Roças of São Tomé and Príncipe: Balancing local development with heritage preservation

Abstract

Plantations in São Tomé and Príncipe (STP), known as roças, bear the historical imprint of a colonial era marked by exploitation of humans and territories by Portuguese colonizers. Today, these plantations have evolved into settlements that are used primarily as housing by Santomeans. However, the living conditions within these roças are dreadful, with poor sanitary infrastructure, especially evident in the deteriorating colonial-era buildings. In the last decades the boundaries of these settlements have expanded, with numerous new homes being built. This paper presents roças as settlements that by their ever-evolving characteristics can be taken as sustainable villages using a people-centric approach to empower local communities. STP views roças as both a significant asset and a complex challenge. They serve as valuable cultural heritage sites, drawing tourism and foreign investment, due to their uniqueness and the astonish natural landscape. However, roças present significant problems. The colonial-era buildings have deteriorated significantly, requiring costly refurbishment and maintenance. Furthermore, the inhabitants endure poor living conditions, lacking access to essential infrastructure. Recent efforts on roças have mainly focused on tourism. However, in recent years, local development initiatives in a few roças, such as Monte Café, have taken significant steps, demonstrating new African identities, and that alternative models beyond the traditional 'colonial tourism plantation' approach hold great potential. For up taking roças as villages STP faces the challenge of balancing between taking roças as heritage according to preservation conventions (driven mainly by the Global North) and embracing a locally-driven approach that prioritizes the use of roças as catalysts for local development.