Mischief...

A memorable and fascinating day today...

Set off early, and passed through several picturesque villages before we arrived in Trindade, Sao Tome's second town. From there we headed to Batepa, where we met some lovely children (including this lovely little boy) and an older man who was one of the survivors of the massacre there in 1953. He willingly showed us his scars, and recounted what had happened and the pain of the events of that time was still plain to see on his face. He approached us, though, and seemed very keen to make sure that people knew of what had happened there. He clearly wanted the story to be told.

On 3rd February 1953, against a background of allegations of forced labour, an officer was killed with a machete. During the repression that followed, many local people were rounded up and deaths exceeded 1,000. The exact number of deaths is unknown. The old man who spoke to us had been injured but had survived.

We visited the Monte Cafe coffee plantation, then came back through the Botanic gardens of Bom Successo, where we had a picnic on the vernadah while watching the rain. We then made our way to see the beautiful waterfall "cascada" of Sao Nicolau, then after a delicious lunch in a waterfront restaurant, enjoyed a fantastic spectacle of the Dance Congo!

Dinner back at the hotel, then off to CACAU (Casa das Artes da Criacao, Ambiente e Utopias) for more live music.

Another unique and interesting day!