It is a reprint of a review about this historic African territory described by Manuel Pinto Rosario.
I propose once again a reference book on the history of a small country, a former Portuguese colony, Sao Tome and Principe. It is the anonymous report a contemporary of Manuel Pinto Rosario about the slave revolt led by Amador to which the priest had access and the portrait of the socioeconomic structure of the territory. The description covers the period from 1473 until 1734, year of completion. The historian Arlindo Caldeira is a reprint of this document with an introduction to the life and work of this church and explanatory notes on the text. One of the chapters I want to focus on is the life of one of the most famous personalities of the island, Amador. He was a captive slave born in St. Thomas who led the first major slave revolt in 1595. It all began on July 9 of that year with the killing of some white and ended twenty days after the surrender of slaves after an unequal struggle in every way. Although the insurgents were in greater numbers, historical sources cite 5000 slaves who took over the city, were largely unarmed and did not have any viable plan which precipitated their defeat. The leaders of the mutineers, the generals of Amador, were imprisoned and hanged after. As for the fate of this hero of Sao Tome, according to the document report from the Vatican, he was executed and quartered to serve as an example. But what was the importance of personality in the history of the island? Although the revolt was short-lived, the fact is that his small time frame they manage to destroyed more than half of the sugar mills, which precipitated the decline of industry in the archipelago, which never recovered after the uprising. Currently, Amador is considered a national hero, best known as King Amador of Angolares, although there is no historical evidence to prove the veracity of this title, by the way some historians refute, it is thought that the legend comes from an oral tradition that dates back century XVI, who remains to this day in St. Thomas. For those who like history and more knowledge about the Lusophone countries and understand the course of Fr Manuel Pinto Rosario, this is a book to read carefully. Good Reading.
