THE GREEN WAVE
As our trip to São Tomé and Principe approaches, newspaper headlines proclaim,“Trump is turning his back on the planet,” and the US decides to officially withdraw from the Paris Accords, a landmark global warming agreement. The timing couldn’t have felt more ironic, following swaths of devastation across the US and Puerto Rico by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria. In my heart, I could feel Mother Earth’s despair as political leaders around the world ignored climate change and dismissed the impact of man.“One has to be arrogant like men to think we have changed the climate,” said former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, spurning any thought of cause and effect in favor of coincidence.
Though such a slap in the face of the environmental cause stuns me, excitement and good moods reign in our home. My wife Carine and our two daughters, Lou (11) and Shadé (5) are busy packing boards, SUPs, and kites in preparation of visiting the so-called “Chocolate Islands;” as São Tomé and Principe were once known for their role in introducing the pleasures of cocoa to the world. Our friends, photographer Pierre Bouras, and film director David Georgeon will also be joining us on this adventure.
My knowledge of surfing in São Tomé comes solely from the time ten years ago, when Sam George, Surfing’s magazine former Editor-in-Chief, came to Maui to present his movie, The film recounted his trip to São Tomé and his surprise in discovering that surfing was already widespread on the island and was an integral part of the local culture. Images showed locals using boards shaped directly from trees, an activity that seems to go back as far as memory can remember. George was even
