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My late grandmother worked with Atanasio Mdongo as part of his inner circle before his assassination, and later had to work for Macías Nguema. She was Bubi, wor

by eyko 6y ago

My late grandmother worked with Atanasio Mdongo as part of his inner circle before his assassination, and later had to work for Macías Nguema. She was Bubi, working for a dictator that was carrying out a Bubi genocide. My mother escaped death a few times and eventually was smuggled out of the country to Spain. From what I know, journalists were indeed interested (in the 80s and 90s) but trauma and fear of repercussions meant few if any were willing to publicly share the kinds of stories they'll share on the dinner table. You also have to understand that most Bubi people in Spain are surrounded by Fang relatives and there's usually, even today, animosity towards each other. The diaspora basically hate each other and there are wounds that never healed. Our most recent family table-top arguments on this "taboo" topic was triggered by the recent movie "Palm Trees in the Snow". I do think that these stories will eventually be written by people from my generation (born in the diaspora).

iagovar 6y ago
Thank you for the insight, much appreciated. Do you or anyone in your family keep in touch with E. Guinea in any way?
eyko 6y ago
> Do you or anyone in your family keep in touch with E. Guinea in any way? We have relatives that have returned, and we've kept in touch with some that never left. My mother last visited in the late 80s* but we always talk of returning now that things are less volatile. We do keep in touch amongst each other in the diaspora however, so everyone shares the news from back home in some sort of network effect, and we get to hear "how things are going" (apparently quite well since there's crude oil!). Edit: correction.
- iagovar 6y ago
  Wasn't that the oil income wasn't really redistributed, but kept by the elites? I heard there was some real state being built and such, but there wasn't really much improvement for most. Is still Fernando Poo more developed than the continent? I'm sorry if this isn't accurate, that's what I've been told from (presumably) other E. Guineans in the internet.
  - eyko 6y ago
    As far as I know, that is correct. However, apart from real estate being built, there also seems to be some heavy investment in infrastructure and they're trying to attract investors. I've also heard that there are plans to grow the tourism sector. The elite has also grown in numbers and there seems to be a growing middle class (mostly Fang diaspora going back) with connections to the regime. I don't know what the real situation is and what they plan to do with the new wealth, but if I'm to speculate, the elite wants to develop the country and transform the economy so that they can keep a certain standard of living, because the oil reserves were never thought to last that long (however, I've heard of new possible deposits being found, not sure if there's any truth to that).
    - iagovar 6y ago
      I see, thanks. I'm sorry for the amount of questions, but I'm very curious! Do you see the ruling elite technically qualified for such leap? And if they are not themselves, are they hiring adequate decision makers, engineers and such? Also, is there an education system in place (or in advanced planning) that allows to grow local technical talent?
      - eyko 6y ago
        I'd say it's complicated. Corruption and nepotism is a fact of life in E. Guinea. It's a society with many layers, all in service of the Nguema "dynasty", if I may describe it as such. The elite tend to send their children and relatives to study abroad, sometimes in prestigious schools, so there are many who are well educated and probably capable of leading and successfully carrying out large scale projects (and they do have some experience working abroad in positions of responsibility), but back home it's a system that doesn't foster healthy competition or reward the effort. Education is also improving fortunately. The country never had a university until the 90s and now there are plans for a few extra campuses (still one university I believe), and I've seen some "propaganda" videos[4] where they seem to paint an optimistic picture of the future -- if we're to believe that. Most infrastructure projects are carried out by foreign firms, and China has a very strong presence. For instance, the new planned capital, Ciudad de la Paz, was designed by a Portuguese firm[1] and, and the construction itself is apparently being carried out by a Chinese group[2][3]. One could say that the approach they're taking is very similar to what you'd expect from China: huge government spending, but tight control over the economy. I'm not sure if that model is sustainable but we'll see... Feel free to get in touch. My twitter username is the same as my username here and my DMs are open! 1. https://www.fat.pt/projecto/nova-capital-da-guine-equatorial/ https://www.fat.pt/projecto/nova-capital-da-guine-equatorial... 2. http://csci.cscec.com/en/yyfw/Construction/202006/3109352.html http://csci.cscec.com/en/yyfw/Construction/202006/3109352.ht... 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBY6r2Z3yeY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBY6r2Z3yeY 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feyllyLVZ-E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feyllyLVZ-E

by eyko 6y ago

iagovar 6y ago

Thank you for the insight, much appreciated. Do you or anyone in your family keep in touch with E. Guinea in any way?

eyko 6y ago

> Do you or anyone in your family keep in touch with E. Guinea in any way? We have relatives that have returned, and we've kept in touch with some that never left. My mother last visited in the late 80s* but we always talk of returning now that things are less volatile. We do keep in touch amongst each other in the diaspora however, so everyone shares the news from back home in some sort of network effect, and we get to hear "how things are going" (apparently quite well since there's crude oil!). Edit: correction.

iagovar 6y ago
Wasn't that the oil income wasn't really redistributed, but kept by the elites? I heard there was some real state being built and such, but there wasn't really much improvement for most. Is still Fernando Poo more developed than the continent? I'm sorry if this isn't accurate, that's what I've been told from (presumably) other E. Guineans in the internet.
- eyko 6y ago
  As far as I know, that is correct. However, apart from real estate being built, there also seems to be some heavy investment in infrastructure and they're trying to attract investors. I've also heard that there are plans to grow the tourism sector. The elite has also grown in numbers and there seems to be a growing middle class (mostly Fang diaspora going back) with connections to the regime. I don't know what the real situation is and what they plan to do with the new wealth, but if I'm to speculate, the elite wants to develop the country and transform the economy so that they can keep a certain standard of living, because the oil reserves were never thought to last that long (however, I've heard of new possible deposits being found, not sure if there's any truth to that).
  - iagovar 6y ago
    I see, thanks. I'm sorry for the amount of questions, but I'm very curious! Do you see the ruling elite technically qualified for such leap? And if they are not themselves, are they hiring adequate decision makers, engineers and such? Also, is there an education system in place (or in advanced planning) that allows to grow local technical talent?
    - eyko 6y ago
      I'd say it's complicated. Corruption and nepotism is a fact of life in E. Guinea. It's a society with many layers, all in service of the Nguema "dynasty", if I may describe it as such. The elite tend to send their children and relatives to study abroad, sometimes in prestigious schools, so there are many who are well educated and probably capable of leading and successfully carrying out large scale projects (and they do have some experience working abroad in positions of responsibility), but back home it's a system that doesn't foster healthy competition or reward the effort. Education is also improving fortunately. The country never had a university until the 90s and now there are plans for a few extra campuses (still one university I believe), and I've seen some "propaganda" videos[4] where they seem to paint an optimistic picture of the future -- if we're to believe that. Most infrastructure projects are carried out by foreign firms, and China has a very strong presence. For instance, the new planned capital, Ciudad de la Paz, was designed by a Portuguese firm[1] and, and the construction itself is apparently being carried out by a Chinese group[2][3]. One could say that the approach they're taking is very similar to what you'd expect from China: huge government spending, but tight control over the economy. I'm not sure if that model is sustainable but we'll see... Feel free to get in touch. My twitter username is the same as my username here and my DMs are open! 1. https://www.fat.pt/projecto/nova-capital-da-guine-equatorial/ https://www.fat.pt/projecto/nova-capital-da-guine-equatorial... 2. http://csci.cscec.com/en/yyfw/Construction/202006/3109352.html http://csci.cscec.com/en/yyfw/Construction/202006/3109352.ht... 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBY6r2Z3yeY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBY6r2Z3yeY 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feyllyLVZ-E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feyllyLVZ-E