Sao Tome plantations seek new life after UNESCO listing

Six colonial-era plantation estates in Sao Tome and Principe are drawing new attention after UNESCO added them to its World Heritage List in July, highlighting sites built on slavery and forced labour that now face major preservation challenges.

The estates, known locally as rocas, were established by Portuguese colonists in the second half of the 19th century and used for sugar cane, cocoa and coffee. UNESCO said they show a large-scale colonial agro-industrial system based on forced migration and labour from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century.

Many of the rocas have been abandoned or left in poor condition. Some are still inhabited by former workers and their descendants.

At the former Sundy plantation on Principe island, old stables, a colonial-style manor house, a chapel and workers' housing remain. Conceicao Moreno, a member of the National Assembly whose family came from Cape Verde as contracted workers, said his family history is tied to the site.

Sao Tome and Principe has launched a 10-year plan to restore the buildings and find new uses for them. Emir Boa Morte, the country's culture chief, said the sites preserve the country's collective memory and that new investment should not erase their history.

Private investors are also moving in. HBD Hotels, linked to an investment fund founded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, owns two former rocas on Principe. Its chief executive, Egbert Bloemsma, said the company is turning old plantation buildings into hotels while preserving the sites' culture and architecture.

Boa Morte said more rocas could be proposed for UNESCO recognition in the coming years.