A student on Príncipe. Photo: Courtesy of the Astronomy Club of the Príncipe Secondary School.
‘After six weeks carrying heavy photographic plates, the expedition reached Príncipe.’
The travel magazine promised lush plant life and beaches. But Fiona Meadley also found an island preparing to celebrate a Quaker’s historic experiment
by Fiona Meadley
19th April 2019
It started with an article in a travel magazine. Remote volcanic islands that we’d never heard of, just off the coast of West Africa. The photographs promised lush tropical plant life, pristine beaches, unusual rock formations, and a gentle pace of life.
The last thing we expected to find were Quaker links. These are tiny islands with a Portuguese colonial history, and Príncipe has fewer inhabitants than our Gloucestershire village (with a population under 7,000). Yet not only did we discover one Quaker connection, by the end of our stay we had counted three!
