Archaeologists Find ‘The Frying Pan’ at Tarrafal Camp
Nearly 90 years after the Portuguese dictatorship established the notorious Tarrafal concentration camp in Cape Verde, archaeologists have rediscovered its most harrowing landmark: the “Frigideira” (The Frying Pan). The discovery of this concrete torture chamber, long ago demolished by the regime to hide its crimes, was made possible by the surviving written testimonies of those who suffered within its walls.
The “Frigideira” was a windowless concrete box designed to hold prisoners in total isolation. Exposed to the scorching African sun, internal temperatures reached lethal levels while inmates were kept on a diet of bread and water. Although the structure was razed after World War II as the regime attempted to sanitize its image, its precise location had remained a mystery—until now.
A Dialogue Between Memory and Soil
“There are a series of people imprisoned here during the first phase who left published testimonies, including clear descriptions of the structure,” explained André Teixeira, an archaeologist and professor at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Through a meticulous search 160 meters south of the camp’s main entrance, a joint Cape Verdean and Portuguese team finally struck stone foundations buried beneath the dust.
The structural traces align perfectly with historical accounts. “The perimeter coincides with the descriptions: seven meters by 3.5 meters,” Teixeira said. Archaeologists have identified the foundations, floors, and the threshold of two doors where groups of up to 20 prisoners were once crammed together in unbearable heat.
Among the crucial voices were Pedro Soares, author of Tarrafal, Campo da Morte Lenta (Tarrafal, Camp of Slow Death), and Cândido Oliveira, a former national football coach whose detailed descriptions of the camp’s layout proved vital for interpreting the site.
Restoring the Truth
The rediscovery comes at a pivotal moment as the former camp, now the Museum of Resistance, seeks UNESCO World Heritage status. Cape Verde’s Minister of Culture, Augusto Veiga, visited the site on Thursday to witness the excavation firsthand.
“This discovery is historic because it restores the truth of the facts,” Veiga stated. He emphasized that the physical remains confirm the harrowing accounts of torture and deprivation shared by the first generation of prisoners.
Ana Samira Baessa, president of Cape Verde’s Cultural Heritage Institute (IPC), noted that even after the physical box was destroyed, its name lived on as a symbol of terror for later prisoners held between 1961 and 1974. “It was the greatest element of torture associated with the system of repression and isolation,” she said.
Defining a Legacy of Resistance
The “Camp of Slow Death” held more than 500 political prisoners across two periods of operation (1936–1954 and 1961–1974). A commemorative plaque at the site lists 36 men who died during their incarceration, including 32 Portuguese, two Guineans, and two Angolans.
The IPC plans to update the Museum of Resistance’s exhibits to include these newly unearthed areas, including the quarry and the farm. The goal of the UNESCO candidacy, Baessa explained, is to use the site’s dark history as a foundation for a better future. “We explore the bridge between acts of resistance and suffering and new dialogues around peace, freedom, and respect for human rights.”
Image: Pexels – Thomas Schwaak
