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Start
0:06 TITLE:
Sao Tome and Principe: An island nation for sale?
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A film by Marion Mayer-Hohdahl
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T E X T:
Our oceans are
inhabited by some 30,000 species of fish. There are no precise figures, but one
thing is for sure: fish stocks are shrinking. 20 years ago, nets could only
reach a depth of 500 meters. Today it is possible to fish at 2,000 meters.
0:46
Here in Sao Tome they
fish using traditional methods. Six men share a boat and go out daily. Their
catch is often only enough to feed their families. Little is left over to be
sold.
1:05
For the fishermen
from the small island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, situated 240 kilometers
off Africa’s west coast, life is getting harder. And it is European and Asian mega-trawlers
that are to blame, as they legally and illegally ransack the fishing grounds.
1:27
Diosalvo Monte is
in his pirogue from 5 in the morning until noontime. On a good day, he can
return home with 30 to 40 fish.
1:38
Interview
Diosalvo Monte
Fisherman
When I was young, we had more.
1:44
This also has to
do with Europe’s fishermen.
1:49
Interview
João Gomes Pessoa Lima
General Director – Ministry of Fisheries
I cannot say that we are very happy with the agreement
we signed with the European Union. Here, the main activity is fishing.
Approximately 80 to 85 percent of the animal protein consumed by the population
stems from fish. That means 24 to 26 kilograms of fish per inhabitant. You can
see it’s one of the highest ratios in Africa. Small-scale fishing is very important.
2:39
30 percent of the
206,000 inhabitants live off fishing.
2:48
Interview
Pascal Alfonso
Fisherman
(he speaks in English)
We had enough fish around our islands, but so many big
ships plunder our fishing grounds. They often come at night. We do not have the
power to control that. This is the problem.
3:11
The fisheries
agreements between the EU and African countries benefit the oversized European
fleet. For Sao Tome and Principe, the deal means hard cash, but the local
markets are being destroyed. And no one has control over the mega-trawlers.
3:31
The government is
thinking about whether it should demand more when the current agreement ends in
2018, or not conclude a new deal at all. Countries considered hazardous by
environmentalists, such as China and Russia, have offered more money.
Twenty-eight EU ships are currently allowed to fish Sao Tome’s coast. Many of
them can catch 200 tons of fish a day. To match that, a pirogue fisherman would
have to spend more than a year at sea.
4:09
The second-smallest
country in Africa is peaceful and democratic, but also very poor. One
contributing factor is the large number of children. Almost half of the
population is under the age of 15. And to have 11 children with four women – as
Pascal does – is not unusual.
4:35
Luckily the sea
still provides enough for families. Famine is not a concern here, due to the
fertile land from the humid equatorial climate.
4:46
Kinship is
important for the islanders. On the weekend, families get together. Here the
youngest sits together with her half-brother, who has a family of his own.
5:03
So far, the mini
Equatorial nation has been spared mass tourism. When the Portuguese discovered
Sao Tome and Principe in the 15th century, the islands were
uninhabited.
5:23
The colonial
masters earned their money from African slaves, later with coffee and cacao.
The Portuguese rule ended with the 1974 military coup in Lisbon. A year later,
the Portuguese left the islands.
(leave free)
5:56
Today, the new
masters come from China, after Sao Tome broke off its relations with Taiwan.
Large shopping centers and a number of banks have set up shop. Oil has been
discovered off the coast, but it has yet to be extracted. The oil reserves are
too deep and the quality not sufficient.
6:20
Interview
Regional President of Principe
(in
Portugese)
We have a commitment to the environment.
We do not want oil exploration and production to disturb this. All the oil
exploration is concentrated in the north of the country. We do not want the oil
production to damage our environment. We do not want to create a problem when
we talk about oil exploration and production, and at the same time we want to
create high quality tourism. We need to create a balance between the two. We
will do everything to protect the environment.
7:09
But as of late
many foreign investors have sought out the government leaders of the respective
islands, like the Americans here. Without foreign investment the island nation
could not survive, but investors of another kind have discovered other
opportunities on these far-flung islands.
7:37
Interview
José Cassandra
(in
Portugese)
Headquarters for big
companies do their financial transaction for the big multinationals. We could
gain a lot from this. This business has to be conducted with utmost
transparency. It has to be clearly defined with the central and commercial
banks.
8:16
Investors are
attracted by opportunities such as these unique roças (“rossas”), which date
back to the time of the plantation owners. Upon gaining independence, the
country initially wanted to establish a socialist system with help from the
Soviet Union, Cuba and East Germany. The colonial buildings have been derelict
ever since.
8:42
Interview
Stephan Welk
Sao Tome government adviser
(in German)
I am an investor myself, but I mostly advise other
investors. I am a special adviser to the Foreign Ministry and Sao Tome is a
special island. It is peaceful, beautiful and actually a bit unknown or
forgotten. The people are wonderful. It is an oasis of peacefulness. I think
that is what Europe and the world needs. Sao Tome is different. Sao Tome is not
really Africa. I always say Africa “light.” The potential is there – stunning
landscapes, forgotten places, like this old colonial house here, which could be
turned into a nice resort. All of this makes it so thrilling to be here in Sao
Tome.
9:46
(leave free)
9:53
Interview
Julio da Silva
Government official – Economy Ministry
(in
English)
Sao Tome needs investments.
Sao Tome is a poor country and when investors come they can bring us jobs and
bring us money – to make Sao Tome grow. It is very important for us.
10:07
Frequent flights
from Europe to Sao Tome have only recently been provided. To visit the small
neighboring island of Principe, one has to fly another 30 minutes, even though
they are almost next to each other. There has been no ferry in living memory.
10:35
The island is only
18 kilometers long, but it boasts the finest roças of the two. Belo Monte
opened its doors in 2014. Having been developed by a wealthy Dutch
entrepreneur.
10:53
Interview
Jacques Le Roux
Manager – Belo Monte
(in
English)
They are looking at your
background and your business plan. The prime minister wants stability. I think
a lot of the new investors can really supply that. We also have a shareholder
in this plantation that is a local. It is not that we are taking it away from
them. We have signed a lifetime lease, but we still have to follow rules and
regulations. If we put one foot wrong and not look after the properties or
after the island – we can be kicked out.
11:18
The world-famous
Praia Banana rose to prominence after it was used in an advertisement for
Bacardi Rum. It has lost none of its beauty since the development of the Belo
Monte hotel.
11:37
The former residents
of the roça were rehoused in a nearby village. Many of them have found
employment at the resort.
11:49
Interview
Jacques Le Roux
Manager – Belo Monte
(in
English)
They are all set in their
ways and it is a bit underdeveloped. If you take the Caribbean and take it back
10 years ago, that’s what it is all about. It is undeveloped. The people are
set in their own ways. They are still discovering things. It is beautiful and
untouched. We use 20 % of the island, the other 80% is still untouched.
12:16
Principe may seem
like an investor’s paradise. But not all investments have been as successful as
the Belo Monte Hotel.
12:26
Interview (off and on)
Julio da Silva
(in
English)
In 1975 the state took
control of all the farms. You know one thing, cacao was a problem for people in
Sao Tome, but now cacao has become again our option and our future. The problem
was that the farmers in the beginning were managers but with lack of
experience. When the Portuguese were leaving the country, they did not leave people
to manage, they did not leave anybody who could help us to manage and that’s
why.
13:06
This coffee
plantation, where the Portuguese royal family once stayed, is supposed to
become another hotel complex. But plans are only in the early stages of development
13:18
Santo Antonio is
the capital of Principe, with some 6,000 inhabitants. Almost everything has to
be imported – food, household goods, fuel. Here, life still has a leisurely
pace. Mold has spread on the facades of the colonial houses, but the city is
now being woken from its slumber.
13:47
There is a
cultural center, but people prefer to gather at street corners to pass time. Here
the expression “leve-leve”, meaning ‘easy easy’, is king – everything moves
slowly, but steadily.
14:09
The first tourist
shop has opened, but it currently has few customers.
14:17
Interview
Domestenes Cravid
Artist
(in
Portugese)
The goal is to bring art to
the island. A year ago, we had a festival and an art fair. That had a good
impact.
14:40
Although the beaches
are the standout jewel of these islands, they also possess lush rain forests. Francisco da Graça Alamô has been working in the Obo
National Park for 20 years and knows his plants – including those that the
monkeys seek out for water.
15:00
Sao Tome is thankfully
not of interest to the international wood mafia. The forests are too small and
rise more than 2,000 meters up the slopes of a volcano.
15:15
Interview
Francisco da Graça Alamô
National Park Warden
(in French)
There are not a lot of countries that know of us. For
the future, I hope that the pictures that people take here will help make the
National Park and botanical garden better-known. The people who live here, it’s
very tranquil, and I think it would be good for many tourists to come.
15:40
The islands may be
rich in nature, but much of the population lives in poverty. Most are
subsistence farmers. The large coffee and cacao plantations are no longer used
commercially. And importing food produced in Europe is to some extent cheaper
than local production. Sao Tome is hoping that eco-tourism an
help alleviate poverty on the island.
(leave free)
16:42
Both islands are
still largely untouched. On Sao Tome, which is over three times larger than its
sister island Principe, the roads do not always lend themselves to comfort.
17:08
The luxury resorts
are waiting for visitors, but they are in greater need of investors. Tourism is
supposed to become an important branch of the economy. The goal of all the
political parties is to create the infrastructure to facilitate this, and it is
here that Europeans have a role to play.
17:33
Stephan Welk is a
German, EU-accredited government advisor knows the world of finance well.
17:46
Interview (from 18:00 in off)
Stephan Welk
Sao Tome government adviser
(in German)
The investment is relatively low when compared to
well-established places and for the investor, it is an uncomplicated, easy
game. Besides, there are subsidies. We are talking with many investors –
international investors. The port is being expanded, the airport is supposed to
be expanded. Strategically, Sao Tome has a wonderful location, west of Africa.
I think when the first big investor strikes, the island will experience a
revolution.
18:31
Sao Tome, dried
fish is the cheapest food product. They are dried so that they last longer in
the tropical humidity.
18:46
(leave free)
18:52
Some fishermen have
formed a co-operative tourism business. They guide visitors through the
mangrove forests or show them the wildlife. Tourists must book ahead, otherwise
the fisherman go out to sea to earn a living. In two hours of guiding they can
earn as much as in two days fishing.
19:23
Italian Claudio
Corallo is skeptical about the island undergoing a revolution. He lived through
one of a different kind in Congo. He had to give up his coffee plantations
there because of the civil war. In Sao Tome, he decided to produce his own
chocolate. He controls everything, from the cacao tree to the final product.
19:49
Interview
Claudio Corallo
Chocolate producer
(in French)
It’s a kind of cacao that produces little, but of very
high quality. To protect all this flavor, we have to take off the whole skin
and stem. You can see it well here.
20:05
On the neighboring
island of Principe, the beans are removed from the fruit. After about two weeks
of fermentation, they are dried and sent here for further processing – as is
Claudio’s coffee. The older varieties of cacao have a stronger aroma and a
richer flavour. Claudio produces chocolate for boutique markets in Europe.
20:33
Flemming Laugesen
Importer
(in German)
I am an importer of Claudio’s in Prague and am here on
a trip to visit the Nova Mocca plantations. Claudio’s chocolate is very special
because for Claudio it actually is not fundamentally about the chocolate. It is
about the product, the cacao bean, the cacao fruit and bean – that’s what it’s
about and that is a completely different entry point, which maybe no other
producers in the world are looking for or using.
21:27
For Claudio, the basis
of it all is cacao, which the botanist Carl von Linné once called the food of
the gods. The 65-year-old Florentine believes that chocolate should not taste
like vanilla or milk. The first cacao that came to Principe was grown at the
start of the 19th century under orders from the Portuguese king. He
had anticipated the end of the colonial era in Brazil. He had the best
varieties planted here and the Italian chocolatier benefits from it today.
22:09
Interview
Claudio Corallo
Chocolate producer
(in French)
The secret is the quality of the work at every moment
from the planting to the harvest. Every move is executed with extreme
attention. That is the secret.
22:24
The flourishing
cultivation of cacao is still modest when compared to the times of Portuguese
rule, but the old roças are in demand. One hour away from the capital Sao Tome,
a television chef has transformed a plantation house from 1890 into a small
hotel and restaurant.
22:49
His dishes made
using local produce are internationally renowned.
23:08
Interview
João Carlos Silva
Cook and Businessman
(in French)
Sao Tome and Principe are two small islands on the
Equator, but with an ambiance, an atmosphere, the conservation of history,
heritage, culture, the environment. But I’m
telling you, people don’t know about it. People have to know. You can do
good work by helping show Sao Tome and Principe, for the people – for instance
those who work here.
23:42
A Portuguese
national opened the first diving school in Sao Tome nine years ago. Before
that, he had come here every year for 20 years and had fallen in love with the
islands. The archipelago consists of a series of extinct volcanoes that rise
out of the Atlantic. Most of them are uninhabited.
24:03
Dream beaches,
warm water and sunken ships are inviting for divers, but for fishermen there
are no more big fish: they are a thing of the past.
Leave free with music
24:53
Interview
João Santos
Diving teacher
(in
English)
Tourists will come slowly,
but they will come. Everything in this country is spectacular to experience and
of course make some business out of.
25:06
The money
generated from the islands’ tourism trade has not yet made its way into the
hands of the inhabitants. Foreign NGOs are on the ground to protect the
islands’ rare natural diversity.
25:27
Interview
Hipólito Lima
Activist
(in
Portugese)
I feel good. I used to
partake in the destruction but now I am protecting the turtles.
25:37
The indigenous
population prizes turtles not just for their meat and decorative shells, but
also for their eggs. The Portuguese organization Tato is trying to prevent turtle
poaching through education. Every night, guards patrol along the
15-kilometre-long beaches, where five of the seven species of sea turtles lay
their eggs. They measure and tag the animals during the breeding season from
September to April.
26:21
The helpers take
the eggs to protected breeding grounds which are also guarded. Although
thousands of the small turtles are released, only one or two manage to reach
adulthood. It is this kind of natural spectacle that make these islands a
paradise yet to be discovered.
26:50
A film by Marion Mayer-Hohdahl
Camera: Christopher Mayer-Hohdahl
Editing: Zorica Vilotic