Photographic View of the Country

  2 December 2011

The blog Viagem a São Tomé e Príncipe (Trip do Sao Tome and Principe) has made available a rich archive of photography that illustrates a range of aspects from the country, as for instance unique fruits and flowers, colorful markets and churches, street art and other artistic and cultural demonstrations.

Sao Tome and Principe: Saving a Cultural Crossroads

  12 July 2011

The celebration of Sao Tome and Principe's 36th anniversary of independence, on July 12, involves cultural and traditional events being held throughout the country. The country has been a cultural crossroads for centuries, absorbing various traditions into a unique blend. Bloggers help document dance traditions, and express regret that not enough is being done to preserve them for future generations.

Sao Tome and Principe: Insight on Rare Birds

  6 July 2011

The blog Island Biodiversity Race features an expedition to learn about the birds of Sao Tome and Principe, “to show how rich and unique the biota of the islands is and at the same time, how poorly known”.

Sao Tome and Principe: Hip Hop to Provoke Thought

  14 June 2011

Abri os olhos São Tomé (Open your eyes Sao Tome) [pt] is an intervention mixed song with “controversial lyrics” by santomean rapper PekaGBoom. On the blog Nação hip Hop (Hip Hop Nation) [pt], PekaGBoom's message is described as an invitation “to meditate”.