The island of Annobón is the scene of a silent struggle for independence and survival. However, the oppression exercised by the dictatorship of Obiang in Equatorial Guinea has kept this fledgling republic mired in poverty and inequality.
Recently, a donation made by the staff of the National Bank of Equatorial Guinea (BANGE) agency in Annobón to the island's precarious health center was announced. This social work consisted of the delivery of basic necessities to newborns and hospitalized and non-hospitalized children. While this gesture may seem laudable at first glance, it is important to analyze it in the broader context of the situation in Annobón.
Annobón Island has faced decades of oppression and exploitation by the state and government of Equatorial Guinea. The lack of adequate medical care, scarcity of resources and political repression have led the island to a situation of extreme poverty and suffering. Despite the efforts of the Annobonese people to obtain their independence and improve their quality of life, the dictatorship of Obiang has perpetuated the situation of vulnerability in which the population finds itself.
The recent act of charity by BANGE can be interpreted as an attempt to whitewash the image of the oppressive regime of Obiang, rather than addressing the underlying causes of poverty in Annobón. Meanwhile, the prime minister of the Annobón Republic, Orlando Cartagena Lagar, denounces the misery and suffering of the Annobonese people, who continue to be ignored by the government of Equatorial Guinea.
“Annobón has survived independently under the shadow of the tyranny of the state of Equatorial Guinea, which has spared no effort to subject it to bloody military repression, slow and ferocious discrimination and social, political and economic injustice,” he said. Cartagena Winery.
And he added: “The state and the regime of Equatorial Guinea have condemned the people of Annobón to misery, pain and death, without healthcare, education, electricity or food and without running water, with a permanent total blockade and embargo that has lasted for 55 years. . The population of Annobón does not grow because the majority of children do not survive the first year due to lack of vaccines, lack of milk and they die of hunger, and the majority of those who survive do not live beyond the age of 45.”
Finally, the prime minister closed: “We fight for justice and for our freedom and demand the immediate withdrawal of the Fang colonial occupation military force from our territory.”
