For centuries São Tomé and Príncipe(圣多美和普林西比：非洲岛国) were known for chattel(动产；奴隶) and chocolate. After the Portuguese landed on the islands in 1470 they brought enslaved Africans to toil(辛苦劳作) on sugar roças (plantations). Portugal ostensibly(表面上，声称地) ended slavery in the 1870s. But indentured labour(契约劳工) on São Tomé and Príncipe continued, making it the world’s largest cacao producer for a time.
几个世纪以来，圣多美和普林西比以奴隶和巧克力闻名。1470年葡萄牙人登陆这些岛屿后，带来被奴役的非洲人在甘蔗种植园（roças）中劳作。葡萄牙表面上在19世纪70年代废除了奴隶制，但圣多美和普林西比的契约劳工制仍在继续，一度使该国成为全球最大的可可产地。
These days, to understand Africa’s least populous country after the Seychelles—and one that holds a general election on September 27th—grab a beer. Specifically, an unlabelled brown bottle made by Rosema, the archipelago(群岛)’s sole brewer. After independence from Portugal in 1975 the country became a Soviet satellite(苏联卫星国). East Germans helped set up the pilsner(皮尔森啤酒)-making state entity(国有企业). Rosema is known as cerveja nacional, a fitting name for a beer that quenches a thirst for(满足对……的渴望) post-colonial patriotism—and offers a window into(了解……的窗口) the political economy.
如今，要理解这个仅次于塞舌尔的非洲人口最少国家——以及一个将于9月27日举行大选的国家——不妨来瓶啤酒。具体来说，是Rosema生产的无标签棕色瓶装啤酒，Rosema是该群岛唯一的酿酒商。1975年从葡萄牙独立后，该国成为苏联的卫星国。东德人帮助建立了这家生产皮尔森啤酒的国有企业。Rosema被称为“cerveja nacional”（国产啤酒），这个名称恰如其分——它既解了后殖民时代爱国主义的渴，也打开了一扇观察政治经济的窗口。
There are few big firms in São Tomé and Príncipe. Dreams of an oil industry and a deep-water port are unfulfilled. But Rosema is always on tap(随时供应；现成的). Since privatisation in 1995, ownership has rocked back and forth(来回摇摆) like a drunk, between an Angolan businessman and two influential local brothers. Much like a Congolese mine or a Nigerian oil firm, control can oscillate(摇摆，波动) depending on who is in power. In the latest twist, in May the Constitutional Court returned the brewer to the Angolan, Mello Xavier, the fifth shift since 2018. It was seen as proof that Carlos Vila Nova, the president, is consolidating(巩固，加强) power after dismissing his rival in a palace coup(宫廷政变) in 2025.
圣多美和普林西比几乎没有大型企业。石油产业和深水港的梦想都未实现。但Rosema啤酒却总是供应充足。自1995年私有化以来，其所有权像醉汉一样摇来晃去，在一位安哥拉商人和当地两兄弟之间反复易手。就像刚果的矿场或尼日利亚的石油公司一样，控制权会随着谁掌权而摇摆。最新的转折是，今年5月宪法法院将这家酿酒厂判还给安哥拉人梅洛·泽维尔，这是2018年以来的第五次易手。这被视为总统卡洛斯·维拉·诺瓦在2025年宫廷政变中清除对手后巩固权力的证据。