Posted on November 26, 2018
I've talked before about the 1974 Carnation Revolution, in the European nation of Portugal. This was a non-violent coup that overthrew the Estado Novo dictatorship and ushered in a democratic government for Portugal.
It was amazing and wonderful and even colorful - because the people who had poured into the streets to celebrate the end of the dictatorship put carnations in the muzzles of soldiers' guns and in the buttonholes of their uniforms.
But what does the Carnation Revolution have to do with the African nation of Saõ Tóme and Príncipe?
Well, almost half of Portugal's budget, before the coup, was being spent on trying to hold onto the nation's African colonies. There was no end in sight, and most Portuguese people preferred to spend the nation's money in more...positive ways!
So after the Carnation Revolution, Portuguese colonial rulers left the various colonies, and those African nations finally had a chance for independence and self-rule!
The Argel Accords were documents promising to allow self-rule. Today is the day that the people of Saõ Tóme and Príncipe celebrate the signing of those documents and also honor all the Portuguese citizens whose demonstrations against the Estado Novo regime resulted in their own nation's independence.
Check out some of the amazing sights of Saõ Tóme and Príncipe:
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