Introductory Remarks

The digital exhibit "Reframing the Colonial Library: Equatorial Guinea Archives in the Museum" engages with the country's colonial library. Following the approach of Benita Sampedro Vizcaya, the re-evaluation of the colonial library demands “dislocating the traditionally central and privileged role of metropolitan texts and neo-colonial discourses in order to engage, instead, with the cultural and intellectual production of Guinean intellectuals themselves (341).” The project embraces her emphasis on re-locating canonical texts and privileged categories of analysis such as race, capitalism, empire, or nation. This way, the exhibit attempts to reconfigure, appropriate, transform, and transgress the colonial, historical, and linguistic inheritance of which 'the local' is also a conduit, as explained by Sampedro Vizcaya. The revision of the colonial library requires “awareness of the power of those sites, not only in terms of the day-to-day functioning of the empire-colony relationship but also in regard to the epistemic and representational weight they carry in broader cultural and political practices and projects, both colonial and neocolonial (343).” This way, the exhibit turns “to the potential of the archive and the colonial library as sites from which the seemingly irreversible power of colonialism can simultaneously be enacted and contested (343).”

This exhibit is divided into three parts, chronologically interconnected, that cover Equatorial Guinean colonial and neocolonial history. The sections are: "The Temptation of Empire", “Neocolonial Politics in the Museum and Conflicting Identities in Eguatorial Guinea" and “Alternative Conservation and Heritage Practices in Equatorial Guinea. The Case of the Museum Felipe Osá Angüé." This organization aims to deconstruct visitors' perception of the colonial archive and its uses from a transhistorical and global angle. Each section addresses the ideological uses of the archive both in the metropolis and the former colony, questioning the Spanish civilizational mission that still persists beneath the language of institutional collaboration and modernization in cultural spaces.

The completion of this digital project has been made possible through the 2024 Mellon Doctoral Summer Fellowship awarded by the Price Lab for the Digital Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania. The exhibition portal will be available indefinitely thanks to the support of Van Pelt Libraries.

Bibliography:

Sampedro-Vizcaya, Benita. "Rethinking the Archive and the Colonial Library: Equatorial Guinea." Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, 2008, pp. 341-363.

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Technology and neocolonial Imperialism: the arrival of the Spanish TV to Equatorial Guinea, Fernando Poo (1968)

In 1968, just after Equatorial Guinea gained independence from Spain, the introduction of Spanish television marked a significant moment in the nation's media landscape. Despite the newfound political autonomy, Spain's cultural and ideological influence persisted, manifesting through various institutions and visual media. This continued presence highlighted Spain's neocolonial intentions, thinly veiled under the rhetoric of collaboration and progress.

The arrival of Spanish television services in Equatorial Guinea was framed by Spain as a gesture of goodwill, aimed at fostering development and modernization. The Spanish Minister of Communications, in his inaugural speech, likely emphasized this collaboration, presenting the new television services as a symbol of shared progress. This narrative, however, subtly reinforced Spain's cultural and technological dominance, suggesting that Equatorial Guinea's advancement depended on Spanish contributions.

Local elites in Equatorial Guinea played a crucial role in sustaining this neocolonial enterprise. Their cooperation with Spanish authorities helped legitimize Spain's ongoing influence, portraying it as beneficial for the country's growth. This collaboration underscored the complex power dynamics between the former colonizer and the newly independent state.

The Head of State of Equatorial Guinea, in his address during the inauguration, probably expressed gratitude for the new television services, framing them as a positive contribution from Spain. This expression of appreciation, while diplomatically necessary, also reflected the lingering influence of Spain in the post-independence era. The speech likely echoed the modernization narrative, suggesting that Spanish technology and media would propel the country into a new era of progress. This perspective often marginalized indigenous forms of knowledge and communication, privileging Western media and content.

The integration of Spanish television services into Equatorial Guinea's media landscape symbolized the country's incorporation into the global (Western-dominated) media sphere. While presented as a step towards development, this move reinforced Spain's cultural hegemony, maintaining control over the narratives and identities within Equatorial Guinea.

The original clip announcing the arrival of the Spanish TV is available of Youtube through the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jt-3Df2gTE&t=10s

You can find attached the written versions of the speeches by both the Minister of Communications of Spain and the Head of State of Equatorial Guinea, as part of the diplomatic, media, and political activities related to the arrival of Spanish TV.