Cape Verdean Sao Tomese
Encyclopedia
There were an estimated 199,579 Cape Verde
an people residing in São Tomé and Príncipe
.
, Mozambique
, Cape Verde and other parts of the Portuguese empire
were recruited. These laborers were called "serviçais". Thus, most Cape Verdean nationals immigrated to São Tomé
as serviçais. The children of these contract laborers who were born in the island nation are called "tongas." On the island of Príncipe
, serviçais and tongas have settled permanently on government-allotted land. After independence in 1975, most of these Cape Verdeans returned to Cape Verde
.
About 95 percent live on the São Tomé island. Cape Verdeans and their descendants compose more than half of the population of Príncipe. Most of the Cape Verdeans in the island nation live in poverty.
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
an people residing in São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...
.
Migration history
São Tomé was discovered in the 1470s by Portuguese explorers and subsequently became a slave port. When slavery was abolished in 1875, contract labor from AngolaAngola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, Cape Verde and other parts of the Portuguese empire
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
were recruited. These laborers were called "serviçais". Thus, most Cape Verdean nationals immigrated to São Tomé
São Tomé
-Transport:São Tomé is served by São Tomé International Airport with regular flights to Europe and other African Countries.-Climate:São Tomé features a tropical wet and dry climate with a relatively lengthy wet season and a short dry season. The wet season runs from October through May while the...
as serviçais. The children of these contract laborers who were born in the island nation are called "tongas." On the island of Príncipe
Príncipe
Príncipe is the northern and smaller of the two major islands of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa. It has an area of 136 km² and a population of approximately 5,000. The island is a heavily eroded volcano over three million years old, surrounded by other...
, serviçais and tongas have settled permanently on government-allotted land. After independence in 1975, most of these Cape Verdeans returned to Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
.
About 95 percent live on the São Tomé island. Cape Verdeans and their descendants compose more than half of the population of Príncipe. Most of the Cape Verdeans in the island nation live in poverty.
Notable people
- Fernando "Cobo" Pereira, of Cape Verdean and Angolan descent, who lead a coup in the country.
External links
- Cape Verdian People in Sao Tome and Principe
- Directel's Sao Tome Telephone Directory
- New nations of Africa - Sao Tome e Principe, Botswana, Zimbabwe
Further Reading
- Miguel Sousa Tavares, "Equador", historical fiction about the situation of the serviçais in the first decades of the 20th century (Lisboa: Oficina do Livro, 2003). In Portuguese.