Fernandino

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Fernandinos are creole, multi-ethnic or multi-race groups of Equatorial Guinea and former Spanish Guinea with distinct social, cultural and linguistic histories.

1 Los Fernandinos
2 Fernandinos
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Los Fernandinos

The indigenous group of Fernandinos, also referred to as Emancipados or Los Fernandinos, were mixed race descendants of the pre-existing indigenous population of Spanish Guinean originating from the island of Fernando Pó (modern day Bioko Island). This group consisted of mulattoes of female Bubi and white male Spaniard parentage. Incidentally, many offspring born to this type of union were not claimed by the father; however some couples did marry under Roman Catholic law. It was not uncommon for offspring of such unions to be accepted into the indigenous tribe and identify as such.

Native Fernandinos spoke a colloquial form of Spanish, French, Bube and a form of Pidgin that was once native to the island. The Pidgin spoken may have varied slightly per region; and is either extinct, or evolved into a new type of pidgin.

During colonial rule and during pre-independence civil uprisings, many native Fernandinos settled in places like Annobón, Canary Islands, greater Spain, São Tomé and Príncipe and Cape Verde to avoid social and/or political adversity.

[edit] Fernandinos

The other Fernandinos of Equatorial Guinea descended from English speaking freed slaves of Sierra Leone and Liberia who arrived on the island of Fernando Po in 1827. They maintain their own language, Fernando Poo Creole English, which reflects their main location of Fernando Poo more recently known as Bioko.

Fernando Poo Creole English is derived from the Krio language of Sierra Leone. This group of Fernandinos are exclusively concentrated around Malabo. Although they comprise a distinct ethnic group in Equatorial Guinea, their pidgin dialect is spoken in only six communities (Musola, Las Palmas, Sampaca, Basupu, Fiston and Balveri de Cristo Rey). In 1998 it was estimated that the number of fluent Equatoguinean speakers of this language was at 5,000. For 1,000 of those 5,000 speakers this was their only language. Up to 70,000 EquatoGuineans may currently use it as a trade language.

The majority of Fernandinos are Christian.