Eight Spanish young people with African ancestry tell the Black World how they live a mixed identity, the link they maintain with the territory and culture of their parents, the issues that concern them and what they expect from the future.
Second generation migrants? No, they are not migrants. Those who migrated from different parts of Africa were their mothers and their parents. They were born and grown here, although they maintain a strong bond with those territories and cultures that are found on the other side of the sea.
«I have a very large emotional bond because when I was little my father cooked me Blood diamonds», Says Angela. Arabia also keeps the tradition of cooking Saharawi dishes alive like the baked lamb, such as speaking in Hassanía or listening to the Qur’an. For some, like Paula, the connection is more diffuse. Daughter of Angolaño and Spanish, has not grown with the traditions of Angola. “I define myself as Madrid and clearly Spanish.” Beatriz, whose family is from Equatorial Guinea, took to accept his identity: “It cost me a lot to accept and hug her, but now I am very proud to know who I am.” Fatima is considered a mixture of Moroccan and Spanish culture. «I am in love with my mother and Spain culture I also like it a lot. In my house the Ramadan and also Christmas is celebrated. The day I married, I would love that my wedding was a mixture of a Moroccan and Spanish wedding ».
For some of these young people, growing between two cultures and defining their identity is a challenge. Nadal, with roots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has often felt caught “in no man’s land”: “There are always people who question how Spanish I am, and others tell me that I am a Mundelea ‘white person’, in Lingala. In the end, the only thing I want to be is the person that my heart invites me to be ». Diadie, from Mother Senegalese and Mauritano father, does not feel completely Spanish: «I feel a mixture of cultures. From my parents I maintain values such as education and respect, but my identity is not linked to a single nation ». Jairson, as a mother and father, can speak in Creole and enjoy the gastronomy of the archipelago, but is considered culturally more Spanish: “I would say that I am 30 % Caboverdiano and 70 % Spanish.”
Some have had the opportunity to travel to their parents’ country. Arabia remembers with immense affection the time that with 11 years he traveled to the Tindouf refugee camps with his cousins and toured the desert by car. Instead, Angela and Beatriz have not gone to Sierra Leone or Equatorial Guinea, although they wish. “When I was little, the country was in conflict and now there are many requirements to travel,” Licks Angela. When Diadie was in Senegal, she loved to find how happy people were without so much technology. Nadal visited the Congo being very small: «I have some left Flasshazoa family smell of some food, mom’s stories and photos. But I want to return when the situation improves ». For Fatima and Jairson, the trips to Morocco and Cabo Verde are frequent: «As a child, every summer was going. The last time was this summer with friends. When I think of Morocco, I think of my grandmother ».
We ask about what worries them and their future plans. Paula is worried about political polarization, listening resistance and the rise of new rights. Angela mentions poverty, inequality, animal abuse and discrimination. Jairson points out racism. Arabia is interested in mental health and uneasy war in Palestine, Donald Trump and climate change. Beatriz wants the relationship of new generations to be maintained with the cultures and customs of their parents. Fatima is disturbed by the difficulties facing people who migrate. The possibility of emigrating them, as their parents did, is also in their minds. Angela considers moving to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom or Canada. Beatriz Valora Portugal. Fatima has thought of Switzerland and Jairson in London or Japan. These young people are part of a generation that is building their identity at a crossroads. As Nadal says, “in the end, we are the best of two worlds.”
