Tarrafal (Santiago)

On January 26, 1936, a well-known Portuguese prison for political prisoners, which existed until April 25, 1974, was established in the village. The first commandant is Manuel Dos Reis , the prison doctor is Ashmeraldo Paish Prata . Tarraffal was the main camp for political opponents of Portugal . Political criminals and revolutionaries from all the African colonies of Portugal were brought here. The location of the camp differed especially harsh climate. Constant winds caused a terrible headache for the prisoners. The practice of torture was common. The punishment cell for violators of the regime was located across the wall from the kitchen stove. The temperature in it increased sometimes to 70-80 degrees Celsius , while the dimensions of the lock-up allowed only to sit. In the camp there were several local areas whose inhabitants knew nothing about other parts of the camp. It was almost impossible to escape from the camp. Despite the fact that outside its fence looks very low, from the inside it is very high, surrounded by a deep moat, the approaches to the moat were surrounded by barbed wire, through which an electric current was passed.

Currently, the prison is located training center of the armed forces of the country. Part of the concentration camp is open to the public as a museum. ^[one]

As in other cities of Cape Verde , the main article of the economy of Tarrafal is tourism. ^[2] In the village there are several hotels:

• Baia Verde - tourist village;
• King Fisher - aparthotel of 25 modern houses on the very coast of the Atlantic Ocean ;
• Mar Azul ** - hotel 800 meters from the ocean;
• Mil Nuits;
• Tarrafal is a modern hotel;
• Sul Marina;
• Tata;
• Villa Botanica.