Beware of What You are Told About Equatorial Guinea – Ground Truth is Likely to Differ

Beware of What You are Told About Equatorial Guinea Ground Truth is Likely to Differ

If you were to ask the average person what they knew of Equatorial Guinea today, the first thing that would probably come to mind would be that of a newly oil-rich, yet impoverished nation, of which half it's inhabitants are living on less than a dollar a day. This assessment could be considered reasonable as well, if you all you had to go on was what a recently leaked series of cables from the U.S. Embassy in Malabo describes as "a bias against Equatorial Guinea, animated by a loud chorus of hostile critics from among the Diaspora (many of whom left when things were much worse) and the once-colonial, now-disenfranchised Spanish".

One of the cables in particular goes on to quote what it refers to as a good rule of thumb: "Beware of what you are told about EG ground truth is likely to differ." Just how the truth is likely to differ is what has inspired me to write about Equatorial Guinea in the first place. It is also the basis of these cables, which were written according to their author, "to provide a ground level view of one of the world's most isolated and least understood countries".

One of the things addressed by one cable in particular is the widely reported notion that half of the population in EG lives on less than a dollar a day, which it describes simply as implausible'. The cable supports this concept by citing various indicators, such as numerous flights to and from international destinations, which are full and not cheap, as well as reports from local Coca-Cola reps that Equatorial Guinea boasts the highest level of consumption of its refreshments in all of Africa. It goes on to describe the streets of Malabo and Bata, which until recently were unpaved and all but devoid of traffic, as now suffering daily traffic jambs. Also, previously finding a taxi in EG required booking one of a small handful whereas now they are ubiquitous. Another notable indicator given is that of the local fuel suppliers who have seen their businesses grow exponentially and have had to repeatedly invest in order to keep up with the growing demand. All things combined, the cable reasonably proves that it isn't just the ruling elite driving cars and drinking cokes.

Although this might not be true for the entire population, Equatorial Guinea in general appears to remain relatively complacent in light of what the cable describes as "stunning advancements made throughout the country" as well as the fact that "the quality of life for the average citizen in EG has seen a great leap forward in the past decade and, though surpassed by the gains of a greedy few, appears to promise enough to inspire continued patience".

The full-unedited transcript of this cable can be viewed at http://213.251.145.96/cable/2009/03/09MALABO31.html

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