SÃO TOMÉ & PRÍNCIPE
wanderlust.co.uk March 2020 137Y
ousee,badiscool.
Fearsomewarriors
envelopedin
hellfireyellowand
Hadesredstomp
andswaggerto
poundingdrumsandear-piercing
whistles.TheysportStygianshades
andswarthybeards,andshakelances
and rattle sabres with chin-jutting
brio. There’s Feiticeiro, the Sorcerer.
There’s Rei Diablo, Rei Burlante and
Rei Tempeste – the Devil King, the
Swindler King and the Storm King.
Gigante, the Giant, overshadows all.
God’s army is a tepid bunch in
comparison, clad in wan white and
blue, plodding and staid. No wonder
the crowd cheers the other side:
today, the Devil has the good music.
One thing is certain, though: ‘good’
will triumph – it always does in the
Auto de Floripes, Príncipe’s annual
street-theatre clash between fi ery
Moors and cool Christians in which
I’d been caught up – and, like most
aroundme,Iruetheinevitable.But
thenthingsareoftenabitmixed
uponthemore-petitepartnerin
Africa’ssecond-smallestnation,
SãoToméandPríncipe.
TosaythatthisformerPortuguese
colonyisoffthetouristtrailwould
beamonumentalunderstatement.
Fewerthan30,000visitorsannually
come to São Tomé, nudging the
equator in the Gulf of Guinea; only
a fraction of those add the 150km
hop north-east to Príncipe. Why?
Well, accommodation and inter-
island transport are limited, but
mostly, I suspect, few travellers visit
because few travellers have visited.
Sure, things don’t always go as you
might like – and not just the outcome
of the Auto de Floripes. Poverty is
widespread, tourist services uneven,
and the leve-leve (slooooow) pace
occasionally frustrating. Yet with its
emerald forests, volcanic crags and
turquoise waters, delectable seafood,
warm smiles, a fascinating (if not ⊲untroubled)historyandrich
biodiversity–thearchipelagohas
beendubbedthe‘GalápagosofAfrica’- PríncipeboastsanA-gradetravel
CV.Iventuredheretocheckits
culturalandnaturalcredentials,
timingmyvisitformid-Augustwhen
theisland’spocket-sizedcapital,
SantoAntónio,stagesthisepic
medieval battle re-enactment.
Seeds of history
Stopping on São Tomé en route,
I took the opportunity to explore the
larger island’s natural and cultural
heritage with local guide Jeremiah,
who provided a potted history as we
chugged along the east coast road.
“According to tradition, Portuguese
sailors landed here on 21 December
1470, at that time the feast of St
Thomas – hence the island’s name- reaching Príncipe the following
month,” he began. “Enslaved people
from mainland Africa were shipped
in to work sugar-cane plantations;
‘...STRANGELY, I’M NONE TOO SURE WHOSE SIDE I’M ON’
Prepare for battle
(left) A Moros warrior
takes time out before
facing the Cristianos
(above) at the Auto de
Floripes street festival;
(previous page) the Devil’s
army prove that bad is cool