The 'africanity' of the Canary Islands: From international debate to the Spanish reaction (1956-1981)

• Main Authors: Pablo Arconada Ledesma, Itziar Reguero Sanz, César García Andrés
• Format: Article
• Language: Catalan
• Published: Universidad de Alicante 2019-06-01
• Series: Pasado y Memoria
• Subjects: islas canarias; descolonización; españa; oua; ucd; onu
• Online Access: https://pasadoymemoria.ua.es/article/view/2019-n18-la-africanidad-de-las-islas-canarias-del-debate-internacional-a-la-reaccion-en-espana-1956-1981

This article examines the debate on the Spanishness of the Canary Islands in the second half of the twentieth century (1956-1981) with a twofold objective: to analyse the international controversy on whether the archipelago was a territory to be decolonized, and to examine the Spanish Government’s reaction to this issue. The work draws on detailed bibliographical study, together with international organisations documentation, the published press, and some protagonists’ testimonies. The involvement of various actors –both national, regional and international– provides an idea of the dimension of this controversial debate. The findings of this research reveal that the controversy was not anecdotic, but lasted for more than two decades. In fact, there was a real possibility that the Canary Islands could go through a decolonization process.