Weecheng

Singapore - 18-Jul-24 -

I visited Agua-Ize one month ago (June 2024). We saw the beautiful, haunting structures along the EN -2 (main national road) and turned into the Água Izé complex itself.  The factory owners of this large plantation-factory complex had apparently abandoned it after the chaos at independence (1975), leaving the complex to decay and fall into ruins. Huge and magnificent even in a ruined, dilapidated condition. That is when problem arose - our car was quickly surrounded by aggressive young people who demanded to be engaged as guides.  In any case, we might consider the proposal if we speak Portuguese, but we don't.  The whole atmosphere was quite intimidating with some of them demanding that we leave if we didn't agree to accept them as guides. We were passing on our way between the south and Sao Tome city, and did not have much time. So we decided to leave without exploring the roca. That was a pity.  If the country is able to police the area, train jobless young roca residents to be proper guides and invest in restoring the area, Roça Água Izé has the potential to be revitalized into a heritage and tourism resort complex, restoring its former grandeur.