gibraltar

Audio: Ceuta

In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast we’ll be talking about the autonomous city of Ceuta — Spanish exclave, military post, and free port on the coast of Morocco, at the Mediterranean entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Ceuta, Melilla (also an exclave), and other tiny islets along the coast of North Africa constitute the territories of Spanish North Africa. The city is on a narrow isthmus that connects Mount Hacho (also held by Spain) to the mainland. Mount Hacho has been identified as possibly the southern Pillar of Heracles, of the ancient Mediterranean world. Ceuta was controlled by the Muslim Umayyad Dynasty up to 1415, and then changed hands a number of times over the 15th and 16th Centuries. It played an important role in the Spanish Civil War, and gained its modern autonomous status in 1995. Ceuta’s land area is only about 18.5 square kilometres or 7 square miles, making it among the smallest places we’ve ever talked about, and has a population of around 80,000, similar to Andorra, the Isle of Man or the US Virgin Islands.

The climate here is warm but moderated by the straits, with mean annual temperatures of 18 °C (65 °F) with average highs of 21 °C (70 °F) and lows of 15 °C (60 °F). The currency is the Euro, and the language is Spanish, with a strong Arabic presence.

Ceuta and Melilla are the only piece of EU territory on mainland Africa – a political and legal reality that has never been recognised by Morocco, which claims both territories to this day.

Fun Fact – Western Sahara was a previously-Patreon-backed finale episode. You guys just have a real hankering for contentious North African territories, don’t you?

As we mention in the episode, this (somewhat delayed) finale to season 6 was voted on by our Patreon backers, and thanks as always to all of them for their support. You can sign up to Patreon to get a say in the episodes we cover in the seasons to come.

Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Wexford, Ireland, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in Toronto, Canada, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Dublin, Ireland. Our theme music and other stings come from Thomas O’Boyle @thatthomasfella.

Ceuta with Mount hacho visible in the background

Some further reading material is provided below:

This BBC Explainer on the status of Ceuta and Melilla is a good starting point for beginners. The BBC also has a useful factsheet.
This CNN feature headlined “Inside the tiny corner of Spain that lies in the middle of North Africa” is another useful primer.
History blog “A Small Part of History” has a lengthy post about the conquest of Ceuta by Portugal.
For a more visceral look at the city, this video travel guide of Ceuta from Travel Obscurer is worth checking out.
One of the many books we referenced in this episode was Europe or Africa? : a contemporary study of the Spanish North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melila by Peter Gold. It’s available on Archive.org.
We also spoke about Count Julian, whose Wikipedia page is well worth perusing.
Mark lent on A.R. Disney’s A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire – From Beginnings to 1807 for his section. You can find an excerpt here.
Another useful read was The Spanish Exclaves in Morocco by Robert Rézette, which is available on Google Books.
Anyone for a Wikipedia list of “People with the most children“? If you’ve heard Joe’s section, you’ll know why.
For more on Lieutenant John Fraser and his trusty leg bone, see the National Army Museum.
WebHispania has a fascinating blog post by Antonio M. Carrasco headlined The Ceuta border: a constant source of misunderstanding and conflict.
The UK’s National Maritime Museum has a whole page dedicated to Cueta in the Napoleonic Wars.
The UNHCR report on Anti-Muslim Hatred and Discrimination in Ceuta we mentioned is available here.
The substantial page on Wikipedia dedicated to the border fence is here. More can be found in World of Walls: The Structure, Roles and Effectiveness of Separation Barriers by Said Saddiki which is available online here.
On Franco and the Spanish Civil War, worth a read is The Crescent and the Dagger: Representations of the Moorish Other during the Spanish Civil War by Elisabeth Bolorinos Allard, available here.

Some of the music used in the episode includes:

The anthem of Ceuta, which is featured in the final music break
Some processional marches and sacred music from the General Command of Ceuta
An example of traditional Berber Muslim music

Thanks to all our patrons who support the show. We really appreciate your continued backing of us. If you want to join them, more information is available at www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast

S03E04 Saint Helena Audio

In this episode of season 3 of 80 Days: an exploration podcast, we’ll be talking about Saint Helena, a volcanic tropical island in the South Atlantic Ocean, and one of the most isolated points of land in the world. Saint Helena is more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) from its nearest mainland neighbour. The nearest port is Namibe in Angola. It was uninhabited up until its discovery by the Portuguese in 1502, and was later taken over by the British. Used for much of its life as an island of exile, its most famous inhabitant was Napoleon Bonaparte, who was exiled there after his defeat at Waterloo. The island today has a population of just over 4500, and is roughly the size of Staten Island in New York or San Marino, at just 121 square kilometeres, or 47 square miles, and its climate is generally mild.

The island is situated in the Western Hemisphere and despite having the same longitude as Cornwall in the United Kingdom, it is classified as being in West Africa by the United Nations.

Its inhabitants, known locally as “Saints”, are the descendants of sailors, settlers and slaves, and are said to be fiercely loyal to the British monarchy. The island’s economy is dependent on British grants and remittances, and up until recently its only link to the outside world was by a Royal Mail Ship, the St Helena, which made a five-day journey from Cape Town in South Africa, every three weeks.

Your hosts, as always, are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland . (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle @thatthomasfella)

Here are a few things you may want to read/watch more about:

Of general interest: Saint Helena Island Information website is a very useful resource for learning about a wide range of topics; the following books also provide more detailed accounts of historical events: T. H. Brooke’s “History of the Island of St Helena – from its discovery by the Portuguese to the year 1823” , “St Helena: a maritime history” by Trevor Boult, and “Saint Helana and the Cape of Good Hope…” by Edwin F. Hatfield
A promotional video by Saint Helena Tourism
The website of the now-retired RMS St Helena cargo/passenger ship
Read more about Fernão Lopes, the island’s first hermit/resident: here or here
RadioLab (WNYC) episode about ridding the goat plague from an island in the Galapagos, achieved by the use of ‘Judas goats’; well worth a listen
William Dampier describes the island in his account of his circumnavigation of the world
Profile of Dr Barry O’Meara, companion of Napoleon (Trinity College Dublin alumni profile)
A letter written in English by Napoleon during his time as a prisoner on Saint Helena, determined to learn the language of his captors to fill his time. It was sent to his English teacher for correction.
Extracts from the diary of Rear-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, who conducted Napoleon to the island of Saint Helena
1836: Darwin on Saint Helena and the Birth of a Volcano
“Dr James Barry: the Irishwoman who fooled the British Empire” – article in the Irish Times (Michael du Preez and Jeremy Dronfield, 2016)
We could go on and on with interesting links to learn more about Saint Helena, but that should be enough to keep you reading and listening for a while!

Music you heard was from the following sources:

Mary Black’s version of “The Isle of Saint Helena” (Bony’s Away); we also recommend Nic Jones’ version
Unofficial ‘national anthem’ of the island, by Dave Mitchell: “My Saint Helena Island”

Thanks to Fran Hobbs for his insightful interview about life on the island. A massive thanks to all of our patrons on Patreon who are supporting season 3. If you’d like to join them and see what rewards are available for supporters, and get a peek behind the curtain check out www.patreon.com/80dayspodcast. We really appreciate the support and input!