Ramón Esono Ebalé&

Equatorial Guinea

Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea

A Brief History ofEquatorial Guinea

• 1472: Island of Bioko discovered by Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó

• 1474: Islands of Bioko and Annobón colonized by Portugal

• 1778: Islands and adjacent islets were ceded to Spain, along with commercial rights to the mainland

• 1900: Mainland portion, Rio Muni, became a Spanish colony

• 1926-1959: Mainland territories unified as Spanish Guinea• 1968: Independence from Spanish rule

Languages & Culture

• The official languages of the country are Spanish, French, and Portuguese

• Other languages include Fang and Bubi• Ethnic groups are Fang, Bubi, Mdowe, Annobon, and

Buieba• The most practiced

religion is Christianity, with the majority being Roman Catholic

History of the Government

• 1968: Francisco Macias Nguema becomes the first elected president of Equatorial Guinea

• 1972: Macias Nguema created a single-party state and made himself president for life

• His rule was a reign of terror, during which a third of the population was either killed or fled the country

• 1979: He was tried and executed after he was deposed by his nephew and current president, Teodoro Obiang

Current Government

• The current president, Teodoro Obiang, has extensive powers

• While the country is officially a multiparty democracy, elections are considered a sham

• Equatorial Guinea is considered to be among the top 12 most corrupt states in the world

Economy• Oil reserves were found in 1996• The country is one of the richest in

Africa, but wealth is unevenly distributed among the population

• President Obiang’s family has gotten richer at the expense of the people

Urbanization

• About 40% of the population lives in urban areas and increasing yearly by 5%

• To make way for roads and buildings, families have been evicted and left homeless

• While urban areas have increased, not very many people benefit from them

Health & Sanitation

• The country lacks widespread access to potable tap water

• The United Nations reports that 20% of children die before reaching the age of five

Human Rights

• Equatorial Guinea is one of the world’s worst violators of human rights, among the "worst of the worst" in annual surveys

• Human rights abuses by the government continue, even after President Obiang signed an anti-torture decree in 2006

Human Trafficking• Human trafficking: the sale,

transport, and profiting from people forced into service (military, labor, and/or sexual exploitation)

• Women and children are trafficked to Equatorial Guinea from nearby countries

• The government is not doing anything to protect victims of human trafficking or to eliminate trafficking

Bio: Ramón Esono Ebalé

• b. 1977• Self-taught artist from Equatorial Guinea• Currently lives in exile in Paraguay• Graphic novelist and Comic artist

Critiquing the Government

Much of Esono Ebalé’swork critiques government corruption/dictatorship, human rights violations, and efforts to oppress freedom of expression in his home country of Equatorial Guinea.

Jamón y Queso (Ham and Cheese)

http://www.jamonyqueso.info/

Art Educator

• In addition to being an artist, Esono Ebalé is an art educator and currently teaches in Paraguay.

La Pesadilla de Obi (Obi’s Nightmare), 2013[graphic novel ]

Bozales (Muzzles), series, 2011

Votez…Encore et Encore (Vote…Again and Again), comic, 2005-06

Dictadores (Dictators), series (2009)

EG Justice: Toward a Just Equatorial Guinea

http://www.egjustice.org/