Andrea Bioko: «Many people think that tennis is only for white and rich people»

Chijioke Obinna

Andrea Bioko: «Many people think that tennis is only for white and rich people»

Andrea Bioko, social entrepreneur

«I was born in Madrid 26 years ago and I live here, although my family is Equatoguinean. My parents instilled in me an interest in other cultures and I feel like a citizen of the world. I am passionate about tennis and I promote diversity in this sport through Afrotennis.

Where does the feeling of being a citizen of the world come from?

My first trip, when I was still little, was to Equatorial Guinea, my parents’ country, and I haven’t stopped traveling since. When I was 13 I went to China, then to the United States and when I finished high school in Madrid, when I was 18, I decided to go study in Canada. I left alone, without having a clue about English, but those six years became a very profound multicultural experience. I had the opportunity to contact people from very diverse backgrounds and gain a lot of knowledge through their lifestyles and cultures. When I returned to Spain, I felt a very strong impulse to help other people discover new cultures and, as an African, to help put an end to certain clichés about the continent.

Do you maintain a close relationship with Equatorial Guinea?

I have to thank my family because since I was little, during the holidays, they have always taken me to visit the country and be with my relatives on the island of Bioko, especially with my grandfather, when he was alive, and with my grandmother, when that I accompany in the car to go shopping. She is not a supermarket fan and we go along the little paths and buy fruit and other things at the outdoor stalls. We also go to the beach. That’s how I like to spend time with her. On my last trip, in 2022, I discovered a curious thing: my grandmother took me one day to a family farm where cocoa was formerly grown for the Spanish chocolate brand Elgorriaga. In the long term I would like to return there and undertake a project to tell the history of this space and the relationship between Spain and Equatorial Guinea.

You said that you want to help other people discover new cultures. In what way?

In different ways. Now I am focused on organizing group and business tourist trips to Africa through CES Gestiones, a global mobility company founded by my partner, Carolina Malale. So far we have organized trips to Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Angola and Morocco. We work as a bridge between travel agencies in Spain and tour operators in African countries.

Tourism in Africa is often associated with safaris to see animals and natural environments such as beaches. Are the trips you organize different?

Our strong point is that when we organize these trips to Africa we do not limit ourselves to the traveler going to the beach to enjoy a mojito, but to discovering the culture. In Equatorial Guinea, for example, there are more than ten different ethnicities. I am Fang and most of the people on the island are Bubis. Each ethnic group has its traditions, its food, its music, its festivals, its way of living and working. And when we design an itinerary, we visit the town of one of these communities and do activities that are part of their tradition. We get into the culture so that the visitor understands what it is like to be a person from this tribe and learn about their lifestyle. That’s the most important thing.

What do you hope the travelers who go with you experience?

I have always thought that when you travel you are connecting with another culture and putting yourself in the feet of other people. Furthermore, he sees himself through them. I wish you to appreciate how it is to live in these places and get rid of the clichés. For example, I like that they discover that for us the word ‘community’ is very important, that it is the way we organize ourselves and support each other. It also has to do with the concept of Pan-Africanism. I consider myself a Pan-Africanist thanks to my grandfather, who was also one. It refers to that great community that exists on the continent, in which it does not matter whether you are from Nigeria or South Africa. I hope that we continue to foster this principle in young Africans, whether on the continent or in other parts of the world.

In addition to contact with other cultures, you have another passion: tennis. How does your story with this sport begin?

Since my parents lived between Madrid and Equatorial Guinea, I went to schools where I had to be from Monday to Friday. When I arrived at Pinosierra school in the town of Tres Cantos when I was 11 years old, I noticed a boy in my class who was black. We were the only ones in the entire school. I was attracted to this boy, and since I wanted to meet him and he was always playing tennis during recess or after eating, I started playing too. It was my first contact. A year later, the school organized a trip to the Mutua Madrid Open and I had the opportunity to meet Serena Williams. It was the first time I saw a person who looked like me playing tennis. And not only did he play, but he also won the tournament. And I thought: «Oysters! I want to do this!!

Did you ever consider becoming a professional tennis player?

From the ages of 11 to 16 I was playing and competing, but I injured my ankle and quit for a while. When I went to study in Canada I joined a tennis club and everything changed there. I was the captain of the girls’ team and in 2020 we won the competition. Many teammates were from different parts of the world, but I was still the only black girl and I wondered why I didn’t see more people like me playing. The following year I planned to go to Equatorial Guinea and I told my team that I would like to bring something to get Equatorial Guinean children interested in tennis, so we collected some balls and when I arrived I donated them to a club. On that trip I realized that I wanted to dedicate myself to promoting this sport. There are many people who think that tennis is a sport only for rich white people.

And that was when you thought about creating Afrotennis. What does it consist of?

I thought about creating Afrotennis as a space where people like me could connect and create community through tennis. Together with my partner Mathew we started a podcast dedicated to African tennis in which we invited people who are leaders in this sport and players from different parts of the continent. Furthermore, at Afrotennis we organize tennis events in different parts of the world. We also want it to serve as a platform so that those who want to help develop tennis on the continent from outside Africa can do so. I can tell you a case. In 2021, the Danish professional tennis player Holger Rune contacted us, who followed us on social networks and liked what we were doing, and wanted to support us with a donation of sports equipment. At Afrotennis we collaborate with associations and clubs in African countries that are training children and we give them visibility so that they receive support, as in the case of Rune, whose donation of material went to a tennis club in Uganda. We take care of sending the material and giving it visibility through social networks. One of our goals is also to give tennis classes there in the future. We try to finance these trips with the classes we organize here in Spain, with Afrotennis promotional items that we sell or through the podcast.

Going back to what you were saying about clichés, is there racism in tennis?

Black people always encounter people who try to make us see that we don’t belong in this sport. It is in the culture of tennis and it is something that we try to break through Afrotennis. There have been great tennis players in history like Serena and Venus Williams or Arthur Ashe, who gave his name to a court (the Arthur Ashe Stadium is the central court where the most important matches of the US Open are played), but racism is still there. very present and I have experienced very unpleasant moments in which I have felt helpless. Now I am representing an Afro-descendant player who is 14 years old and we work a lot on the psychological part. A black person who is interested in entering the world of tennis has to think twice.

How do you value the implementation of sport on the African continent?

It is a sport that, in principle, is not very accessible. Most tennis courts in Africa are clay courts. The Association of Professional Tennis Players and the International Tennis Federation are organizing international tournaments on the continent and that is a great support for the countries where they are held. We recently invited the director of the Kigali II Challenger, a tournament held in Rwanda, to our podcast and he told us that at the infrastructure level it is not easy to organize a tournament like this and that a lot of investment is needed, but doing so allows it to be a sport increasingly accessible to Africans. It has invited Afrotennis to participate in the 2025 tournament.

In which African countries is tennis most developed?

In terms of infrastructure, Morocco, South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda and Angola. Although at the moment the top African players are from Kenya, Tunisia and Egypt.


with her

«Tennis and feeling like a multicultural person thanks to having traveled the world and now helping others do the same are my two passions. “This globe and the tennis ball are a reflection of who I am.”

Chijioke Obinna

I've been passionate about storytelling and journalism since my early days growing up in Lagos. With a background in political science and years of experience in investigative reporting, I aim to bring nuanced perspectives to pressing global issues. Outside of writing, I enjoy exploring Nigeria’s vibrant cultural scene and mentoring young aspiring journalists.