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Most people in Latin America have some Spanish blood mixed in, so even though most are non-whites, they are genetically tied to Spain and that also legitimizes their cultural, linguistic, culinary, architectural, etc connection to Spain, Hispanic culture, and other Hispanic countries. This is also why a random person from Spain, Venezuela, Cuba, Chile, Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Argentina, etc may actually be distant cousins along their European genetic side regardless if they are white, mestizos, mulattoes or whatever other racial mix that includes Spanish/European in the mix.
Having said all of that, the single category taken into consideration if a person is Hispanic or not is actually not based on whether a person has Spanish blood in them, but rather if a person speaks Spanish as their mother tongue. The reason of this is that language affects very deeply the way people see and interpret the world and the mother tongue of a person often does makes the biggest difference between them and others that don't speak the same mother tongue, and this difference is present even with people that speak said mother tongue as a second language.
I'm not sure if most Equatorial Guineans speak Spanish as a mother tongue. Unlike in the Western Hemisphere, in Africa its much more common for natives to speak an African language as a mother tongue and a European language as a second language (what European language predominates as a second language depends on the colonial history of the country: ex-British colonies have English as a second language, ex-French have French, ex-Italian have Italian, etc.)
Take Dominicans as an example. Regardless of the fact that over 90% of Dominicans have Spanish blood and have a genetic/historic/cultural connection to Spain (most of the population is of mostly black/white racially mixed and the white part is mostly of Spanish origin, and most of the white minority descend from Spaniards too); practically 100% of ethnic Dominicans speak Spanish as their mother tongue and over 95% of them not only speak Spanish as a mother tongue, but its also the only language that they speak.
This may not be the case in Equatorial Guinea. For one, most of the population is probably of pure Sub-Saharan African origin and most of the population probably lives in the countryside. That combination is almost a guarantee that most don't speak Spanish as their mother tongue, because in Africa the European influence is almost exclusively concentrated along the major coastal towns and major cities. As soon as people leave the cities, the European influences diminishes very quickly and this is very noticeable.
I'll have to do more research into Equatorial Guinea to be sure of their dynamics, but I'm confident what I said here is probably close to reality.
I think this explanation is a better one:
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
Hispanic is a self-declared category created by the US Census Bureau. Any person can claim to be Hispanic, which is defined as having a cultural or ethnic relationship to the people of Spain.If a person from Equatorial Guinea made this claim in the USA, it would likely not be challenged.
"In the eyes of the US Census Bureau, Hispanics or Latinos can be of any race, any ancestry, any ethnicity, or any country of origin," -- Wikipedia
He is a black person of African ancestry who grew up in a Spanish speaking country. How does that make him different from a black Panamanian, whose only claim to distinction is that his ancestors from Guinea spent a couple of generations in the Caribbean and Central America?
Under this definition, whether Equatorial Guineans are Hispanic or not depends on whether most of the people speak Spanish as a mother tongue (ie. Spanish-speaking people or culture) or if most Equatorial Guineans have Spanish ancestry.
I'm almost certain that most Equatorial Guineans are of 100% African origin with a tiny minority composed of mixed race and fully Spanish descendants, so that last part is out of the question.
The first part depends on what most Equatorial Guineans speak as a mother tongue, since that is the most likely language that they use in everyday communication and might only use Spanish as a second language and only in official cases (every time they deal with the government.) But this I have to research. If most of them do speak Spanish as their mother tongue, then they should be considered a Hispanic people; but if they don't, then they are not Hispanic but rather native Africans with a Spanish speaking government and elite. This would be similar to a US American that studied and mastered Spanish as a second language. Despite his fluency with the Spanish language, Hispanic he is not. A person is either born Hispanic or not, you can't become one in life.
Keep in mind that I'm referring to Equatorial Guineans in general, because I think its more than obvious that at the very least some Equatorial Guineans are Hispanic regardless if most of the population is or not.
Under this definition, whether Equatorial Guineans are Hispanic or not depends on whether most of the people speak Spanish as a mother tongue (ie. Spanish-speaking people or culture) or if most Equatorial Guineans have Spanish ancestry.
I'm almost certain that most Equatorial Guineans are of 100% African origin with a tiny minority composed of mixed race and fully Spanish descendants, so that last part is out of the question.
The first part depends on what most Equatorial Guineans speak as a mother tongue, since that is the most likely language that they use in everyday communication and might only use Spanish as a second language and only in official cases (every time they deal with the government.) But this I have to research. If most of them do speak Spanish as their mother tongue, then they should be considered a Hispanic people; but if they don't, then they are not Hispanic but rather native Africans with a Spanish speaking government and elite.
Keep in mind that I'm referring to Equatorial Guineans in general, because I think its more than obvious that at the very least some Equatorial Guineans are Hispanic regardless if most of the population is or not.
Don't you think they should at least be able to identify themselves as Afro-Latino at the very least?
I think the term Latino is reserved for Latin Americans.
If it was up to me, I would make an exception for them and include them into the Latin American sphere of influence. They are kind of alone in Africa when it comes to this. I personally think that, at the very least, the Spanish-speaking Caribbean should make an effort to connect with the Equatorial Guineans on a cultural, economic, and other types of basis. I'm willing to bet that Equatorial Guineans would probably (or probably do) like much of what comes out of these countries due to the heavy Spanish and African influences there such as in the music, food, art, etc.
One has to be careful about setting strict rules, like Spanish as a mother tongue.
Nearly everyone in Paraguay speak Spanish only as a second language, and their mother tongue is Guarani, which is the everyday language of most Paraguayans. Are they Hispanic?
Many people in Chile and Argentina speak only Spanish, but have no ancestors, ever, from Spain. Huge numbers of Chileans and Argentines and Uruguayans descended from immigrants who came from Italy, Germany, France, England, Ireland, at the same time that others were coming to the USA and Canada.
So in Paraguay, you have people from Spain who speak little or no Spanish, and in Argentina you have Germans who speak only Spanish. Which are Hispanic?
My neighbor is a Jew from Mexico, who spend his whole life there. He speaks Spanish, English, and Hebrew. Is he Hispanic?
An American family named Johnson moves to Mexico, with preschool children. They stay 15 years and then come back to the USA with children who speak better Spanish than English. Are they Hispanic?
Then what does? Hispanic in the US can be of any race as it's an ethnicity based on a Spanish heritage so to speak. Dominicans are considered Hispanic in the US as well as Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and sometimes even Filipinos although they generally don't speak Spanish anymore but most have Spanish names.
No, a person does not have to speak Spanish to be considered Hispanic, nor does speaking Spanish make someone Hispanic.
Can someone be Hispanic and have a race? most dominicans are mixed, only a small percentage of them are 100% black and 100% white. the ones that are 100% black or white consider themselves hispanic due to the fact that they were born in their spanish speaking country while still having a race
Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race; a person can be Hispanic and be any race. This is just regarding US political definitions, far from being accurate.
Hispanic is a self-declared category created by the US Census Bureau. Any person can claim to be Hispanic, which is defined as having a cultural or ethnic relationship to the people of Spain. If a person from Equatorial Guinea made this claim in the USA, it would likely not be challenged.
"In the eyes of the US Census Bureau, Hispanics or Latinos can be of any race, any ancestry, any ethnicity, or any country of origin,"
Good info. The Philippines are included here as, IMO they should be.
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