Canarian nationalism is a political movement that encourages the national consciousness of the

Canarian people Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Maghreb, Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in th ...

. The term includes several ideological trends, ranging from a demand for further autonomy within Spain to the right to self-determination.

Self-government through history

The origins of the Canarian people started with the

Spanish conquest The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It ...

of the islands, when the local

Guanche Guanche may refer to: *Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands *Guanche language, an extinct language, spoken by the Guanches until the 16th or 17th century *''Conus guanche ''Conus guanche'' is a species of sea snail, a marine ga ...

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

population were conquered and eventually assimilated and European-style

manorialism Manorialism, also known as seigneurialism, the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "Land tenure, tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features incl ...

introduced in most of the islands. During the last days of the conquest, on 30 May 1481, an aboriginal leader from

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, a Spain, Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa. the island had a population of that constitut ...

called Tenesor Semidán (afterwards baptized as Fernando Guanarteme) signed a peace treaty with Fernando II of Aragon, in the so-called Carta de Calatayud. This treaty defined the archipelago as a kingdom within the Spanish monarchy, establishing the legal framework for its administration and its relationship with Spain. The pact signed in

Calatayud Calatayud (; 2014 pop. 20,658) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Province of Zaragoza, within Aragón, Spain, lying on the river Jalón (river), Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest ...

granted the rights and duties that would shape the Canarian

fuero (), (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ...

(), which would soon be used in institutions such as the Cabildos and the Canarian Court ('). Notable rights stated in the fuero included an autonomous treasury and army, and the continuity of traditional Canarian customs and roles. The Canary Islands had its own currency until 1776. Initially only Gran Canaria accepted the pact, but one by one the whole group of islands eventually consented to the agreement.''El pacto para Tenerife'', Juan Bethencuort Alfonso, Historia del Pueblo Guanche, tomo III Spain failed to fulfill the pact several times, a failure that resulted in the uprisings of 1502 ( Ichasagua), 1770 (La Aldea), and 1778 (Arico). The pact was finally discarded during the Restoration.

Beginnings of organized nationalism

The first

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

organizations were born in the 19th century as part of a local

labour movement The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

. Some of its proponents were José Cabrera Díaz, Nicolás Estévanez and Secundino Delgado. Delgado is considered today as the father of the Canarian nationalism. The earliest nationalist parties were the Partido Popular (Autonomista), founded in 1901 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and the Canarian Nationalist Party, founded in 1924 in exile in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. During the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

Canarian nationalism went unnoticed; although an autonomy statute was proposed, the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

blocked hopes for autonomy.

During the dictatorship

Francoism Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

fiercely oppressed any kind of regional nationalism in Spain and its colonies. However, the 1960s were years known for the activism of various groups. In 1959 the movement ''Canarias Libre'' acquired some notoriety, and in 1964, Antonio Cubillo founded the MPAIAC (Movement for the

Self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

and Independence of the Canarian Archipelago). The MPAIAC created the flag of the seven green stars that is accepted by the nationalist movement as a whole today. During the last days of Francoism the DAC ( Destacamentos Armados Canarios) and the FAG ( Fuerzas Armadas Guanches), movements attached to Canarian nationalism, committed

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

acts. Although the movements had initially attracted sympathies, the violent terror actions and the "armed struggle" spearheaded by Cubillo's MPAIAC brought about a general rejection among local Canarios. One of the factors leading to the 1977

Tenerife airport disaster The Tenerife airport disaster occurred on 27 March 1977, when two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on the runway at Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport, Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport) on the Spa ...

, the most deadly accident in aviation history, was a bomb exploded by Canarian separatists in

Gran Canaria Airport Gran Canaria Airport () is a passenger and freight airport on the island of Gran Canaria. It is an important airport within the Spanish air transport network (owned and managed by a public enterprise, AENA), as it holds the sixth position in te ...

Spanish democracy

Since 1982 the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

have had a statute of autonomy, which defines the archipelago as a ''

nationality Nationality is the legal status of belonging to a particular nation, defined as a group of people organized in one country, under one legal jurisdiction, or as a group of people who are united on the basis of culture. In international law, n ...

'' of Spain. In the 1980s a nationalist-like party called UPC ( Canarian People's Union) was the third-most-voted party in

. In 1985 Antonio Cubillo returned from Algiers and founded the National Congress of the Canaries (CNC). Since 1993, the nationalist party

Canarian Coalition The Canarian Coalition (, CC or CCa) is a regionalist and Canarian nationalist political party in Spain operating in the Canary Islands. The party's aim is for greater autonomy for the islands but not independence. Its position has been labeled a ...

has held the government of the islands.

Current situation

At present, many sorts of parties, trade unions and associations describe themselves as "nationalist," some of which support the Berberist cause. The nationalist parties include CC (

), NC ( Nueva Canarias), FREPIC-AWAÑAK ( Popular Front of the Canary Islands), CCN ( Nationalist Canarian Centre), ANC ( Canarian Nationalist Alternative), Azarug, Partido Nacionalista Canario Alternativa Popular Canaria, Alternativa Maga Nacionalista, and UP ( Unidad del Pueblo). There are also nationalist trade unions such as FSOC ( Frente Sindical Obrero Canario), IC ( Intersindical Canaria), as well as revolutionary organizations, like Inekaren. Some radical groups use the word ''Taknara'' to refer to the Canary Islands, but other nationalists do not agree with this name. The movement has recently undergone a modest renaissance. The popular newspaper of the islands '' El Día'' has changed its editorial line to fit the nationalists' cause. In its pages it is normal to read the opinion of historical nationalist activists. In particular the "Project for a Federal Canarian Republic", written by Antonio Cubillo, has created a stir and a media debate.

References

Bibliography

* Luis Pérez Aguado, Revista Aguayro nº 228. * Pedro Cullen del Castillo, ''Torre de Gando''. * Africo Amasik, ''El Arbol de La Nación Canaria''. * ''3.000 años de canariedad,'' AMAGA, Alternativa Maga Nacionalista.

External links

Canarias InsurgenteCanarias NaciónSoberanía
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canarian Nationalism Nationalist movements in Africa