SAO TOME, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Sao Tome and Principe on Sunday celebrated the 51st anniversary of its independence, with President Carlos Vila Nova calling for unity and peace as the island country prepares for a series of elections.
Addressing Independence Day celebrations in the capital, Sao Tome, Vila Nova urged citizens to reflect on the country's achievements since independence while working together to tackle its remaining economic and social challenges.
Paying tribute to those who fought for the country's freedom, the president said independence "did not fall from the sky" but was won through sacrifice.
"We must thank the freedom fighters, the teachers who taught people to read and write, the nurses who healed, the farmers who planted, the young people who returned to serve the country, and all Sao Tomeans at home and abroad who joined the cause of national independence," he said.
Sao Tome and Principe declared independence from Portuguese colonial rule on July 12, 1975.
The president said the anniversary should be a moment to look back with pride, assess the present with responsibility, and face the future with hope.
While noting that the country has achieved political independence, peace, democracy, and freedom of expression, he said consolidating economic and social independence remains a major challenge.
The president identified social development, justice, youth employment, entrepreneurship, and women's empowerment as some of the country's major challenges, adding that the state could not address them alone.
As the country prepares to hold a presidential election in one week, followed by legislative, local, and regional elections about three months later, Vila Nova also appealed for calm and tolerance throughout the electoral process.
"Sao Tome and Principe is too small for hatred and too small for division," he said. "Our greatest strength must be unity."
Earlier on Sunday, Vila Nova lit the Flame of the Nation at Independence Square, officially launching commemorative activities marking the country's 51st Independence Day as residents gathered to witness the symbolic ceremony. ■