In São Tomé, April is a month for cultural festivities

Melba de Ceita - Sao Tome and Principe

Several cultural activities are taking place in São Tomé and Príncipe to commemorate April, the month of national culture. This is something that the government through the Ministry of Culture is eager to promote.

The stage is usually the public square. São Toméans have been displaying music, dance, theatre and their gastronomy. Among the various traditional festivities, popular culture in São Tomé revolves around its traditional plays known as Tchiloli.

According to the Director General in the Ministry of Culture, Myklail Mendes de Ceita. The primary purpose of the culture month is to consolidate, rescue and disseminate cultural identity. Otherwise, the nation’s culture is in danger of disappearing, he said.

Discovered in 1475 by Portuguese explorers who arrived on the feast day of Saint Thomas, the island’s namesake, São Tomé is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the West African coast. Portuguese influence from its colonial past is still strong.