Africa’s Forgotten (Or Overlooked) Hispanic Heritage
Why every Spanish teacher (at home or in a public school classroom) should know about Equatorial Guinea
When we think about Spanish-speaking countries, our minds typically jump to Mexico, Spain, Argentina, or Colombia. We imagine mariachi music, flamenco dancing, tango, or perhaps vallenato rhythms. However, there’s one Spanish-speaking nation that rarely enters our cultural consciousness—and it’s located in the heart of Africa.
Floral inscription with the name of the country in Spanish in its capital city, Malabo. (Ben Sutherland from Crystal Palace, London, UK)
Meet Equatorial Guinea, the only African country where Spanish holds official status, and a fascinating piece of the Hispanic puzzle that most Spanish educators have never explored.
A Spanish Territory You May Have Never Heard Of
Tucked between Cameroon and Gabon on Africa’s west coast, Equatorial Guinea consists of a mainland region (Río Muni) and several islands, including Bioko, where the capital, Malabo, sits. With just over 1.4 million people, it’s smaller than most U.S. states, but its linguistic heritage tells a remarkable story.
From 1778 to 1968—nearly two centuries—this territory belonged to Spain. While most of Africa was being carved up by British, French, German, and Portuguese colonizers, this small corner remained stubbornly Spanish. The result? The only place on the African continent where you can hear Spanish spoken alongside indigenous African languages.
What Makes African Spanish Unique?
Equatorial Guinean Spanish didn’t develop in isolation. It emerged in a multilingual environment where Spanish encountered Fang (the dominant local language), Bubi, French, and Portuguese. This linguistic mixing pot created something entirely unique in the Spanish-speaking world.
Unlike Latin American Spanish, which often shows indigenous influence, or Peninsular Spanish with its distinctive pronunciation, African Spanish reflects the phonological patterns and cultural perspectives of Bantu-speaking peoples. The rhythm, intonation, and even some grammatical structures show African influence in ways that don’t exist anywhere else in the Hispanic world.
Most importantly, Spanish here functions differently than in other countries. Rather than being the dominant native language, it serves as a lingua franca—a bridge language connecting different ethnic groups within the country and linking Equatorial Guinea to the broader Hispanic world.
Why This Matters for Spanish Education
It can be challenging to represent the diversity of the Spanish-speaking world without overwhelming students. We want them to understand that Spanish isn’t just “Mexican” or “from Spain,” but we don’t always have concrete examples of just how diverse it really is. Equatorial Guinea provides a perfect case study for several crucial educational concepts:
Global Language Perspective: Spanish isn’t just a European language that spread to the Americas. It’s a truly global language that has taken root in unexpected places and adapted to local contexts in fascinating ways.
Cultural Complexity: The existence of African Spanish challenges students’ assumptions about what “Hispanic culture” looks like. It forces them to think beyond stereotypes and consider the full complexity of global Spanish-speaking communities.
Historical Connections: Learning about Spanish in Africa opens doors to discussions about colonialism, independence movements, and how languages survive and thrive in postcolonial contexts.
Modern Relevance: Equatorial Guinea is an oil-rich nation playing an increasingly important role in global economics. Students who understand its linguistic heritage are better prepared for a world where Spanish might be spoken in boardrooms from Madrid to Malabo.
A Window Into African-Hispanic Literature
Perhaps most exciting for Spanish educators is the emerging literature from Equatorial Guinea. Authors like Donato Ndongo-Bidyogo and María Nsue Angüe are creating works that offer African perspectives in Spanish—something that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.
These authors write about experiences that are simultaneously African and Hispanic, creating literature that expands our understanding of what it means to be part of the Spanish-speaking world. Their work addresses themes of identity, colonialism, tradition, and modernity through a uniquely African lens while using the Spanish language as their vehicle for expression.
For advanced Spanish students, these texts offer an opportunity to engage with authentic Spanish literature that challenges their preconceptions and broadens their cultural understanding.
Practical Applications
A complete overhaul of your current Spanish curriculum is not needed to include this African perspective. There are simple ways to incorporate Equatorial Guinea into your Spanish program:
Geography Lessons: When teaching about Spanish-speaking countries, include that map dot in Africa. Students will likely be surprised to learn Spanish is spoken there.
Cultural Comparisons: Compare traditional festivals or music from Equatorial Guinea with celebrations from Latin America or Spain. How do African traditions blend with Hispanic influences?
Language Variation: Use audio samples of Equatorial Guinean Spanish to demonstrate how the language sounds different across continents while remaining mutually intelligible.
Historical Perspectives: Discuss how Spanish colonialism in Africa differed from the conquest of the Americas. What were the lasting linguistic impacts?
Contemporary Connections: Explore how modern Equatorial Guinea maintains connections with the broader Hispanic world through organizations like the Association of Spanish Language Academies.
A Broader Perspective
Including Equatorial Guinea in our Spanish programs does more than just add geographical diversity. It helps students develop a more sophisticated understanding of how languages and cultures interact in our globalized world.
When students realize that Spanish is spoken in Africa, they begin to understand that languages don’t respect the boundaries we might expect. They start to see Spanish not as belonging to certain ethnic groups or regions, but as a truly international language that belongs to anyone who chooses to speak it.
This perspective is crucial as students enter a world where they might find themselves working with Spanish speakers from any continent. The Mexican colleague, the Spanish business partner, the Argentine exchange student, and yes, the Equatorial Guinean diplomat, all part of the same linguistic community, but each bringing their own cultural perspective to the conversation.
The Takeaway
Equatorial Guinea reminds us that the Spanish-speaking world is far more diverse and interesting than most of us realize. It challenges our assumptions, broadens our perspectives, and provides concrete evidence that Spanish is truly a global language.
For Spanish educators, this small African nation offers a powerful tool for teaching cultural competency, global awareness, and linguistic diversity. It helps our students understand that when they learn Spanish, they’re not just accessing Latin American or Iberian culture—they’re joining a worldwide community that spans four continents and countless cultural traditions.
And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that there are still stories within the Spanish-speaking world waiting to be discovered, understood, and shared. Equatorial Guinea may be small, but its place in the Hispanic family is both unique and significant.
The next time your child asks you how many countries speak Spanish, don’t forget to include that often-overlooked dot on the map of Africa. You might just change how they think about the Spanish-speaking world forever.