The Impact of 1910 Protests Against Conscription and Forced Labor on the Bubi Community

By the late nineteenth century, the Bubi people of Equatorial Guinea found themselves under the protective influence of Spanish Claretian missionaries. These missionaries played a crucial role in safeguarding the Bubi from the exploitative demands of plantation owners. They organized the Bubi into small mission theocracies, drawing parallels to the Jesuit reductions in Paraguay, which aimed to provide a structured and supportive community for the indigenous people. The Bubi's struggle for autonomy was marked by two significant insurrections in 1898 and 1910, both of which protested against the conscription of forced labor for the plantations. However, the situation took a drastic turn in 1917 when the Bubi were disarmed, leaving them vulnerable and dependent on the missionaries for support and guidance. This disarmament not only stripped the Bubi of their means of self-defense but also reinforced their reliance on the missionaries, who had become their primary source of assistance in a rapidly changing socio-political landscape. The legacy of this period is a complex interplay of cultural influence, dependency, and the struggle for autonomy that continues to shape the Bubi community today. #mooflife #mof #MomentOfLife #Bubi #EquatorialGuinea #SpanishMissionaries #ColonialHistory #ForcedLabor