The Wealth of History of the Small African Twin-Island State São Tomé and Príncipe
The twin-island state of São Tomé and Príncipe, located in the Gulf of Guinea, is the second smallest African country, after the Seychelles. The essays of this collection highlight crucial periods and important events in the country’s varied and eventful history, which spans more than 500 years. Portugal colonised the islands twice in significantly different economic and historical contexts: first, in the sixteenth century during its maritime expansion, and secondly in the latter half of the nineteenth century, at the beginning of the colonisation of Africa by European powers. In these two periods, the small islands played a pioneering role in the economic history of sugar and cocoa, respectively. Following independence in 1975, the country’s economic development has fallen far short of expectations and consequently its dependence on foreign aid has persisted. Nevertheless, external observers have considered the archipelago of 225,000 inhabitants to be a model of parliamentary democracy in Africa.
Gerhard Seibert is an associate researcher at the Centre of International Studies (CEI), ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon (IUL), Portugal. He graduated in cultural anthropology from Utrecht University, Netherlands, in 1991, and earned a PhD in social sciences at Leiden University, the Netherlands, in 1999. Until 2008, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the former Tropical Research Institute (IICT) in Lisbon. From 2008-14, he was a researcher at the African Studies Centre (CEA) of ISCTE-IUL. Between 2014 and 2019, he was an associate professor at the Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira (UNILAB) in Bahia, Brazil. He has conducted research in São Tomé and Príncipe, Mozambique, and Cabo Verde, and on Brazil-Africa relations, and has published numerous articles and book chapters. He is also author of the book Comrades, Clients and Cousins. Colonialism, Socialism and Democratization in São Tomé and Príncipe (2006) and co-editor of Brazil-Africa Relations. Historical Dimensions and Contemporary Engagements (2019).
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