The Lusosphere: Equatorial Guinea

Motto: Unidad, Paz, Justicia/Unité, Paix, Justice/Unidade, Paz, Justiça.

(Transl: Unity, Peace, Justice)

Equatorial Guinea is located in Central Africa and, is comprised of a Continental region (Río Muni, including some offshore islands such as Corisco, Elobey Grande & Elobey Chico) and an Insular region (that consists of the islands of Annobon and Bioko [formerly known as Fernando Pó] where the capital of the nation is: Malabo [or Santa Isabel]).

(Malabo/Santa Isabel)

1472: Fernão do Pó (while looking for a path to India) discovered the Island of Bioko, to which he called Formosa (= beautiful); however the island was named after him.

1474: The Portuguese colonised the islands of Bioko, Annobón and Corisco; and turned them into slave trade stations.

1493: The Portuguese King D. João II (John II), claimed to be the Lord of Guinea and the first Lord of Corisco.

1641: The Dutch West India Company established itself in Bioko without the consent of the Portuguese King; and centralised its slave business (from the Gulf Guinea) in the island.

1648: The Portuguese kicked the Dutch out of Bioko, replaced the Dutch company by their own company (Corisco Company) which did exactly the same transactions as the Dutch's. They also erected the first European building on the island: the Fort of Ponta Joko.

1713-1753: Corisco Company sells slaves to France (that bought up to 49,000 Guinean slaves from Spain and England).

1778: The islands' deeds (including the rights to free trade to the mainland between the Niger and Ogoue Rivers) were ceded to Spain, through the San Ildefonso & El Pardo Treaties (Between Queen Maria I of Portugal and King Charles III of Spain), in exchange for territory in the American continent. Equatorial Guinea became a full Spanish colony.

Demographics

This country has a population of +/- 504,000 people.

Fang: 87.7% of the population (with 67 tribes, indigenous to Rio Muni)

Bubi: 6.5% of the population (indigenous to Bioko Island)

Mdowe: 1.6%

Annobon: 1.1%

Other: 1.4% of the population (mainly Spanish).

Religion

Equatorial Guinea is mainly a Christian country (Christianity is professed by 92% of the population). 87% of the population is Catholic; 5% is Protestant or other; 5% follow indigenous beliefs; 0.5% is Muslim; 2.5% followers of Baha'i and other.

Language

The official languages are Spanish (since 1844) and French. However, in July 2007, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema announced the decision for Portuguese to become the nation's third official language (so that it could meet the requirements to apply for full membership in the CPLP [Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa = Community of Portuguese Language Countries]). The CPLP website already states that Portuguese is this country's third language, although its application is still under assessment.

Music

There are at least three types of folk genres in Equatorial Guinea: the mvet (a cross betwen a zither and a harp. This genre can only be learned by initiates of the bebom-mvet society; and it is a type of call-and-response with a chorus and drums alternating); the balélé and the ibanga. But the most famous genres in this country are the Pan-African styles like soukous and makossa.

Since there is not much musical material, from this country, on the web; I will be sharing with you the Pan-African styles. This week, we will start with the soukous (also known as rumba or kwassa- kwassa, that I absolutely love, and had the pleasure to learn how to dance it many years ago). The video below shows how soukous is danced; and let me tell you, these girls dance! Enjoy...

Next Stop: Mozambique