On the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea, six former colonial plantations, known as “rocas,” have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, highlighting a complex legacy rooted in slavery and forced labor. These estates, established by Portuguese colonists in the late 19th century, were central to an extensive colonial agro-industrial system that shaped the islands’ social and economic history.

The plantations, including the Sundy estate on Príncipe, were initially worked by enslaved Africans before transitioning to systems of forced contracted labor following the abolition of slavery by Portugal in 1869. Workers were often brought against their will from various Portuguese colonies such as Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde, as well as from neighboring countries like Gabon and the Congo. São Tomé itself served as a final transit point in the transatlantic slave trade before ships embarked for the Americas.

Each roça comprised agricultural fields alongside industrial infrastructure, residential quarters, and social amenities that supported a near self-sufficient plantation economy. The Sundy plantation, for example, retains vestiges of its colonial past in the form of a fortified stable, a manor house reflecting Portuguese architectural styles, a small chapel, and rows of “sanzalas”—dormitories built for laborers. These structures serve as tangible reminders of the harsh conditions endured by workers during the plantations’ peak cocoa and coffee production eras.

The impact of these plantations is embedded in the collective memory of São Tomé and Príncipe. Emir Boa Morte, the nation’s culture chief, underscored the importance of preserving the roças as symbols of the islands’ colonial history, despite many deteriorating or disappearing over time. He noted that while some have been lost or altered, approximately one hundred such estates remain across the two islands.

Following the country’s independence and the rise of a Marxist-Leninist government in the late 1970s, many roças were nationalized. However, during the 1990s, these estates were privatized amidst a declining cocoa market, undercutting their economic viability. Presently, most have fallen into disrepair, with some still occupied by descendants of former workers living in substandard and often unsanitary conditions.

Despite their dilapidated state, the plantations have attracted interest from private investors aiming to develop cultural and historical tourism, leveraging the unique and often somber heritage embodied by the roças. Their inclusion on the UNESCO list is expected to raise awareness and support preservation efforts, though balancing revitalization with respect for the plantations’ fraught history remains a significant challenge for the archipelago.