{"id":5388,"date":"2021-03-31T15:34:19","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T14:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/?p=5388"},"modified":"2021-03-31T15:37:01","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T14:37:01","slug":"campo-da-morte-lenta-camp-of-the-slow-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/campo-da-morte-lenta-camp-of-the-slow-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Campo da Morte Lenta: Camp of the Slow Death"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the southern outskirts of the small fishing town of Tarrafel on Santiago, one of the Cape Verde Islands, is a haunting sight. Now a museum, this former concentration camp commemorates a darker time for the islands, under Portuguese rule.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarrafel Camp was also known as Campo da Morte Lenta (\u2018Camp of the Slow Death\u2019), for chilling reasons. It was established in 1936 as an overseas penal colony, by the Portuguese dictator Ant\u00f3nio de Oliveira Salazar, to house opponents to his right-wing authoritarian regime. The aim was to isolate activists from the mainland; also, by incarcerating them in such tough conditions, to send a clear message to others that the punishment for opposition to the regime would be severe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"High
Entrance to the camp<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Conditions in the camp<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Wikipedia describes the conditions thus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018The PVDE [the Portuguese secret police force] modelled its camp regime on the Nazi concentration camps. Prisoners were subjected to brutal authority. Strict regulations were enforced and outside information was forbidden. The PVDE used physical and psychological violence against the prisoners, this included sleep deprivation, beatings and humiliation. Men and women were tortured for information on their organizations and networks in Portugal. The most severe punishment was conducted in a concrete cell called the frigideira (English: \u2018frying pan\u2019). Inside this windowless 6m x3m building, daytime temperatures could reach up to 60\u00b0 Celsius. Prisoners could be held inside these blocks for days, weeks or months.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Folded
Prison uniform<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There is a model of this frigideira<\/em> on display in a small room to the right of the entrance. It also displays a prisoner\u2019s uniform and a few other artefacts. A video tells the story of the camp but unfortunately only in Portuguese. It\u2019s better to wander around soaking up the rather sombre atmosphere and relying on the various signs for information. These are helpfully mostly in English (as well as Portuguese and French).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camp was closed in 1954, but not before 32 political prisoners had died there. In 1961 however it was reopened, this time to serve as a labour camp, housing militants who were fighting Portuguese colonialism in Cape Verde, Angola, and Guinea-Bissau. The frigideira<\/em> was replaced with an hollandinha<\/em>, a tiny cell within a cell used for solitary confinement and can still be seen. The camp closed for a final time in 1974, when the Portuguese rule came to an end, and an order was given for all prisoners here to be released. In 1975 Cape Verde achieved full independence and the camp was handed over to the newly-formed government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Touring the camp<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After closure the camp was used in various ways, including as a military base and a school. It became a museum in 2000. The museum focuses on the prison buildings themselves \u2013 cells, first aid post, store rooms etc. Outside the walls, the former officers\u2019 and guards\u2019 quarters seem to be still occupied by local people who moved in when the army base closed. <\/p>\n\n\n