Amador Vieira, also known as Rei Amador and General Captain of War, was a slave of Angolan descent from the African islands of Saint Thomas and Principe. In July 1595, Rei Amador led the Maafa (slavery) rebellion. It is believed that the revolutionary leader and his people stormed into the woods and faced the Portuguese, raising a flag before the colonists and proclaiming him as the liberator of the black people. The revolution went on for a few weeks, and although it damaged more than 70 sugarcane mills, it gave Africans freedom from slavery. In the second week of August, he was betrayed by one of his friends. Subsequently, the slave king was captured and imprisoned, and later on, executed by the Portuguese on August 14, 1595, with his heart displayed on a pillow.  

Statue of Rei Amador in St Thomas & Prince | Source: Wikipedia

Commemorating Rei Amador 

Centuries have passed but even today, Rei Amador is remembered fondly. Saint Thomas and Principe declared January 4 a holiday in his honor. A statue of him was also erected by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2004, in time of the International Year on the Battle Against Slavery and its Abolition.  

St. Thomas & Prince 5,000 Dobras | 2013 | Source: Banknote World

Banknotes Featuring Him

Following Saint Thomas & Prince’s independence from Portugal in 1977, the Banco Nacional Ultramarino was renamed Banco Nacional de S. Tome e Principe. In 1977, the bank introduced its dobra currency, with banknotes bearing a portrait of Rei Amador on their design. The portrait is a contemporary representation by local artist Protasio Pina. Since it is said that there are no portraits of the king.  

St. Thomas & Prince 100,000 Dobras Banknote, 2013 | Source: Banknote World

Although these paper bills don’t feature Rei Amador on their obverse design, his image is visible when you hold them up up to a light source.  

St. Thomas & Prince 50 Dobras | 2016 | Source: Banknote World

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