Hello, folks, I'm back. My Spain experience is so unforgetable and will always be a memory to cherish especially when my golden years will soon come (is it 65?). Here are my impressions how blacks are perceived in the following cities my daughter and I visited:

1. Madrid - Blacks are basically all over Madrid and comes in various parts of the globe: Africa, U.S.A., Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Columbia, etc. Of course, you will get the look if you are attractive. I have been mistaken as a Cuban, Domincan, Ecuadorian, Mexican and Columbia. What is amusing is when my daughter would say that I am from the Philippines but live in the U.S.A and I speak little Spanish. They find my backgroun puzzling.

2. Cordoba - The only black we saw was at the flee market - a young boy selling bags and probably he is from Africa. We decided to explore the center of town, and still no blacks or Dominicans, Ecuadorian looking folks. The people in Cordoba were friendly and helpful. A 40-year old man went out of his way to show us how to get to the center of town.

3. Granada - yes in Granada there lots of diversity -- very similar to Madrid. You will see all shades of black -- dark - light, etc. Lots of mixed couple in the bars.

4. Algeciras - lots of Moroccans. Other groups you find in Madrid we somehow did not encounter.

5. La Linea - Similar to Cordoba.

6. Cadiz - Similar to Cordoba

7. Sevilla - Similar to Cordoba

One thing that I can say is that being black and speaking Castillan is an asset. My 20-year old daughter was so amazing, she speaks Spanish like a Madrilena and that was such an attraction wherever we went. Whenever she would be asked where is she from, she always says of course in Spanish "I live in Madrid with pause, then she would be asked again, but where are you really from, then my daughter answers, I am from the U.S.A. We would laughed so much whenever folks would like to know where is from because being black and say you are from Madrid is sort of unbelievable. The color of our skin was not a factor at all in the cities we visited in Spain. And I think because of that, the locals went out of their way to be extra helpful. The staring think is a natural thing to do. I too stared at people.

Wow, it sounds like you had a great time in Spain, Mclarke! My mother came to visit me, but only for four days so we didn't have the chance to experience together all the places that you saw.

I agree with you mostly about your descriptions of different areas of Spain. I felt stared at a lot in Cordoba, but had to remind myself it wasn't a "racist" thing. The people were great though. Didn't make it to Cadiz or some of the other places you mentioned.

Granada was more diverse and Barcelona was incredibly multicultural. I really liked Barcelona in general!

Thanks again for your stories! I'm glad you were able to have that kind of experience with your daughter. My mom wants to go back to Spain with me one day -- hopefully it will be within a few years!

Hey Sheba... great to hear you're going to Spain this summer. Hope you end up with a great family. I lived with some NYU students in Madrid so if you have any questions about that program, maybe I can ask my friends for you.

Vacation-time willing (I'm out of school now and in the real world!), I'll be back in Spain this summer to visit the Canary Islands, Galicia and Asturias and Madrid again, for a day or so, with a Spanish friend I met during my stay there this fall.
I'll make sure to tell everyone how that goes!

Bunny
I told my daughter that probably I was a Spaniard in myh other life. I really felt at home in all the cities we visited. I hope you will have the chance to visit Spain with your mother and have different amusing experiences.
Do tell us about your Spain summer experience. Well, my next trip with my daughter is 2003. We were told to do northern Spain in the summer.

Hasta luego - When my daughter says this this phrase, she shounds these words with a cute curling sound.

Wow! The Queen has opened the pandora's box. It's great to read all of you. I will be starting a new in Spain within the next two months. Any advice on where I can obtain relatively inexpensive accommodations while I become more familiar with what Spain has to offer and what I can contribute as an artist of color there? Ideally I'd like to first experience Madrid, Barcelona, then make my way to the coast. Your responses are greatly appreciated.

Greetings from Barcelona. I am traveling in the middle of my six week trip to Spain. So far I have only been to Madrid, Toledo and Barcelona. Overall, I found Madrid to be interesting and some of the people very friendly, but my friend and I (she is Chinese American and I am African-American) did experience a few weird racial incidents in Madrid. A few times, people were incredibly hostile to us and in Toledo, a waiter basically refused to serve us. It was weird and disappointing. There are a lot of immigrants from Latin America, Africa, Cuba, China and other places in Madrid, and I am not sure if the country has really adapted yet. The headline in one of the Spanish newspapers today was about immigration and apparently it spoke about how Spaniards really are not concerned about the needs of immigrants that are moving to their country. It is a bit sad.

Overall, Barcelona is a much more beautful city, the people are more relaxed and much friendlier. I would recommend Barcelona highly.

That being said, I think that overall Spain is beautiful and I would encourage everyone to come. However, unfortunately, my personal experience here was not without racial incident, but hopefully yours will be.

Although this is not in relation to being Black in Spain, I have a comment on the influx of Chinese immigrants in Sevilla.
During the Feria de Abril, los Gitanos have traditionally been the flower sellers. Apparently (according to a Sevillano friend) many Chinese immigrants have come over the last several years and have set up shop in the flower business during Feria. I guess this is really hurting the already economically disadvantaged Gitanos. I can only see immigration, legal or otherwise, increasing in the next years, so ready or not, Spain better prepare!

About immigration to Spain. Multiculturism is proving to be not entirely successful here in the USA. If immigration continues unabated in Spain, at what point will Spain no longer be Spain? A sad loss.
Cantabene

Deleting double post.

[This message has been edited by cantabene (edited 01-28-2001).]

I should hope that they don't plan on reconstructing the old walls around the cities to keep people out!

Maybe that is in fact something that could happen...
Actually, there was a case in the Czech republic where a village planned to build a wall so that the population not be "bothered" by the Gypsy population. As far as I recall, the plans were not carried out in view of massive protests including the Czech parliament. An alarming sign, anyhow.