Ramón Esono Ebalé
&
Equatorial Guinea
Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea
A Brief History of
Equatorial 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
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•
•
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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’s
work 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/