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· Personalities · · T. Editorial Team · P. Edson Azevedo

Protasio Edu Edjang Nnaga

«The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is characterised by multicultural diversity»

PMmedia Adv.
‘Discovered’ by the Portuguese in 1471, Equatorial Guinea was later ‘ceded’ to Spain, which is why it is the only African country to have Spanish as an official language, along with French and, since 2010, Portuguese. In this interview, Protasio Edu Edjang Nnaga, ambassador of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in Angola, recalls the country’s beginnings, the characteristics that elevate it internationally and speaks of the path taken by this nation within the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) and the ties that bind it, not only at present, but also in the future, to its ‘sister’ Angola.
Brief history of the country…
Before we begin our interview, I would like to thank Villas&Golfe magazine for the window of opportunity that it affords the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to open up to the world. I would also like to contextualize a little the State of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, and by this, I mean, to be able to speak a little about its surface area, its borders, its population, the climate, the currency and the political system, so that you may know that the Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a country in Central Africa, bathed by the waters of the Gulf of Guinea, and that is constitutionally defined as an independent, republican, unitary, social and democratic state. The country’s political system is presidential republic and its head of state and government is His Excellency Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Equatorial Guinea has a surface area of 28 051 km2 and is divided into eight provinces. Its capital is the city of Malabo. It extends over a mainland territory, five inhabited islands and adjacent islets; it is bordered by Cameroon to the north, Gabon to the south and east; and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the west, in waters where the islands of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe are located, further to the southwest. Its population is estimated at 1,468,777 inhabitants and the currency is the Cefas Franc. It has a mild climate, influenced by warm sea currents and the relief of the island, with an average annual temperature of 25° C, which can vary by around 2° C. The country was discovered by the Portuguese in 1471, later ceded to Spain after the signing of the treaties of Santo Ildefonso (1777) and El Pardo (1778) and achieved its independence on October 12, 1968. It retains Spanish as its official language alongside French, and recently (as of 2010), Portuguese. It is currently the only African country where Spanish is an official language, and also the most widely spoken (considerably more than its other two official languages). It is integrated into the globalised world through its history and is committed to working progressively with the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP). 
On behalf of the government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, allow me to express our gratitude for this interview which is in line with the political stance of our Head of State and Government, His Excellency Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO, who proclaims the ideal of PEACE, Friendship and Cooperation with all countries of the world. With that said, I am at your disposal to answer your questions.
What best defines the history and general culture of the people of Equatorial Guinea? 
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is characterised by multicultural and multi-ethnic diversity of human groups (ethnic groups), living in peace and harmony and whose history is based on medieval tribal kingdoms, arising from the influence of more advanced proto-state structures that developed at the same time: the Kingdom of Oyo; the Kingdom of Congo; the Kingdom of Benga of Manji Island (later named Corisco); the Bubi Kingdom of Bioko Island; and the ‘village-states’ of Bisio, Fang and Ndowé clans of the mainland. As such, talking about the cultural history of Equatorial Guinea is the same as talking about the pre-colonial cultures of these original peoples (Ambo, Bisio, Bubi, Criollo, Fang and Ndowé), who occupied these spaces before the arrival of the colonisers of the modern state of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, this being the result of this multi-ethnic and cultural diversity with contributions from the colonialist powers.

What distinctive mark does Equatorial Guinea intend to leave on the African continent, but also beyond it, as a nation?
At a national and international level, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea is guided by the precepts contained in its Magna Carta or Fundamental Law (Constitution) and we can read in its first article that the Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a sovereign, independent, republican, social and democratic state, in which the supreme values are unity, peace, justice, freedom and equality. These premises mark and guide its action in all its relations; it is in this sense that it chooses a foreign policy of peace and dialogue in the resolution of conflicts. These values, which emanate from the Founding Law, are the marks that force it to define itself as a state that defends peace, solidarity and good relations of friendship, cooperation with neighbouring countries, the countries of Africa, Europe, Asia, America and Oceania, and reveals an active dynamism that marks its presence with its own voice in international, regional and sub-regional organisations.
This is all possible thanks to the great political commitment and determination of His Excellency Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who spares no effort to extend this constitutional imperative of peace, justice and security on an international level. His discourse has led to Equatorial Guinea, always faithful to this political stance, becoming a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and, following his election and during his Presidency at the Security Council, presented Resolution 2457 on the Silencing of Arms in Africa for the year 2020, thus bearing witness to his efforts together with leading dignitaries of other countries in Africa to achieve peace for sustainable development in the country and in the world.
Another example of his struggle to extend these constitutional values is the UNESCO-Guinea Equatorial International Prize for Research in Life Sciences, which places Equatorial Guinea at the forefront of science on the African continent by funding and supporting scientists and scientific organisations working to advance the life sciences, promoting collaboration among researchers and strengthening networks of centres of excellence, as the main challenges of this discipline in health. Finally, with this section, we can see how, thanks to the determination of His Excellency Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea came, to rescue and defend an Africa stricken by the Ebola virus, to host the organisation of the African Cup of Nations in record time. There are several examples of the brand that launches the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in the world, as a peaceful and supportive country that loves peace.
«We believe that the entry of a member into an organisation is a competitive advantage in the diplomatic-political arena »

What Portuguese roots does Equatorial Guinea have that led it to join the CPLP? 
This question is very important and simple to answer, as we only have to turn to our historical memory and, if it I’m not mistaken, we find that it was the Portuguese who were the first European navigators who, in 1471, arrived in the territories that today constitute the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. The Portuguese were the first Iberians and Europeans to explore the Gulf of Guinea. It was the Portuguese Fernando Pó, who added the Island of Bioko to European maps, giving it the name Formosa, later known as the island of Fernando Pó. The following year, on January 01, 1472, he discovered the Island of Pagalú (today Annobón Island), which he called Annobom Island or Ano Bom. These discoveries allowed King John II of Portugal to add the royal titles Lord of Guinea and First Lord of Corisco. The Portuguese colonised the islands of Bioko, Annobón and Corisco in 1494, which then became «factories» or posts for the slave trade. When the Dutch East India Company was established on the Island of Bioko in 1641, without Portugal’s consent, the Portuguese made an appearance again in 1648, replacing this company with their own, called the Company of Corisco, dedicated to the same type of trade, and creating one of the first European buildings on the island, the fort of Punta Joko, for the same purpose.
These territories remained in Portuguese hands from March 1471, the date of their discovery, until 1778, that is three hundred and five years (305 years). With the signing of the treaties of Santo Ildefonso (1777) and El Pardo (1778), Portugal ceded the islands to Spain, along with the rights to slave trafficking and free trade, in part of the territory of the Gulf of Guinea coast, between the Niger and Ogooué rivers, as well as the disputed Colonia del Sacramento, in Uruguay, in exchange for the Island of Santa Catalina (southern Brazil) held by the Spanish. From that moment on, the Spanish territory of Guinea was part of the Viceroy of the River Plate (founded in 1776), until its definitive disintegration with the May Revolution (1810) in Buenos Aires. I believe that, in summary, the historical keys that mark the Portuguese presence of approximately 305 years are more than those of the 190 years that mark the presence of the Kingdom of Spain in the territories that today form part of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

How has the entry of Equatorial Guinea helped cement the importance of the CPLP in the world?
More than helping, we believe that the entry of a member into an organisation is a competitive advantage in the diplomatic-political arena and, as is normal, helps in the expansion of the territorial-maritime borders, in the socio-economic, cultural, political and strategic space of the CPLP, which results in improved exchanges and mobility of its populations, as can be seen at the business summit of the Business Confederation of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, organised in the city of Malabo, where His Excellency, the Head of State and Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, during his speech, proposed the construction of an Industrial Zone in the city of Bata and other measures aimed at boosting the business sector of the CPLP.
This is why the Republic of Equatorial Guinea also benefits from the implementation of reforms for the development of a normative framework for the adoption of Portuguese as an official language of the state, the establishment of basic infrastructures for its general use in the country, the promotion of progressive transparency of knowledge for teaching and the plan of action for training, promotion of the Portuguese language for civil servants, the signing of Cooperation Protocols with the Camões International Institute, the Cooperation Protocol for the promotion and dissemination of the Portuguese language and culture, the establishment of the Multilingual School and the appointment of a lecturer at the National University. All these actions reflect the commitment and contributions of the government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to the CPLP. 

Angola and Equatorial Guinea are important partners. How has this relationship solidified over the years in the economic, social and cultural areas?
We should point out, before directly answering your question, the common features that unite the Republic of Angola with its sister Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Both States are standard bearers of peace and support peaceful solutions to crises, being concerned with the persistence of conflicts in some countries of Central Africa and in the Great Lakes Region area. At the same time, His Excellency the Head of State of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, remains true to his political ideology and maintains his commitment to peace, friendship and good relations with all countries. In this sense, our cooperation in terms of bilateral relations with our sister Republic of Angola is guided by that spirit of fraternity and solidarity that characterises the two countries and endorses their commitment to strengthening cooperation in all areas, through the signing of agreements. To this end, Bilateral Cooperation Commissions have been organised to analyse cooperation between the two states, especially in the sectors of Defence, Home Affairs, Security, Education, Oil, University Exchanges and ‘twinning’ [collaboration between schools] in the cities of Malabo and Luanda. Work groups have been organised to speed up the implementation of existing agreements in various sectors and to introduce the areas of agriculture and personnel training in bilateral exchanges. These good bilateral relations in different fields have been shown in the signing of eight conventions and two protocols, which, for the most part, still await the fulfilment of internal regulations to proceed with their application. The creation of work groups enables it to meet and identify obstacles, while at the same time stimulating the effective application of the same agreements.

«Our cooperation in terms of bilateral relations with our sister Republic of Angola is guided by that spirit of fraternity and solidarity»

What are the main goals that the two countries want to achieve together in the future?
I mentioned above the definition of signed agreements and protocols where, roughly speaking, the sectors that the two states considered strategic are defined and mark the future direction of these two sister states, linked by the same historic roots. For this reason, I consider that the emphasis on fraternity, peace and healthy coexistence between our countries are values that will enable the development and implementation of all the signed agreements.I would like to briefly transmit to Angolan businessmen, in particular, to those of the CPLP and of other countries in general, that the Republic of Equatorial Guinea is historically an agricultural and forestry country and that the passing of time and the discovery of oil have made its economy based on the mining sector. Its traditional focus based on cocoa and wood has been replaced, since 1992, by the oil sector. Today, the country offers a wide panorama of investment sectors that have joined the traditional ones, which I can list here: mining, agriculture, forestry, livestock, fishing, tourism and services. For all these reasons, Equatorial Guinea can direct its efforts to integrate its economy into the multilateral trading system, incorporating strategies for its diversification. 

T. Editorial Team
P. Edson Azevedo