Equatorial Guinea..

Ally · 02-07-2006, 07:20 AM

Equatorial Guinea is a poor country with few attractions aside from the beach and the many local bars. But it is precisely the underdeveloped, backwater feel - combined with the opportunity to party with the locals - that appears to attract adventurous visitors.

There is little relief from the typically hot and sticky equatorial conditions in this compact nation. Things cool down between June and September, but not much; rainfall is still abundant. Sunshine is slightly more generous in January and Feburary, which see the least rain and humidity of the year, but the heat is still likely to push you into the shade.

Ally · 02-07-2006, 07:21 AM

It's pretty rare to open up the newspaper and find a story about Equatorial Guinea, but that's not to say that the west African nation has been an uneventful paradise. From the time the Bantu moved into the area that is now mainland Equatorial Guinea in the 12th and 13th centuries, there were tribal wars in the area. Having previously been inhabited by Pygmies and the Ndowe people, the area was quickly dominated by the warlike Fang. Their hostility kept European colonials on their toes, preventing a wholesale occupation of the area. Nevertheless, the Fang were forced from the coast during the centuries of slave trading by the British, Dutch and French, reoccupying after the abolition of slavery.

The island of Bioko was settled by the Bubi people about the 13th century and they were joined by the Portugese in the late 1500s. Portugal held many of the islands in the Gulf of Guinea, including São Tomé and Príncipe. Portugal traded away Bioko to the Spanish in 1778 and, by the early 19th century, the island had become an important centre for the European slave trade. Profitable cocoa plantations made Bioko Spain's most important possession in equatorial Africa.

Ally · 02-07-2006, 07:21 AM

Throughout the period of Spanish rule most of the mainland region remained unexplored, with the Spanish venturing into the interior in the 1920s. Only after the Spanish civil war ended in 1939 did the colonial power begin developing the region in earnest. Partial autonomy was granted in 1963 - the same year the island and mainland colonies were joined under the name Equatorial Guinea.

Independence came in 1968. With self-determination came the realisation that Spain had left the country virtually bankrupt. A state of emergency was declared. Francisco Macias Nguema was elected president and in 1970, followed most central and west African leaders by declaring opposition groups illegal. By 1972 he had declared himself leader for life, and was well underway on a campaign of terror and arbitrary brutality on a par with Bokassa in the Central African Republic and Idi Amin in Uganda. Many thousands of people were tortured and executed in jails or beaten to death in labour camps. Priests were arrested and schools and churches were closed. Being a journalist became a capital offense. The leader even made fishing illegal and destroyed every boat he could find. For several years, Equatorial Guinea was effectively closed off from the world. By the time Macias' 'rule for life' ended with a coup and his execution in 1979, two-thirds of the population had either fled Equatorial Guinea or been killed.

Equatorial Guinea's road back to multiparty democracy has been a torturous one. Old habits die hard, and although elections have been held, it is widely believed that vote-rigging has been rampant. The US State Department declared that the first presidential election in 1993 was a 'parody of democracy'. The arrest and imprisonment of an opposition leader sent a clear message to all about the country's democratisation, although he was released following pressure from Western governments.

The discovery of oil in Equatorial Guinean waters transformed the political and social landscape of the country. However, it seemed to have made precious little difference to ordinary Equatorial Guineans. Little of the oil revenue is trickling down and President Obiang Nguema's dictatorship seems uninspired by the benefits of democratisation.

In 2001, eight political groups formed an opposition-in-exile in Spain (in 2003 the same group proclaimed itself a government-in-exile). Later that year, the President called on opposition groups to register at home, but in 2002 68 people were jailed for allegedly plotting a coup. Their confessions seemed to have been made under duress. Six months later, the President won the election unanimously. A coup attempt with the covert backing of interested parties in the UK and US was foiled in March 2004, leading to the deportation of many foreigners.

Ally · 02-07-2006, 07:22 AM

Two flights a week from Madrid, Spain, takes you to the capital, Malabo. This is the best route if travelling direct from the US to Equatorial Guinea. Regular flights to Douala in Cameroon also run, and these link up with direct flights to various European cities including London, Paris and Rome. There are also flights from several west and central African capitals.

Most arrive at Rio Muni by minibus from either Cameroon or Gabon. If you're then heading to Bioko, you can either fly or catch the ferry. Arranging to put your own car on the ferry may be the thing that finally breaks you on your African jaunt - you'd be well advised to leave it in Bata and avoid the frustration. Bush taxis are also an option, although few travellers are attracted to the uncertainty of this means of travel.

Ally · 02-07-2006, 07:22 AM

The country's national airline schedules six flights a week from Malabo to Bata. On Bioko there are good bush taxi connections around the island, while in Rio Muni about three minibuses a day run each way along the coast road between Bata and Acalayong and six a day head inland to Ebebiyin. The country has only one completely sealed road, but you'll be unlikely to use it - it links the president's tiny hometown with another tiny town in the remote east of the country.

(All information courtesy of Lonely Planet)

Ally · 02-20-2006, 07:38 AM

Images of Equatorial Guinea..