What does Madrid's history look like when you include the stories that have long been left out? In this episode, I sit down with activist and tour guide Kwame Ondo. He's spent years piecing together the hidden history of Black people in Spain — from pre-Colonial trade routes and the time of Al-Andalus, through to the slave markets of Seville and the abolitionist movement of the First Republic — to found his company Afro Iberían tours.
Kwame takes visitors through Madrid's old and modern city to uncover the Black figures, artworks, and stories hiding in plain sight. In the interview, we talk about the remarkable life of Juan de Pareja, Spain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, and why President Emilio Castelar — one of Spain's greatest orators — had to flee the country after speaking out against slavery.
We also discuss what Madrid looks like today: the effects of gentrification on Black communities, the politics of migration, and what Kwame, as a Pan-Africanist, thinks genuine justice would actually require.
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