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Sao Tome is an equatorial island off the west coast of Africa in the country of Sao Tome and Principe. The climate is humid and hot, just a mile north of the equator. Most Angolares live in their traditional homeland. Others move to the capital in search of a new life.

The recent discovery of petroleum has opened up new economic opportunities. Agriculture and fishing continue to be main sources of income.

Speakers of the related Forro language look down on the Angolares, often discouraging them from using their native tongue in the city.

Angolares follow traditional religious beliefs that came from a variety of worldviews brought to the island by settlers. Worship of ancestral spirits characterizes a deep and widely held animism. Individuals can seek out a ritual specialist to obtain protection from enemies, restore their health or even gain the attention of a potential lover.

About 80 percent of the people claim Catholicism. The annual church calendar features festivals organized around patron saints of towns. People may travel from distant parts of the island to attend. Much of Christianity is in-name-only. It is not based on a genuine birth-from-above experience rooted in a sound faith in Jesus.

Scripture Prayers for the Angolar in São Tomé and Príncipe.