Colonial Spain in Africa: Building a Shared History from Memories of the Spanish Protectorate and Spanish Guinea

Abstract

This article compares Spanish, Riffian and Equatorial Guinean memories to address Hispano-African history and understand their colonial experiences. Examining Africans’ voices in the 21st century from Postcolonial and Decolonial perspectives allows us to uncover Spanish colonial rhetoric about Moroccans and Equatorial Guineans and the racialised inequalities they had to face during the Spanish settlement. This approach shows the urgency of conciliating different versions and promoting a decoloniality process for Spain: the colonial past must be rebuilt for all and different sociocultural encounters must be rewritten to include expressly African voices. The final aim is to offer a contested version of Spanish colonial history in 20th century Africa, promoting a more shared social colonial history.