Narrativas sobre São Tomé: memórias cabo-verdianas do trabalho contratado no império português

Abstract

In Cape Verdean collective memory, the channelling by Portuguese colonial authorities of contract labourers to Sao Tome is associated with slavery and suffering. This article juxtaposes the collective memory with the narrative of a former contract labourer, senhor Fernando, who paints a relatively positive picture of his distant years in Sao Tome. Through a theoretical discussion of collective and individual memory, the article argues that the contrast between these narratives has to do with the differences between the identities they reproduce. The collective narrative of subjection and victimhood is historically rooted in the fight for Cape Verdean independence and the moral right to a separate national identity. Senhor Fernando’s story about how he took ownership of his situation, despite all the hardships, draws on a number of different social identities, a repertoire that enables him to establish himself as agent rather than as victim.