On episode 20 of the podcast, we’re taking a nuanced look at race and racism in Spain as it relates to Black people. We’re going back to Spain for Part II of my audio memoir. Just to recap, on the last episode, it was all about Spain’s hidden Black history. Or rather, how Spain’s hidden history of over 400 years of African slavery was coming out of the closet and is now being examined and shared by academics, artists and authors all around Spain.
Is there Racism in Spain?
For Part II, we’re leaving history behind and stepping into contemporary society to hear what being Black in Spain in the present day feels like. We’re going to try to look at race and racism in Spain and how that affects the Black experience in Spain. In chapters 3, 4 and 5, you’ll hear from Black people living in Spain today. That is, Black Africans, Afro-Spanish people and African Americans. Needless to say, just because Spain is learning to embrace her Black past, doesn’t mean she is eager to embrace all of her Black citizens.
Resources from the Show
Here is the El Pais article (in English) I referenced during the show about a man abusing a Black woman on a bus in Madrid.
Racism is also being resisted in Spain by individual activists and organizations like, Es Racismo, Afroféminas and SOS Racismo Madrid.
Here are the three experts from the show who are also authors who have written about Blackness, race and racism in Spain.
Dr. Stephen Small is the author of the book, 20 Questions and Answers about Black Europe (Decolonizing the Mind).
Dr. Nicholas Jones is the author of the book, Staging Habla de Negros: Radical Performances of the African Diaspora in Early Modern Spain.
Desirée Bela-Lobedde is the author of the Spanish book, Ser Mujer Negra en España (To Be a Black Woman in Spain). She is also a blogger and journalist and you can find links to all of her work on her website.
We also heard from Sienna Brown who is the founder of the amazing resource, Las Morenas de España, a digital platform for women of color living in Spain or those wanting to live in Spain or abroad.
During the episode I mentioned I went to the Afro-European Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Here’s a link to the conference website where you can download the book of conference abstracts and find out more about the event.
If you want to know more about the amazing career of Flamenco dancer, Yinka Esi Graves, and perhaps catch her in one of her shows, follow her on Instagram.
Exit with the New Afro-Spanish Generation
Finally, I didn’t mention it in the podcast, but Concha Buika is one of my favorite Spanish singers and just to leave you with a taste of the Afro-Spanish experience, check out this song by Buika about the Afro-Spanish collective in Spain.
Peace!
Once again, thanks must be given to the group Gnawledge for their song Flamencología (found via the Free Music Archive) which you heard throughout the episode.
