Tarrafal Prison Camp

Known as the 'Camp of the Slow Death', this Portuguese colonial concentration camp operated from 1936 to 1954 as a facility for political prisoners opposed to the Salazar Estado Novo regime. It was reopened between 1961 and 1974 to detain African independence fighters from Cape Verde, Angola and Guinea-Bissau. Located in the village of Chao Bom within the municipality of Tarrafal on Santiago island, the camp became a symbol of colonial repression throughout the Portuguese-speaking world. The site is now preserved as a museum and memorial.