Discover
The identity of the nation
São Tomé and Príncipe is a small archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea, right near the equator, made up of two main islands and a few islets. Despite its small size, around 210 thousand inhabitants, the country carries a long history of Christian faith, which arrived with the first Portuguese colonizers at the end of the 15th century, making the Diocese of São Tomé one of the oldest in all of Africa.
For centuries, the church was closely tied to colonial power, and evangelization went hand in hand with the trade of enslaved people and, later, with forced labor on the roças, the large cocoa and coffee plantations that sustained the islands’ economy. That history left its mark: for many São Toméans, being Christian is still more a family tradition inherited from ancestors than a personal decision to follow Christ.
Today the vast majority of the population identifies as Christian, between Catholics and a growing number of Evangelicals. But alongside this faith, beliefs brought by African ancestors survive: fear of the spirits of the dead and the search for healers and rituals known as djambi to explain illness and misfortune. Many families live with this mixture without realizing how much it competes with full trust in God.
Religious freedom is real and protected by law, so the greatest challenge for the church does not come from outside, but from within: forming mature disciples, reaching the country’s small deaf community, caring for families on Príncipe island and the old roças, isolated by sea and distance, and preparing a new generation of leaders who will not leave the country in search of a better life elsewhere.
São Tomé and Príncipe is a small but strategic place: it speaks Portuguese, sits right in the middle of the Gulf of Guinea, and can become a bridge of hope for other peoples in the region. Praying for this nation means asking that its ancient Christian faith also become deep and alive in every family and on every island.
- 1470 Portuguese navigators arrive at the then-uninhabited islands
- 1493 Effective Portuguese colonization of São Tomé, with settlers from Portugal and Jewish children sent by force
- 16th century Sugarcane and the trade of enslaved people turn the islands into an Atlantic trading post
- 19th century Cocoa and coffee make São Tomé one of the world's largest cocoa producers
- 1953 Batepá Massacre: Portuguese colonial forces kill hundreds of forros (native Creoles of the islands)
- 1972 Founding of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP), born from a nationalist committee created in 1960 in exile
- 1975 Independence from Portugal, proclaimed on July 12
- 1991 First multiparty elections, after years of single-party rule
- Today The country seeks to diversify its economy, still dependent on cocoa, tourism, and international aid
-
Portugueseofficial language, spoken by almost the entire population
-
Forro (Santomean)Portuguese-based Creole, still spoken by part of the population of São Tomé island
-
AngolarCreole spoken by descendants of enslaved people who fled, today mainly on the south coast
-
Lung'Ie (Principense)nearly extinct Creole, spoken by a small community on Príncipe island
São Tomé and Príncipe is made up of two main islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, and several smaller islets, in the Gulf of Guinea, right near the equator, off the west coast of Central Africa. It is the second smallest country in Africa by area. The islands were formed by volcanoes that rose from the ocean floor, so the terrain is mountainous and covered by dense tropical forest, with peaks such as Pico de São Tomé, at 2,024 meters, and unique formations like Pico Cão Grande, a tower of volcanic rock that stands out in the landscape of the island's south.
Major cities
- São Tométhe country's capital, main port, and administrative center, on the larger island
- Trindadea village in the center of São Tomé island, near the old cocoa roças (colonial plantations)
- Nevesthe country's second largest town, on the coast, in the west of São Tomé island
- Santo Antóniocapital of Príncipe island, a small village that concentrates the island's trade and administrative services
- Guadalupethe northernmost town on São Tomé island, gateway to old cocoa roças
Climate and temperature
Calulu
the national dish, made with dried fish or meat, local greens, okra, and eggplant cooked in palm oil
Feijoada à moda da terra
local version of feijoada, with beans, dried or smoked fish, and palm oil
Fried plantain
a fruit similar to banana, boiled or fried, that accompanies almost every meal
Izaquente sweet
a sweet made from izaquente fruit, ground and cooked with sugar, a traditional dessert
Understand
Culture and spirituality
2a · The culture
Tchiloli
popular theater that stages, in verse, a medieval European drama about the death of Emperor Charlemagne
Danço-Congo
dance-theater that blends music, dance, and acting, telling stories of the struggle between good and evil
Auto de Floripes
major street theater festival on Príncipe island, celebrated every August 15
Cocoa roças
old colonial cocoa plantations, today an important part of the country's landscape and memory
- Comparing local Creole to Portugal's Portuguese São Toméans are proud of their own Creole languages, such as Forro and Angolar, which are not "broken Portuguese"
- Rushing conversations and meetings the pace of life is calm and unhurried; wanting to settle everything quickly can seem rude
- Speaking carelessly about the roças (old colonial plantations) they are part of a sensitive memory tied to forced labor from the colonial period
2b · The field
Areas of spiritual battle and cultural captivity to cover in prayer. Tap each point to understand:
Many still seek healers to explain illness and misfortune as the work of spirits, instead of turning to God.
The belief that the dead can harm the living produces protective rituals that compete with trust in God.
Many call themselves Christian out of family tradition, without a personal, living faith in Christ.
Catholic saints' festivals blend with requests for protection from ancestral spirits and witchcraft practices.
Rivalry between older denominations and newer evangelical churches sometimes breeds distrust instead of unity.
Distance from the African continent makes it harder to access Bibles, discipleship, and the training of new leaders.
Consumption of local fermented drinks, a common part of social life, becomes a destructive addiction in many families.
The small economy, dependent on international aid, also feeds spiritual passivity in some churches.
Many young people leave the country to study or work abroad, emptying churches and local leadership.
Growing tourism also brings consumerist values that compete with the values of faith and family.
In São Tomé and Príncipe, no one is arrested or prosecuted for being Christian. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and the government, in practice, respects that right. Churches can gather, evangelize, and build places of worship freely, both in the capital and in the old roças, the colonial-era cocoa plantations where many families still live.
The greatest challenge does not come from the State, but from the blending of beliefs in daily life. It is common for a person to attend Mass on Sundays and, during the week, seek out a healer to deal with an illness or a family problem attributed to the action of spirits. Breaking with this syncretism, the mixing of Christian practices with traditional beliefs inherited from ancestors, and living a faith centered only on Christ is still a journey for many families.
Smaller communities, such as the residents of Príncipe island and the country’s deaf community, have less access to Bible materials and discipleship in their own language or in sign language. This is not persecution, but it is a form of spiritual isolation that also calls for prayer.
The persecution score runs from 0 to 100: the higher it is, the greater the pressure on Christians.
São Tomé and Príncipe is a small archipelago, with only 6 identified peoples, most already reached by the gospel. The São Toméan mixed-race people, descended from the mixture of Portuguese settlers and Africans brought as enslaved people, make up the vast majority of the population. Alongside them live Cape Verdeans, Angolars (descendants of enslaved people who fled to the south coast), Principense people from Príncipe island, and a small Fang community of Central African origin. The only group still classified as unreached is the country's deaf community, which lacks churches and Bible materials in sign language.
- 1K Unreached 0,4%
- 0 Minimally reached 0%
- 0 Superficially reached 0%
- 228K Partially reached 98,3%
- 3K Significantly reached 1,3%
- 1 Unreached 16,7%
- 0 Minimally reached 0%
- 0 Superficially reached 0%
- 4 Partially reached 66,7%
- 1 Significantly reached 16,7%
Source of people group data: Joshua Project (joshuaproject.net). Estimates, may vary.
Source: Joshua Project. Estimates, may vary.
Pray
Intercede for this nation
Every nation carries a redemptive purpose. Marks that seem woven into the identity God desires to restore:
Go
Practical details for those who want to go
Local time
Cost of living
Numbeo, limited data for the country
Cost by city
Reference values (source: Numbeo). Confirm before traveling.
Practical points for those who go
- Electricity still fails frequently outside the capital; bring a flashlight and a portable charger.
- Portuguese is the official language, but learning a few words in Forro (the local Creole) helps build connection.
- Transport between the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe is only by plane or boat, and can be delayed.
- Bring sunscreen and insect repellent; the climate is hot and humid, with mosquitoes year round.
- Fresh fruit and fish are cheap and plentiful; imported goods cost much more.
- Respect the local unhurried pace; rushing and tight schedules do not fit São Toméan culture.
Send and sustain
Not everyone goes, everyone takes part
Not everyone goes. Everyone takes part.
Behind every worker among these peoples stands a network of people who pray without ceasing, care for the family left behind, and faithfully sustain the work. Sending is mission too.
Start with your church: introduce this nation, adopt it in ongoing prayer, and walk alongside those God is raising up to go.