Mama Africa
It’s not as hot as I imagined when we land on the equator at the end of the day. The atmosphere outside the airport is not as frantic as expected either. A small group of porters stands out against a sparse crowd to quietly offer their services. This scene describes the rhythm of life in Sao Tomé and Principe: the words “leve-leve” literally translate to “light-light”, explaining the calm, indolent and general laid-back attitude. It’s the local Aloha.
Our landing here won’t change this immutable pace. Apart from the kids – who are often given sweets by tourists, sometimes begging for them – nobody will beg nor try to sell us anything during the whole trip. Ten years ago, Sam George, Surfing’s magazine ex-editor in chief, came to Maui to present his movie. “An African surf story” related his trip to Sao Tomé and his surprise to discover that surfing was already widespread in the island. Images showed that surfing was a part of the local culture; they were using boards shaped directly from trees and the activity seemed to go back as far as islanders’ memory can remember. However, there was no possible connection with the Polynesians, the official custodians of the DNA of the sport of kings.
