Customs and traditions
According to Abbreviationfinder, in Equatorial Guinea, the family is a necessary social safety net, and it is important to show great respect for both elderly and deceased relatives. The flag and the national anthem are important national symbols. Singing and dancing often occur during celebrations and national holidays.
How to greet and dress
Long and healthy health is important. Often people shake hands and people are often close to each other when they talk. They show great respect for the elderly and especially prominent persons and also pay tribute to deceased relatives.
- Countryaah: Overview of the capital city of Equatorial Guinea, including information about its population, economy, geography, history and map.
What you eat
Everyday, you rarely eat meat without most cassava, jams, rice, bananas and peanuts – such as you can grow yourself. Cassava, which does not contain much nutrition but saturates well, is often used in ground form, gari, which is made from porridge. Also popular is a mix made of ground squash kernels. Along the coast you can catch fish; otherwise many try to outgrow the food with everything from eggs, goat or monkey meat to snakes, snails and rodents to get some protein.
At holidays you eat chicken or duck; Palm wine and malamba, an alcoholic beverage made from sugar cane, are common.
In the cities you usually eat three meals a day; In the countryside, people usually eat a light meal in the morning and a larger one in the evening.
National symbols and holidays
In the flag (see Equatorial Guinea) stands the green border for the natural riches, the white for peace, the red for the freedom struggle and the blue triangle for the sea. In the middle is the Coat of Arms – a silk cotton tree surrounded by six yellow stars symbolizing the mainland of Equatorial Guinea as well as the five largest islands.
The national anthem Caminemos pisando la send (roughly let’s go the step ahead) is of course played on National Day, ie Independence Day October 12. According to Countryaah, the official holidays also include Christmas and New Year’s Day, May 1, Africa Day May 25, President’s Birthday June 5, as well as Easter and more. One of the most important celebrations is abira whose purpose is to expel evil forces. Singing is often included in the celebration, as is dance, such as balelé or ibanga; the latter is the national dance of the captive population and the dancers cover their bodies with white powder.
2011
December
Basic amendments may be approved in a referendum
Ninety percent of the participants in a referendum say yes to a number of constitutional changes. Among other things, a person should only be able to be president for two terms of office every seven years. It is unclear whether Obiang will have to resign when his term expires in 2016 or if already-begun term periods are not counted.
June
Arrest scales before the AU meeting
An arrest wave aimed at regime critics, immigrants and students is being conducted ahead of a meeting with the African Union (AU) in the capital Malabo, reports Amnesty International .
March
Negotiations on islands resume with Gabon
President Obiang and his Gabonese colleague, President Ali Bongo, resume UN negotiations on some disputed islands in the oil-rich waters off Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
February
Author hunger strikes
One of the country’s foremost writers, Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel, launches a hunger strike in protest against the Obiang regime. He later goes into exile in Spain (see Culture).
The president’s son suspected of eco crime
President Obiang’s son Teodorín (often referred to as the intended successor to the father) is accused of corruption and abuse of power after it was revealed that he had ordered a yacht for nearly $ 400 million. The amount corresponds to more than three times the value of Equatorial Guinea’s budget for health care and education. Theodorín is later forced to cancel the luxury boat. That same month, French police seized several of the president’s luxury cars.