Wonder Woman of the Week: Alda Graca

This week's Wonder Woman is a poet, writer, a freedom fighter who helped pave the way for her native Sao Tome & Principe's independence from Portugal. Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo- often shortened as Alda Graca- was born in 1926 in modern-day Sao Tome & Principe- an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea in Central Africa. Graca attended secondary school in Portugal however, and it was there that she developed a talent for poetry in the Portuguese language. Graca returned to Sao Tome & Principe after going to college in Lisbon to become a school teacher. When she returned home, she arrived with a new perspective on Portuguese colonialism- a perspective that would not make the Portuguese happy.

In 1951, Alda Graca founded a poetry club for her students and would not know until far after how much that would anger the Portuguese colonists. The poetry club fostered ideals of nationalism and independence, and it produced some of Sao Tome & Principe's most famous poets. As the group continued to grow and gain momentum in spreading desire for an independent country, Graca landed on Portuguese police radar. Police arrested Graca in 1965 in response to her association with the independence movement. After spending a few months in jail for her poetry and teaching, Graca became more involved in the movement. After Sao Tome & Principe gained indepedence in 1975, Graca held several high-level seats in the new government and even authored the national anthem.