Vacation!

OK, y'all. Since radio stations are insisting on playing nothing but non-stop and terribly trite Christmas music, and we're doing a little family-real ted travel. So, we're playing the Jet Lag card and are going take a break.

Ellen is going to escape to UAE and hibernate through these next few weeks, and there is rumor that Pinky is heading back to Chile.

So, until our return on January 5th, have a great:

Advent
Diwali
Hanukkah

St. Nicholas' Day

Bodhi Day

Fest of Our Lady Guadeloupe

Ashura

Yule and Litha
Solstice (Summer or Winter depending on your hemisphere)
Saturnalia
Festivus
Kwanzaa

Lunar Eclipse

Christmas

Boxing Day
Hogmanay

New Year
Wintertime

Day

Week

Weekend

Birthday!

(pick all that apply)

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Cambodia - Phabulous Phnom Penh

That Botswana station was so Americanized. If it weren't for the odd African song thrown in, that station could've been in any US metro area. We may be the dominant entertainment culture in the world, but daaaaaaamn...

Let's try something a bit more exotic today. Y'all want to head to Cambodia?

first, some orientation...

About 90% of Cambodia's 15 million people consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that dominated the region for a couple of hundred years back about a thousand years ago. There's still massive ruins from their empire, and it's capital, Angkor, was the largest pre-industrial city in the world! Larger than anything the Romans or Mayans or Egyptians did! It's estimated that agriculturally, it could have supported a million people. Cambodians are so proud of Angkor they put it on their flag, and are the only country to have a building on their banner.

But like the Huns and Visigoths and Vandals that weakened Rome, Angkor was crippled by lesser tribes in the region, mainly from modern-day Thailand and Vietnam. By the mid-1400's, they'd abandoned the capitol due to ecological and infrastructural collapse. The civilization continued to decline as outside powers intervened until the late 1800's. A king, who'd been put on the throne by the Thais, asked the French to spot him protection against the Thais and Vietnamese. Oooooh snap! Cambodia stayed under French control until WWII, when the Japanese empire occupied it. After the war, France started to grant independence to Indochina, with Cambodia gaining full independence in 1953.

A government was set up and ruled for almost two decades. It was officially neutral during the Cold War, but everyone thought they sympathized with the communists. They had pretty sour relations with America, sidling up to China and North Vietnam instead. In 1970, a military coup (backed by America) overthrew the government while the head of state was in Beijing.

Angkor Wat from above. Reminds Ellen of the monkey city in The Jungle Book.

The new government that was established was the Khmer Republic. Five years of civil war ensued while the height of the Vietnam War raged next door. The Americans were pretty active in Cambodia as well since the Vietnam War seeped over boarders. There were controversial massive bombing campaigns and a brief invasion as the Americans tried to disrupt the North Vietnamese. Though the US was successful in upsetting that apple cart, it really fucked up things for Cambodia. It intensified their civil war, and by 1975, the Khmer Rouge had succeeded in toppling the government in Phnom Penh. That's just a quick overview mind you. Shit's always more complicated.

The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

OK, so now we've got the Khmer Rouge in power and over the next 4 years Pol Pot starts this insane agrarian revolution. He clears out the cities and moves everyone to the country and destroys anything Western in an attempt to recreate the model from the earlier empires from over a thousand years ago. Of course, it didn't work. DUH. And, through their unadulterated cruelty, heavy handed tactics, and ensuing disease and starvation, the Khmer Rouge ends up killing about a fourth of their population - especially the Buddhist monks. They killed off every single one of them they could find, and there were a lot at the time. The Khmer Rouge basically gutted that institution. By the late 1970's there were less than a thousand left. The Khmer Rouge tried to kill all the intellectuals, too. Just wearing eyeglasses was a death sentence. (Watch out, Ellen!)

Pol Pot dictating his crazy to the masses.

The Vietnamese invaded in the late 70's, and civil war ensued until peace accords in 1991. The last of the Khmer Rouge didn't give up until the late 90's though, and today, there are still an estimated 4 million landmines in a country the size of Oklahoma. It'll be another ten years before they're removed or destroyed. Each month, there are an estimated 300-700 amputations due to people stepping on them. Think about that... Primarily due to landmines, 1 in 236 Cambodians are disabled, making Cambodia the most disabled country on earth.

Although Cambodia is war torn, they're dealing with their past and rebuilding. It's become an incredible tourist destination, and about 4 million people come to visit Angkor every year. In recognition and as a way to learn from their country's history, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was established in Phenom Penh. If you had gone before 2002, you would have seen the Skull Map (yeah, it's a disturbing as it sounds... click with care). They've replaced it with a map of the killing fields and relocation camps, and we hear it's significantly less traumatizing.

Anyway, Cambodia is building up their agriculture, garment, and oil industries, too. Although there have been a few hiccups, they're pretty stable politically and are actively rebuilding their society. It's a poor nation with a poor infrastructure, but they're a resourceful people and are doing everything they can to flourish. Check out the bamboo trains! Gotta use what ya got!

Well, guess that about does it for now. Hope y'all enjoy Cambodia!

Listen Here!

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Bostwana - Gangsta Gaborone

Belgium? Smellgium! Na, just kiddin'. That station was alright. Not great, but alright. 


You doin' anything right about now other than eating week old pumpkin bread? Wanna go to Botswana? Great! Let's get going!

we'll meet you there! best get going!

When South Africa was formed in 1910, they expected Britain to tack on the territories that are now Lesotho, Swaziland, and Botswana. Britain was all "yeah, we'll get around to it." But, as those Brits so often are, they were non-committal and never did. There is more to it then that of course, but that's the abridged version. When South African apartheid and their ensuing abdication from the Commonwealth rolled around, South Africa lost all claim to Botswana, who was kept under British control of until the mid-60's, when the Botswana established independence.

zebras?! on your coat of arms?! it's perfection!

Massive diamond deposits were found shortly afterwards and Botswana remains the world's largest diamond producer to this day (1st in value, 2nd in volume.) Nice coincidence, huh? More than that though, they've had FANTASTIC governance. With smart macroeconomic policies and economic development, they've made their country a shining example for all of Africa. At indepedence, GDP per capita was $70. Today it's about $14,000. It went from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income nation, square with Argentina and Chile. It's rated as the best credit risk in Africa, and though diamonds are an essential part of their economy, they still account for only 1/3 of GDP. Tourism, industrial, finance, and agriculture make up the majority of the rest. 

Good governance is the reason Botswana is in the position it's in today. No other African nation has done as much to preserve their democracy, and it seems that it's the only mainland African country to not have had a civil conflict since their independence. That's something to be proud of. America can't even say that!

Not all is well and good in Botswanna though. They have one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world. Almost a quarter of their population has has HIV/AIDS. Their government is doing everything that it can to combat the problem, and HIV/AIDS drugs are provided free to all citizens. They have the best, most comprehensive HIV/AIDS program in all of Africa.

just remember: condomise.

With nearly 85% of their country as desert and because they are landlocked, water is pretty valuable in Botswana, so much so that they named their currency "Pula", which translates to water! It is home to the world's largest inland delta though. Only .065% of their land is arable. Dang! In a country the size of Texas, they can only grow food on about half a percent of their land... Drought and desertification are big problems there.

zebras on everything! love it!

Botswanna is also home to the Tsodilo Hills, a place known and visited by humans for about 100,000 years. Holy shit... that's a long time. There are about 4,500 cave paintings there, HUGE stone sculptures, plenty of evidence of ritual, and fascinating creation stories. Look it up if you get a moment. It's worth it.

sadly, no zebras here.

OK, let's tune in to the capital city of Botswana, Gaborone, and enjoy some sub-Saharan rap!

Yarona FM

There is a big play button near the top. You can't miss it!

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Belgium - We Finally Embed!

You guys have fun in Trinidad and Tobago? If it weren't for the DJ's it would've been good. What is it with horrible intrusive DJ's in the Caribbean?

OK, let's hop across the Atlantic and visit Belgium!

Ellen always gets Belgium mixed up with The Netherlands. So much for being a genius mastermind.

Pinky bought some tulip bulbs there once and brought them all the way back to the US in his luggage (which was/is probably totally illegal now that we think about it), but then he forgot to plant them. They hung on the wall forever and then got tossed in a corner and turned into this slimy mass of plant matter in the garage. Pinky really should have been a better steward. And, in his defense, he was 16 and folks don't really care about tulips all that much at that age. Now someone is gonna make a two-lips joke and we'll all laugh. Hahahahaha! Ok, shut up.

So, Belgium is famous for beer, chocolate, waffles, and french fries. We have compiled a small photo tribute to our more favorite famous Belgian items:

Uhhhhh, those last two are totally American... but are the only way most Americans experience Belgian delicacies. We're not proud.

Aaaaaanyway, here's a Belgian oldies station. There's no way they'll play Katy Perry, right? Right?! And, in case you forgot... w.e. h.a.t.e. k.a.t.y. p.e.r.r.y.

See you all on Monday!

PS: This embedded player isn't working. Boo. Try THIS!

Trinidad and Tobago - Spicy San Fernando

Oh, hey! Whatcha doin? Just trying to figure out what to name your new Beta fish while waiting to get your circuit breaker reset because you tripped it into oblivion with a space heater? Yeah, us, too.

Djibouti was hit and miss on Tuesday, so do y'all wanna go to Trinidad and Tobago today? We're gearing up for more nasty weather and this should be the perfect cure!

you can just imagine those folks to be ellen and pinky having an underwater tea party. not THE tea party. ok, you can imagine that those folks are ellen and pinky holding the tea party under water.

So, let's get a little oriented. Trinidad and Tobago are located in North America, but actually sit just off the coast of Venezuela in South America. Trinidad and Tobago consist of two islands, the southernmost of the Caribbean islands, and is the home of the steel drum, the limbo dance, calypso music, the largest specimen of brain coral in the world, and was the fictional location of both Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe.

When Pinky was a kid, he used to listen to an old steel drum record of calypso music from the islands. He loved it. He used to play it constantly. His parents must have the patience of Job. He's hoping we'll get some similar stuff today.

the implied cacophony is deafening! 

Trinidad and Tobago were first settled about 7,000 years ago, the first in the Caribbean. We couldn't find much in the way of pre-Columbian history, so let's just fast forward a few thousand years to 1492, when Columbus landed in late July. Settlements were set up in the early 1500's, and a long history of settlements, slavery, plantation farming, and lots and lots of fighting ensued. Especially on Tobago. Tobago has changed hands around 30 times, more than any other Caribbean island. The English finally took hold in the early 1800's and kept it as a colony until independence in 1962.

i feel the small pox coming on...

They've been pumping oil since the early 1900's, making it one of the richest colonies in the British empire. Those petro-dollars and a location outside the hurricane belt have helped them in modern times to build a pretty strong nation. They're able to provide free education for there citizens from kindergarten all the way up through university!

Anyway, let's tune in and find out what the Trinbagonians are listening to! Don't forget your sunscreen!

WACK Radio

Listen Here - watch out! They're culture krazy!

Djibouti - We're Digging جيبوتي

Oh my gawd, y'all. Sorry to leave you stranded in Montenegro with those state speeches and spoons tapping on glasses. We got a little snowed in yesterday. Even though it was a snow day and we didn't get to travel, we were still pretty productive. Ellen did a 1,000 piece puzzle all by herself in less than six hours. Who's a super mastermind now?

OK, what say we head to Djibouti (جيبوتي)? If Bangkok invaded Djibouti, would Greece help? Waka! Waka! Waka!

it's wayyyyyy over there on the right. the one in red!

Now that we've gotten all of that silliness out of the way... Djiboutui is a tiny little country - about the size of Massachusetts -  situated on the horn of Africa at the south end of the Red Sea. This place is desert-tastic! There's only about 5 inches of rainfall a year, and as a result, only about .04% of their land is arable. Less than half a percent! They've got to import the majority of their food, which makes them trickily dependent on pretty much everyone else in the world.

There's a good bit of ocean life, though. You can find everything from Whale Sharks, which are totally sweet, to Manta Rays and Hammerheads! Those are totally rad, too. Wouldn't it be wild to ride a Manta Ray around? Djibouti is also home to the crater lake, Lac Assal (Lake Assal), which is over 500 feet below sea level and is the second lowest land depression in the world after the Dead Sea!

Average schooling for their citizens is just four years. Imagine that! You'd be going to senior prom at ten years old! Na but really, it's probably because only a quarter of their population receives any education. They still have a 70% literacy rate, though. Sounds as if they are just more efficient educators maybe.

Argh. So, apparently there's no documented history of Djibouti prior to France's arrival in the mid-19th century, beyond passing mentions of traders. We find that pretty hard to believe. Perhaps Pinky's research is a bit too shallow, but he can't find anything more substantial than a few sentences describing their history before the French arrived. Weird. You'd figure a nation situated in such a geographically important area would have plenty of documented history. There were plenty of established and powerful civilizations in the area. We really can't fathom why nothing's written. Oral history is prevalent in Djibouti's nomadic tribes, but we really can't find anything beyond the name of a sultan or two. Bizarre. We guess everyone must've been chewing khat, like they do today.

yum, illegal/legal plants to chew.

Anyway, in the late 1800's, the French rolled in and hung around for about a hundred years, naming it French Somaliland, and later the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas. These are some epic names. They eventually gained independence in 1977, and Hassan Gouled Aptidon, the first president, served until he stepped down in 1999, at 83 years old. He died a few years ago at the age of 90. His nephew succeeded him and serves as president to this day. There was a nasty civil war throughout the 90's over political representation, but it ended in 2001 with the last of the rebels signing peace accords.

nice hat, sir!

With an unemployment rate of 40-50%, there isn't a whole lot going for Djibouti economically. They pretty much capitalize on there strategic location. Strategic location of Djibouti. That's what's he said! Hoo Wah!

Seriously, though, let's tune in and see what the Djiboutians are listening to. This is an Arab station broadcast throughout the Levant. Djibouti only has two domestic radio stations, and neither stream on the internet, so we'll have to listen to this one. It seems pretty good so far, beyond the occasional and completely out of place western song. For example, we just heard awesome Arab stuff transition into Ke$ha. 50% awesome, 50% not awesome.

Radio Sawa

Listen Here

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Montenegro - Beautiful Беране

Whoa. Sorry about accidentally maintaining radio silence yesterday... life got away from us! Oops!

Didja have fun in Tonga on Wednesday? What's that you say? Not enough accordion for ya? Well have we got the remedy for that! Let's head over to Montenegro!

this map has the rail lines on it!

Reportedly the tallest people in the world, Montenegrin men are 6'1" on average, and women are 5'7". Must be tough to fit everyone in. Even the map gets a little cramped! Cartographers have apparently always hated Montenegro because they can't fit all the letters in it's small space on the map. Pinky's read in three places (one being a US government website) that the river Bojana is the only river in the world that flows in both directions, but we're dubious of this claim, as A) it seems impossible, and B) all the other articles about the river make no such claim. And, you'd figure that would be something to boast about. So, why aren't they shouting from the rooftops? Whatever. We're over it.

what? living here is possible? bring it on!

Montenegro translates to "Black Mountain", which is fun since we've all spent so much time in Black Mountain, NC. I wonder if they have a sister city established. We like it when cities do that. Perhaps they could shack up with Zhabljak, the highest town in the Balkans and a tourist destination. Montenegro itself has become one of the fastest growing tourist hot spots in the world!

now, those are some BLACK mountains!

Montenegro has a history of being swallowed by empires. It started with the Romans, then the Byzantines, followed by the Serbians, then the Ottomans, then became part of the Venetian Republic towards the end of that state's lifespan, then the Austrians took over. Montenegro had a run of independence in the mid-late 1800's, establishing a monarchy. It then joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia after WWI where it apparently had a lot of say in the government; it was then annexed by Mussolini during WWII, and then joined the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after the war, firmly under the USSR's thumb. They had a union with Serbia for a while, but referendums never really let it come to full fruition, and Montenegrin independence was firmly established a few years ago. Will it last? Who knows?

Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery, Berane, Montenegro

Let's tune in to Radio Berane broadcasting from Berane (Беране) situated in the mountains of eastern Montenegro. Seems like there's some kind of speech going on right now, but hopefully they'll return to the fun stuff soon. Enjoy!

Radio Berane

Listen Here

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Tonga - It's So Nice in Nuku´alofa

Dig that Icelandic station, huh? It's totally a super good one. Maybe even one of our favorites!

OK, we've had enough of this 5° F windchill, let's head back to Polynesia and visit Tonga today!

yup, those tiny green dots!

Known as "The Friendly Islands" Tonga was the only Polynesian kingdom to resist colonial pressures during that era and remain independent. It did allow itself to become a British protectorate in 1900, and then joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. They've held onto their monarchy all along, though, and take great pride in that fact. They are currently transitioning to a constitutional monarchy. Their first elections were held earlier this year.

oh hey King George Topou V and PM Feleti Sevele. what's up? y'all look like fun!

OK, with the boring stuff out of the way, we can get on with the trivia! You'll rarely see folks skimpily dressed in Tonga as it's against the law. Even when swimming, folks keep their shirts on. Weird, huh? We think that's totally counterproductive to the cooling principles of swimming. Also, Tongan women are supposed to be really good jugglers. That's a nice talent to be expected to have. Tongans also play "lafo", which is a miniature version of shuffleboard played with seeds. The international date line loops around the islands, so foreigners are often a bit discombobulated as to what day it actually is. Also, guns are illegal and the national rugby team does a war dance before each match, which is a totally rad thing to do. You can see them (Red) dance off against the New Zealand team (Black) here:

This station has just a short little playlist for us, so feel free to bump back over to one of our previous stations when it's completed. We suggest Lebanon and Oman! Even though it won't be long, we will get a nice little auditory glimpse of Tongan music. We're so excited about our subtropical escape to the capital city of Nuku´alofa!

Tonga Radio

Listen Here

Obviously, pick the Tongan-Only-Music channel.

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Iceland - Rockin' Reykjavík

So Panama would have been good, but those DJ's and their canned laughter significantly lowered their score.

Alrighty, this post was originally scheduled to go live on National Coming Out Day (10/11), but obviously we're about two months late (what else is new?). To honor (albeit belatedly) those who have been brave enough to come out out the closet, we're going to head over to Iceland, the only country with an openly LGBTQ head of state! Yay for Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir!!

go gettem, lady!

Pinky's ex-boyfriend stopped by there a year or two back. Our friends Mica and Colin went earlier this year, and Pinky's old roommate from Maryland went over with his horrible Rumpelstiltskin friend. You know, that half-French girl with the fake accent, distracting mole, clunky shoes, and unjustified air of superiority? We would not have wanted to be on that trip. Those two sucked.

this might be the only place in the world colder than Ellen's office!

Aaaaaaaanyway, Iceland was settled by the Vikings only about 1,000 years ago. They lived under the Norwegian and Danish crowns until the end of WWI. However, the independence process was well in motion before the war. Jared Diamond wrote a pretty interesting synopsis of their historical era in his book Collapse, which is worth a read if you've got the time.

oh my gawwwd!

Iceland is one of the most interesting cases of the recent economic crisis. They had built a pretty healthy economy based on fishing and farming, but in the mid-90's, they joined Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein in the European Free Trade Association, which allowed them to join the European market without EU membership. Iceland was then able to expand beyond their traditional industries without being politically tethered to Europe, and they spawned these wonder-boy banks that shot their GDP through the roof. Unfortunately, a lot of those loans were shady, and they sure had made a lot of them. These banks' debt was about 6 times the GDP of Iceland! Because their debt was so high, when the crisis hit, Iceland's central bank couldn't guarantee them, and the shit hit the fan. Without EU membership, there was no one set up to bail them out, and they had to go begging to the IMF and a handful of European countries. There was a ton of red tape and lots of strings attached, but they staved off complete collapse. Not to imply that their economy isn't fucked, just that they haven't needed to resort to cannibalism.

oh my gawd.

The government was essentially replaced under public pressure. A lot of banking executives and high government officials are facing criminal charges. Iceland has a huge debt shackled to its feet. But since Iceland's population is comparable to that of Toledo, OH, we're talking about a debt that comes out to $160,000 a person. This wouldn't be too scary for a developed nation, but that $160,000 is just from the crisis and does not include current sovereign debt. In comparison, the American bank bailout would have cost us each about $2,300, but the banks have already repaid the majority of their bailout.

ohhhhhhh my god.

This sucks because Iceland was a really cool case study with an interesting tax structure and a burgeoning service economy, but because of the work of just a handful of people, a thousand years of a conservative life style was shirked and they fucked over the entire country. The rest of the population has voted not to pay the debts back, because they had nothing to do with it. Of course, you can argue that they benefited from the GDP increase during the financial heydays and certainly from the prevention of national collapse, but they're still pissed, and the decision is theirs alone. Not ours. The credit markets will certainly make their opinion known.

OK, so today we're in the capital city of Reykjavík. We don't have a lot to say about the city other than it's name is one of Ellen's most favorite words to say. You're totally going to love this station! It's got some hard rock, straight up pop, Christmas music (for those of you who celebrate as such), Icelandic news, and general awesome-ness. Have fun in the great white north, y'all! 

Ras2

There is a big play button in the middle of the page that you cannot miss!

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Panama - Pulsing Panama City

Whatcha doin'? Just picking dog hair off your velcro-like facial hair stubble and sitting on a bag of frozen peas because you busted your ass on the ice on the way in to work? Yeah... us, too.

Did y'all have a good time in Sao Tome and Principe? That was a really, really good station - even though we heard this little ditty:

Awwwwwwwwwkward.

Come on! Let's escape the arctic blast and go visit Kenny in Panama! How long has he been down there? A year?


Ok, before we get to the canal, which is really, Really, REALLY important, let's knock a couple things out. Panama is about the size of South Carolina, has a little under 3.5 million people, and is home to the largest rainforest outside of the Amazon basin in the Western Hemisphere. Its history for the past 500 years has been intimately linked to its geopolitical importance.

Here's a little orientation

So, the Spanish come in, the indigenous Chibchan, Chocoan, and Cueva tribes are massacred with warfare and disease. Panama acts as a Spanish Colony for the next 300 years. The Spanish would dig up precious metals in South America, sail it up to Panama, haul it across the land mass, and pack it onto ships set for Europe.

Panamanian jungles anyone?

In the 1880's, a French company made the first attempt at building the canal, but gave up after 22,000 workers died, mostly from disease. About 20 years later, the American Army Corps of Engineers launched a second attempt, and after 10 years and another 5,600 deaths, the canal was finally opened in 1914. Ships would no longer have to sail the treacherous Drake Passage. At first, they were puttin' through about 1,000 ships a day, and now they're up to about 15,000. Nice job gang.

Canals canaling canalers.

America controlled the canal until the late 1970's, and it was pretty contentious throughout Latin and South America. They'd helped Panama break away from Columbia just prior to building it, and there were some contentious and questionably worded treaties, as well as agreements made by folks that did not have the authorization to do so. After WWII, things really gained steam, culminating in riots in the mid-60's for Panamanian control. Negotiations began under the Ford administration and ended with a treaty signed by Carter in '77 that would turn it over to Panama by 2000, so long as the canal remained permanently neutral. This really helped relations between America and a lot of Latin and South American nations. It was finally signed over to the Panamanians eleven years ago, and remains one of the most important transit points in the world to this day, as well as a significant source of income for Panama.

still pretty amazing how they can take ships up and down in elevation! modern marvels, y'all.

The average toll paid is about $54K. The highest toll ever paid was about $330K by a Disney cruise liner. The lowest toll ever was $0.36  paid 90 years ago by an adventurer who swam the canal.

Pinky would love to get into the modern political history of Panama, including the US invasion in 1989 to turn over a dictatorship that resulted in a lot of civilian casualties, but we've all got a lot to do and we've written a bunch already. It's totally worth a read though if you want to look it up.

we get to hang out in Panama City today! and, look! there is no snow!

Enjoy your time in Panama and hopefully these disc jockeys will get over using a laugh track soon! Fingers crossed!

Caliente 97.1

Listen Here

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São Tomé and Principe - What a Steal!

Whoa. So, Turkmenistan was great! Who expected that?! Ellen liked how there were covers of English language songs - like when DJ Begga covered Sean Paul's Get Busy. Even the video is an homage to Sean Paul. Here are links to both videos for reasons of comparison. Ellen is now totally in love with all the skinny boys in Turkmenistan.

Begmyrat Annamyradow's (aka DJ Begga)   Şekero

Sean Paul's   Get Busy

OK, let's head back to the Gulf of Guinea and visit São Tomé and Principe!

Gotta admit, this is another nation we weren't aware of, but it seems to be a pretty great place to hang out and holy crap is this radio station good!

you have to squint to see it

Uninhabited until the Portuguese showed up around the 1470's, São Tomé and Principe was soon settled by Portuguese who were "undesirable" back home (read: Jewish folks.) They found out that sugar grew pretty well and began importing slaves to work the plantations. Within 60 years, they were Africa's largest sugar exporters - outta those tiny little islands! Who'd have thought? From just about 600 sq. miles of land! That's half the size of Rhode Island! And, only about 8% of that land is arable!

The equator crosses the São Tomé and Principe on Ilheu das Rolas

Sugar production proved easier in the New World though, and the competition hurt São Tomé and Principe to the point that they ended up transitioning their economy to become a slave trade transit point. That went pretty well for awhile, and by the time that the slaving industry was slowing down, they found out that cocoa grew pretty well there. By the early 1900's, they'd become the world's largest producer. Slavery had been abolished by then, but nasty labor practices continued well into the 20th century, culminating in riots in the mid-50's where hundreds were killed by the Portuguese.

mmm... palm trees!

An independence movement began fomenting around this time as well. And, by the mid-1970's São Tomé  and Principe achieved it. Politics haven't been all that smooth, a trend we're starting to see. Democratic reforms weren't instituted until the late 1980's. There's been plenty of leadership wrangling and two failed coup attempts. Their economy is still pretty dependent on cocoa, with little diversification, but recent oil explorations are promising. And, they're concentrating on developing their very promising - but fledgling - tourist industry.

holy shit! that stamp has dinos on it! we're in love!

Well, with a population comparable to Boise, Idaho, it looks like we're going to have to listen to a signal-boosted Afro-centric Portuguese station. But! This is a really, really good one! 


Enjoy your time in São Tomé and Principe - don't get too toasty there on the equator! And, we'll see y'all on Monday!

RTP

Listen Here

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