Afro-Spaniard

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Afro-Spaniards (Spanish: afroespañoles) are Spanish individuals of black African descent. Afro-Spaniards of today come from Angola, Brazil, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Venezuela. A notable Afro-Arab population from the Maghreb (Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco), Mauretania, Tunisia) also exists. In 2009, about 7,500 descendants of black Africans were born in Spain. As of the year 2011, there are 237,300 Black Africans in Spain. Many are illegal immigrants who have come in recent years.

History

Although most blacks in Spain today are recent arrivals, their earliest presence in the country dates back a few centuries. Between the time of the Castilian Kingdom and mid-1700s, Spain had a sizeable black population of 100,000 people. After Spain lost her commercial empire, most slaves in Spain were freed. In a few generations, the population intermarried into the general Spanish population. The only group that claim black descent in Spain, going back a century or more, can be found in Gibraleón and Niebla; towns founded by escaped slaves from southern Portugal in Alentejo.

Works Cited

1. AfroEurope blog. Black People In Spain. 11-Jan-2010. retrieved 24 Nov. 2011
2. AfroEurope blog.Judi Oshowole On Life in Barcelona. 10-Oct-2010. retrieved 24 Nov. 2011
3. Appiah, Kwame Anthony and Gates, Henry Louis, Jr.(1999). Africana: the Encyclopedia of African and African American Experience. Basic Civitas Books, pp. 1769–1773. ISBN 0-465-00071-1.
4. Delaney, Paul. Africans Say Spanish Show Racist Views. New York Times, 10-Sept-1987, retrieved 24-Nov-2011 ABC News. Awkward US Removes Reference to Racism Against Blacks In Spain As First Lady Arrives. August 4, 2010. 24-Nov-2010

References

See also

• Afro-Hispanic people
• Fernandino peoples
• Spanish Guinea
• Spanish Equatoguineans