Grand Valley Review

Volume 21 | Issue 1 Article 4

2000 Colonial Relic: Gibraltar in the Age of Decolonization David Alvarez Grand Valley State University

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Recommended Citation Alvarez, David (2000) "Colonial Relic: Gibraltar in the Age of Decolonization," Grand Valley Review: Vol. 21: Iss. 1, Article 4. Available at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gvr/vol21/iss1/4

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which it shares Colonial Relic: Gibraltar in the since 1713, whe territory to Brit< under duress, ~ Age of Decolonization attempted to rec out the 18th cen In Gulliver's 7 the stubborn sh; "The colonial world is a world cut in two." portrait of the tVI -Frantz Fanon, The Wretched ofthe Earth ( 1958) whose conflicts , be broken at the s the above epigraph by the celebrated out-satirize the s< Martinican anti-colonial writer Frantz and the Small ca A Fanon suggests, the specter of ain and Spain m Manichaeanism has often haunted monographs declarations and and manifestoes written in opposition to West­ suited in human old diplomatic c David Alvarez is assistant pro­ ern colonialism. Given the gross injustices that Western colonial rule entailed, it is hardly sur­ over a formidabl! fessor of English at GVSU. He political status. teaches courses in post-colonial prising that the myriad complexities of one country's dominion over another should often writing in English and in Latin 4 be reduced to simple dichotomies. In recent years, American studies. He was born however, scholars of colonialism such as Homi and raised in Gibraltar and lived Bhabha, Stuart Hall, and Mary Louise Pratt (who there until he left for England to were themselves raised in colonies) have pro­ attend college at age twenty. duced nuanced studies that depart from black-and-white dualisms to focus instead on the manifold intricacies of colonial situations. In what follows, I offer a personal reflection on one such situation, that of my birthplace, Gibraltar, a small territory located at the south­ ernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula, and one of the last remaining relics of Britain's former Em­ pire. Known as Calpe by the Romans, and as "Tarik' s Mountain" by the Moors, Gibraltar was ruled by the latter from the eleventh to the fif­ teenth centuries and by Spaniards until the early eighteenth century. ("Tarik's Mountain," named after the Muslim general who led the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, is "Djabal Tarik" in Ara­ bic, the toponym from which "Gibraltar" derives.) A scant two and a half square miles in size, Gibraltar's territory is mostly taken up by the Rock of Gibraltar, a porous hulk of limestone that rises sheer out of the Mediterranean Sea to a height of 1,400 feet and towers above the bay Colonial Relic

which it shares with its Spanish hinterland. Gibraltar has been in British hands since 1713, when at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession Spain ceded the ~he territory to Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht. Insisting that the territory was ceded under duress, Spanish governments of diverse political stripes have repeatedly attempted to reclaim the Rock from the British, by shelling and by siege through­ out the 18th century and by dogged diplomacy ever since. In Gulliver's Travels, the 18th century Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift satirized the stubborn stupidity of the diplomatic wrangles of his age, most notably in his portrait of the two tiny and perpetually warring kingdoms of Liliput and Blefuscu, 1t in two." whose conflicts were fueled by incompatible claims about whether an egg should l of the Earth (1958) be broken at the big end or the small. Reality, however, is always threatening to out-satirize the satirists. While the absurdities of the battles between the Big Endians oy the celebrated and the Small can be laughed off as fiction, the real-life disputations between Brit­ ial writer Frantz ain and Spain over the Rock have generated Brobdingnagian reams of diplomatic he specter of declarations and memoranda. They have also, it needs to be said, sometimes re­ 1.ted monographs sulted in human anguish and suffering. For at the core of the three-hundred year position to West­ old diplomatic dispute over Gibraltar lies not only the question of sovereignty )SS injustices that over a formidable limestone mountain, but also the vexed matter of its inhabitants' , it is hardly sur­ political status. lplexities of one ther should often Aerial view ofGibraltar from the south. .es. In recent years, The airstrip at the territory's northern \s sm such as Homi end lies on a sandy isthmus that Louise Pratt (who physically connects Gibraltar to the 1lonies) have pro­ Spanish mainland. just north of the lat depart from airAeld there is a mile-long fence that >cus instead on the marks the political frontier between U. situations. Spain and Gibraltar. Beyond the fence personal reflection lies the border-town ofLa Linea, whose of my birthplace, men helped build Gibraltar's naval :ated at the south­ dockyard at the tum of the zo'h century, linsula, and one of and whose women often worked as ·itain' s former Ern­ servants in Gibraltarian homes. Those e Romans, and as homes are mostly located on the Rock's oors, Gibraltar was western slope, which descends gradually eleventh to the fif­ into the Bay of Algeciras. Because space ards until the early is so limited in Gibraltar; land has been Mountain," named reclaimed from the sea beyond the old city walls, and the town has thus grown 10 led the conquest considerably in size. ~abal Tarik" in Ara­ lhich "Gibraltar" 1.alf square miles in nostly taken up by 1s hulk of limestone :editerranean Sea to wers above the bay David Alvarez

British by nationality, the British forever? which, self-st Gibraltarians (gibraltareiios in t the turn of the 20th century, a British im­ eclipse all thE Spanish) are in ethnic terms nei­ A perial official, Sir C. E. Howard Vincent Land as well < ther straightforwardly British K.C.M.G., C.B., M.P., author of the preface to a Gibraltar, "th nor Spanish but a complex amal­ multi-volume State of the Empire series, scanned Sir Howard's gr; gam of both these and other the sweep of Britain's imperial sway and pro­ was a minuscul1 elements. One of the many pe­ nounced himself satisfied that it should last into the chain of ouq culiarities of colonialism in a glorious and indefinite future: perial territories Gibraltar is that during a time Whether it be surveyed by its territorial extent, unparalleled rea1 when colonized peoples around by the numbers of its peoples, by the diversity indeed have see: the globe were attempting to of its climates, by the magnitude of its com­ ends of world r free themselves from colonial merce, by the liberty and loyalty of its "British Empire rule, the overwhelming major­ inhabitants, nothing that has ever been in the the time I was b ity of Gibraltarians insisted on past, nothing that appears possible in the fu­ feverishly being ] remaining loyal subjects of the ture, can in any way compare to it .... Our the world, and th British Crown. Our ambivalent chance is now. The occasion is ripe. The fruit has jocularly dub cultural and political location as is ready to our hand. We grasp it, and leave for from the perspec a people is the overarching sub­ tomorrow an Empire in the homogeneous ing to an untirr ject of the following essay. strength of which that of today shall pale and however, old emF some of us had t 6 up in one of the lc perium.

"British We Are,

Whilst few men 1 Into their bunks t1 Of the old homes

But with the risin: Bugles sound, du; The Empire calls ' -Leopold P. S; (The Calpean Son

n 1954, when the I Queen Elizabeth royal tour of the E ter with Union Jac decade later, two In the foreground, we see the gently rolling hills ofGibraltar's Spanish hinterland, El Campo de Gibraltar. In the middle ground, we see the Rock flanked by the Bay of Algeciras to the right, and by the Mediterranean Colony of Gibralta Sea to the left. In the background, we see the northern-most mountains of Morocco and the Strait which bemused members separates them from southwestern-most Europe. Its strategic and commanding location at the entrance to Committee on Dec the Mediterranean has bestowed upon the tiny territory ofGibraltar a historical prominence out of all colonized peoples proportion to its size. This crossroads has been the scene of much violence, from the invasion of the Iberian from the colonial F 11 Peninsula by Moors in 711 CE, through the Spanish sieges of the 18' century, to the German bombing much closer ties to "1 campaigns of World War II. In peacetime, the Straits constitute one of the busiest commercial waterways in the British governm the world. Colonial Relic

which, self-sustaining, self-supporting, shall termine whether Gibraltarians eclipse all the world and be Mistress of the uy, a British im­ wished to continue under Brit­ Land as well as, now, Mistress of the Sea. -Ioward Vincent ish rule or to pass under Spanish the preface to a Gibraltar, "the key of the Mediterranean," in sovereignty. 12,182 voted to re­ re series, scanned Sir Howard's grandiose evocation of British rule, main British whereas only 44 ,1 sway and pro­ was a minuscule yet strategically crucial link in votes were cast in favor of Spain. t should last into the chain of outposts by which the disparate im­ Thus, while 300 miles east of the perial territories were held together. Given the Rock Algerians were fighting a unparalleled reach of the Pax Britannica, it must bitter war of national liberation ~rritorial extent, indeed have seemed in 1900 as though the leg­ against the French, and while by the diversity 300 miles to the northwest anti­ ude of its com- ends of world maps would forever proclaim: colonial African nationalists loyalty of its "British Empire Coloured Red." However, by were serving time in Portuguese ever been in the the time I was born in 1965, Union Jacks were >ssible in the fu­ feverishly being lowered down flagpoles around prisons, in Gibraltar the Crown's >are to it .... Our the world, and the period which Salman Rushdie loyal civil servants went about their duties under the regal lS ripe. The fruit has jocularly dubbed "The Great Pink Age" was, 'it, and leave for from the perspective of imperial loyalists, com­ smile that beamed forth from ~ homogeneous ing to an untimely end. Like old dictators, Her Majesty's post-coronation ty shall pale and however, old empires take a long time to die and portraits. some of us had the curious fortune of growing My maternal grandfather, I up in one of the last redoubts of a moribund im­ Joseph Romero ("Pepe" to 7 perium. friends and family), was one I such civil servant. The eldest of "British We Are, British We Stay" five boys, my grandfather rose Whilst few men watch, thousands of others creep from post-World War I hardship Into their bunks to dream their dreams most dear to occupy a high office in the Of the old homes they must defend and keep. colony's government. For his lifelong service to the Empire, But with the rising sun dreams disappear my grandfather was awarded Bugles sound, duty calls. Away sweet sleep the Imperial Service Order (the The Empire calls and Victory day is near. I.S.O.), and he regarded the day -Leopold P. Sanguinetti, "Ashore in Gibraltar" on which that honor was be­ (The Calpean Sonnets, 1957) stowed upon him by the Governor of Gibraltar (acting on n 1954, when the young and recently-crowned the Queen's behalf) as the cul­ Queen Elizabeth II visited the Rock during her I mination of his distinguished royal tour of the Empire, the streets were aflut­ career. I remember how as a boy ter with Union Jacks and patriotic banners. A I would swell with anglophile decade later, two petitioners from the Crown pride whenever I saw the initials Campo de Gibraltar. In Colony of Gibraltar struggled to explain to the I.S.O. inscribed in bold text next d by the Mediterranean bemused members of the United Nations Special to my grandfather's name. Yet I · and the Strait which Committee on Decolonization that while other also remember how the moment ation at the entrance to colonized peoples might crave independence I entered the presence of any- ominencc out of all from the colonial power, Gibraltarians desired one from England, of whatever e invasion of the Iberian much closer ties to" the Mother Country." In 1967, class, age, gender, or status, I 1e Gerrnan bombing the British government held a referendum to de- commercial watenuays in would feel a peculiar unease descend upon me like a bad smell. David Alvarez

For despite our avowed and His Master's Voice vaunted Britishness, we knew but i have that no matter how hard we a dumb tongue tried we Gibraltarians could tongue dumb never quite be British enough. father tongue Hence, perhaps, our histrionic, and english is over-the-top displays of pro­ my mother tongue British fervor during the is Queen's visit in 1954, the Refer­ my father tongue is a foreign Ian Ian lang endum in 1967, and the language departure from our harbor of I/ anguish Prince Charles and Lady Di as anguish they set out on their honeymoon a foreign anguish in 1981. Hence, too, the simulta­ -M. Nourbese Philip (Tobago/Canada) neous deference and resentment with which many of us regarded o ponder my grandfather's elevated status British soldiers, settlers, and T in the colonial scheme of things was one mo­ expats on the Rock. After all, tive for pride. To have another high-ranking civil until as late as the 1960s, the servant of my grandfather's cohort announce to needs of the naval base were me "Young man, you have excellent diction" in 8 given priority to those of the ci­ his imported British accent was another. Because Group photograph of the Gibm vilian populace. Moreover, I was a good mimic, and perhaps because I intu­ the top, six places from the rigl British Armed Forces personnel itively understood at an early age that a posh mass appeal of two other sporl and their families lived apart "Yookay" accent could open doors that might oth­ from Gibraltarians, with their erwise remain politely shut, I began to shed the own schools, postoffices, places characteristic singsong lilt of much Gibraltarian In part, my sense of of worship, recreational ameni­ English. These days, I can "pass" as an English­ inadequacy had to do v ties, and even their own radio man if I so choose and I now inhabit the English my "mother" tongu station. Furthermore, in a tiny language with ease. However, during the period Andalusian Spanish. T territory where housing was of­ when I was learning to enunciate English words majority of post-1713 G ten cramped and substandard, in the manner of the broadcasters whom we lis­ since the early 19th centl the Governor and the Admiral tened to daily on the BBC' s World Service, I often as being culturally infer lived in stately mansions en­ felt as though I would never quite master the colonial administrators dowed with ample grounds, language. On the contrary, I felt as though it ain, but more insidiou: while most of the best land was would always master me and that I would al­ Gibraltarians themselvE in the hands of the Ministry of ways be in its thrall, forever bowing and scraping were often reprimandec Defence, whose menacing signs before it. The nagging sense that despite my best front of our teachers, { snarled "WARNING: M.O.D. efforts I would simply never gain full and confi­ used little or no English< PROPERTY: KEEP OUT." Little dent access to the language of our rulers was, I ish was not accorded o wonder then that a co-worker suspect, bound up with the knowledge that I commercial and goverr of mine who would never have would simply never be as good as them. For they education and informat doubted his Britishness should were so obviously better than us. Whiter. transmitted through thE risk his job by surreptitiously Blonder. Cleaner. More educated. More confi­ English, although that I hanging Her Majesty's portrait dent. More efficient. In sum, more civilized. upside down in the British often acquired a distin Officer's Mess whose supply of when in the 1980s, loc< liquor we were delivering. Colonial Relic

bago/Canada)

:1er' s elevated status f things was one ma­ ter high-ranking civil ' cohort announce to excellent diction" in was another. Because Group photograph of the Gibraltar cricket club, 1934. My grandfather, Pepe Romero, is in the second row from I ·rhaps because I intu­ the top, six places from the right and smiling. Although cricket is still played on the Rock, it never acquired the 9 mass appeal of two other sports that Britain expo rted to its colonies, soccer and Aeld hockey. arly age that a posh _doors that might oth­ :, I began to shed the of much Gibraltarian In part, my sense of linguistic and existential decided to broadcast a handful 'pass" as an English­ inadequacy had to do with the peculiar status of of advertisements and pro­ w inhabit the English my "mother" tongue, a local version of grams in the language that most rer, during the period Andalusian Spanish. That language, which the of us dreamt in, joked in, and mciate English words majority of post-1713 Gibraltarians have spoken spoke daily, the newspapers .casters whom we lis­ since the early 19th century, was widely regarded were flooded with outraged World Service, I often as being culturally inferior to English, not just by missives denouncing this base ·ver quite master the colonial administrators and teachers from Brit­ betrayal of our Englishness. y, I felt as though it ain, but more insidiously by Spanish-speaking and that I would al­ Gibraltarians themselves. As schoolchildren, we Growing Up Ambivalent . bowing and scraping were often reprimanded for speaking Spanish in Under the Union Jack e that despite my best front of our teachers, even though some of us w earing allegiance to a dis­ er gain full and confi­ used little or no English at home. Moreover, Span­ tant colonial power while liv­ ;e of our rulers was, I S ish was not accorded official status. All written ing in the shadow of a hostile :he knowledge that I commercial and governmental business, all our neighboring one, after World good as them. For they education and information, were transacted and War II Gibraltarians developed er than us. Whiter. transmitted through the medium of the Queen's an identity that was at once com­ ducated. More confi­ English, although that English, like our Spanish, bative and insecure. I remember m, more civilized. often acquired a distinctly local flavor. In fact, how a relative of mine would when in the 1980s, local radio and TV stations sometimes remark that she David Alvarez

wished we could be a definite people: "Spanish, English, Italian, something!" while British visitors to the Rock would often impatiently ask " Well, what are you, English or Spanish?" Part of our definitional predicament is that we have lived for a long time at the intersection of two com­ peting narratives: that of Spanish irredentist diplomacy on the one hand, and that of British colonialism on the other. In neither narrative did we figure prominently as speaking subjects in our own right. Rather, we were mostly consigned to the margins of diplomatic discourse, our actual presence as people almost an afterthought. In­ deed, Spanish diplomats testifying before the United Nations went so far as to say that the real Gibraltarians were the descendents of the Span­ most Gibraltarians could iards who fled the Rock after its capture by the a Mother Country beyor British. Furthermore, they insisted, the Rock's ing from diverse places ; current residents were nothing other than "an on a fortress-colony, b: artificial population," brought into being by the had developed into a r British to service the naval base and lacking the community whose even minimum criteria of peoplehood. (In the propa­ Hispano-Mediterran~ ganda of the Francoist press, we were depicted Britishness. (In the secc in more colorful terms than staid diplomats could tury, two more groups permit themselves, as "smugglers," "pirates," and gene pool: Indians from "troglodytes.") is today Pakistan, and :rv Who are the Gibraltarians? A touch improb­ other side of the Straits. ably for a community inhabiting such a small A solitary Gibraltar Ape gazes at the space, the people of Gibraltar are descended from Spanish Irredentism, 1 sunset while perching on a telescope in a rich mixed salad of immigrant genes: Italian, Gibraltarian Exception; the Upper Rock. Thi s contemplati ue fe llow belongs to one of the two last Spanish, Sephardic-Jewish, Maltese, Portuguese, n the middle of the 20 suruiuing packs ofw ild apes in Europe. English, Scottish, and Irish, among many others. I interlocking factors VI both of which liue in Gibraltar. The (The surnames in my own extended family at­ Gibraltarians' growing 1 macaq ue apes are one of many test to this polyglot medley: Alvarez, Romero, selves as British. First, tt immigrant groups from the Olivero, Caetano, Chiarvetto, Ballantine, Vinet.) Civil War astutely dete Mediterranean basin who ha ue made the Unlike other colonized peoples who can look back occupation of Gibraltar VI Rock their home. It is thought that to pre-colonial precursors in their efforts to nur­ which most Spaniards, , Gibraltar's apes were imported by North ture a sense of their distinctiv eness, the allegiances, could rally. Africa ns in the wake of the Moorish Gibraltarians carne into being after the original which successive regime conquest of Iberia. That inuasion was led Spanish population had fled in its entirety. So the Rock that in the 1960. by Tarik, after whom Gibraltar is named, unlike the Irish, for instance, Gibraltarians can­ ister was facetiously refE and by Musa, from whom the Moroccan not resurrect a past in which their ancestors spoke of the Foreign Affair.) Se mountain that we see in the di stance another language and administered their own population of Gibraltar takes its name. Djabal Musa and Djabal laws. Moreover, unlike European settlers in Af­ World War II. Most of th1 Tarik are the Pillars of Hercules ofG reek rica or Australasia, white New Zealanders, say, in various parts of Britai legend. Colonial Relic

'inite people: "Spanish, A deAant slogan that records the pro­ !" while British visitors British fervor of the 1967 Referendum. In impatiently ask " Well, that year; Union jacks and slogans such Spanish?" Part of our as "British we are, British we stay" were is that we have lived daubed on walls all over town. Many of ersection of two com­ them remain as reminders ofGibraltar's >f Spanish irredentist historic loyalty to Britain. These days, nd, and that of British however; many such wall markings are :n neither narrative did beginning to fade and are not being restored. One of the most striking Union :peaking subjects in our jack murals on the Rock was painted by a re mostly consigned to great-uncle of mine, a decorated World c discourse, our actual War II veteran who saw action with the st an afterthought. In­ British Army in Egypt and Burma. When :; testifying before the I asked him why he had allowed the rr as to say that the real most Gibraltarians could not readily identify with mural to fade, he replied with a resigned ·scendents of the Span­ a Mother Country beyond the seas. Instead, com­ air that people no longer cared for such after its capture by the ing from diverse places and living cheek-by-jowl symbols ofour Britishness. ~y insisted, the Rock's on a fortress-colony, by the 20th century they Lothing other than "an had developed into a relatively homogeneous mght into being by the community whose everyday culture was largely al base and lacking the Hispano-Mediterranean with a coating of plehood. (In the propa­ III Britishness. (In the second half of the 20th cen­ ress, we were depicted tury, two more groups diversified Gibraltar's ill staid diplomats could gene pool: Indians from the Sind region of what Lugglers," "pirates," and is today Pakistan, and Moroccan Arabs from the other side of the Straits.) ~ians? A touch improb­ nhabiting such a small Spanish Irredentism, British Colonialism, tltar are descended from unigrant genes: Italian, Gibraltarian Exceptionalism :h, Maltese, Portuguese, n the middle of the 20th century, a number of ;h, among many others. I interlocking factors would contribute to the Nn extended family at­ Gibraltarians' growing understanding of them­ dley: Alvarez, Romero, selves as British. First, the victors in the Spanish retto, Ballantine, Vinet.) Civil War astutely determined that the British !oples who can look back occupation of Gibraltar was the sole issue around ·s in their efforts to nur­ which most Spaniards, whatever their political . distinctiveness, the allegiances, could rally. (Such was the energy being after the original which successive regimes devoted to reclaiming l fled in its entirety. So the Rock that in the 1960s Franco's Foreign Min­ ance, Gibraltarians can­ ister was facetiously referred to as the Minister Lich their ancestors spoke of the Foreign Affair.) Second, the entire civilian :tdministered their own population of Gibraltar was evacuated during European settlers in Af­ World War II. Most of the evacuees were housed te New Zealanders, say, in various parts of Britain, where they acquired David Alvarez

a heightened awareness of both Special Committee on Decolonization that their collective identity and of Gibraltarians deserved to choose the manner in their British nationality. Third, which they should be de-colonized and that it after World War II, the Colonial was appropriate for them to seek a closer asso­ Office developed Gibraltar's ciation with the colonial power, rather than with physical and social infrastructure the hostile neighbor to the north. In the end, and began to respond to civil­ Spain's argument that its territorial integrity con­ ian demands for greater tinued to be violated by an imperial usurper won self-representation in govern­ out over the British claim that the Gibraltarians ment. While their Spanish should freely determine their post-colonial dis­ neighbors lived under a dicta­ pensation within the parameters established by torship in one of the poorest the Treaty of Utrecht. (According to the Treaty, regions of a developing country, if Britain were ever to relinquish its sovereignty by the 1960s Gibraltarians were over the Rock, Spain would be entitled to have it buoyed by a modestly prosper­ back.) ous economy and by a measure Having won the day at the United Nations, of democratic self-rule. Further­ Spain began to mount increasingly severe restric­ more, by the time I was born in tions on the passage of people and goods at the 1965, young Gibraltarians were border with Gibraltar, always justifying its ac­ not only acqmrmg an tions by claiming strict adherence to the letter of Anglocentric education on the the three-centuries-old Treaty. In 1964, ten years Rock, many were availing them­ after the Queen's visit to the Rock, the border selves of Government-funded was closed to all traffic except that of the several dication of just how suffc opportunities to study in Britain thousand Spaniards whose livelihood depended became was a series of Sl itself. on their jobs in Gibraltar. In 1969, the year when men and women hurled tr Gibraltar's post-World War the British government granted the Gibraltarians of tall apartment building II anglicization coincided with a constitution that gave them greater autonomy of the Rock itself. A less s1 the entrenchment in Spain of than ever before, Franco's regime took umbrage fering was the splitting of General Francisco Franco's dic­ at what it considered to be Britain's calculated straddled the frontier anc tatorial regime, whose laws and rebuff to its interests. While some Gibraltarians vided overnight. Not sat security forces proscribed and began to nurture dreams of political integration separating two communit quashed any manifestation of with faraway Britain, the large iron gates on the tiple ties of marriage, Ian: regionalism among Basques, Spanish side of the land frontier clanged resound­ everyday culture, the Spc: Catalans, and Galicians. Unwill­ ingly shut. ered all direct transpo ing to grant the Gibraltarians telecommunications links their idiosyncratic identity, The Border/La Frontera Spain. Franco's governments portrayed hough it was intended to undermine the Traveling to Spain dm them as a counterfeit people, T colony's economy, the closure of the border years meant undertaking existing merely to support an had an opposite effect. Spanish workers on the down to the Moroccan At imperial base and living off the Rock were replaced by Moroccans and the Brit­ and then journeying bacl fruits and labor of the hinterland ish government continued to subsidize the Spanish ferry to the port in parasitical fashion. Much as territory's development. While the economy re­ five miles across the bay f they tried, Gibraltar's represen­ mained afloat, however, the Rock became a those years, Gibraltarians , tatives at the United Nations in claustrophobic place to live, with large families relatives in neighboring tov the 1960s failed to persuade the often having to share small apartments. One in- on slow mail or faulty ph third country. On Sundays, Colonial Relic

Decolonization that

1 choose the manner in ~-colonized and that it 1 to seek a closer asso­ )ower, rather than with the north. In the end, territorial integrity con­ n imperial usurper won a that the Gibraltarians their post-colonial dis­ ·ameters established by .ccording to the Treaty, linquish its sovereignty 1ld be entitled to have it at the United Nations, :reasingly severe restric­ )eople and goods at the uways justifying its ac­ dherence to the letter of 'reaty. In 1964, ten years to the Rock, the border I I 3 :xcept that of the several dication of just how suffocating the atmosphere Th e oldest part of the city of Gibraltar. )Se livelihood depended became was a series of suicides in which young Th e tenement buildings in the background ·.In 1969, the year when men and women hurled themselves from the tops stand on the fo undations of the fi rst town ;ranted the Gibraltarians of tall apartment buildings and from the heights to be built on the Rock, Medinath Al them greater autonomy of the Rock itself. A less spectacular index of suf­ Fath (Arabic fo r "City ofFaith "J. Th e red­ ,' s regime took umbrage fering was the splitting of extended families that tiled roofs and the wooden shutters are reminiscent ofGe noa and the Ligu rian J be Britain's calculated straddled the frontier and found themselves di­ lhile some Gibraltarians vided overnight. Not satisfied with physically coast of northern Italy. Most Gibraltarians are partly descended from ts of political integration separating two communities connected by mul­ Genoese immigrants, who began to settle e large iron gates on the tiple ties of marriage, language, commerce, and 11 on the Rock in the I 8' centu11j, and who :rontier clanged resound- everyday culture, the Spanish government sev­ ered all direct transportation, postal, and by the begi nning of the r 9"' centu1lj formed the largest ethnic group in the telecommunications links between Gibraltar and colony. Th e layout of the streets and Spain. a houses in this area has remained la rgely Traveling to Spain during the closed-border rrded to undermine the unchanged since the r zth centu1lj CE, the closure of the border years meant undertaking a 30-mile trip by ship when Medinath Al Fath was built. In the Spanish workers on the down to the Moroccan Atlantic port of Tangiers foreground, we see a section ofGibraltar' s Moroccans and the Brit­ and then journeying back along the Straits by redoubtable city walls, built by the British 11 inued to subsidize the Spanish ferry to the port of Algeciras, located in the 1 8' centu1lj on the foundati ons of :. While the economy re­ five miles across the bay from Gibraltar. During Moori sh and Spanish fortifi cations. The rer, the Rock became a those years, Gibraltarians wishing to talk to their photograph also gives some idea ofhow relatives in neighboring towns would have to rely 1 live, with large families constricted Gibraltar has felt to its mall apartments. One in- on slow mail or faulty phone connections via a inhabitants. third country. On Sundays, my family's usual pas- David Alvarez

time (we were hardly alone in Gibraltar that differed little in tone from that of nationhood. One invenl this) was to go for a car-drive Franco's regime. lar, Gibraltar Nationc around and around the Rock, The border was partially reopened in 1982, fostering the elaboratioJ and up, and down, and around and fully reopened in 1985, when Spain was tural identity. On that d again, listening to tapes of Julio obliged to do so as a result of its accession to the dress up in the red and Iglesias's songs all the while. An European Economic Community. (To this day, tional flag" and n obligatory stop on our circuit crossing the border can be a frustrating affair, as similarly-colored balloOJ would be the border, or "la Madrid often instructs its officials to go about Nationalistic speeches v. frontera" as we called it in Span­ their business at a deliberately slow pace.) We tiona! rights ringingly a ish. Along the one-mile fence Gibraltarians lived with a closed border for two "identity" intoned like c; that marked the boundary be­ decades, during which time the widespread sense has since transmogrifie tween Gibraltar and Spain there of loyalty towards Britain that already existed While loyalty to Britain lay a barren strip of No Man's on the Rock deepened considerably. Correspond­ ment on the Rock, Unior Land across which Gibraltarians ingly, attitudes towards Spain hardened. The fact much in evidence as the and Spaniards would shout mes­ that post-Franco regimes should pursue antago­ border was closed. Indet sages to one another, frequently nistic policies towards Gibraltar helped to bury rals and slogans that ado struggling to make themselves the already unpopular cause of seeking an accom­ (one of the most striking heard over the roar of British jet modation with a Spanish government. by a great-uncle of mine) fighters that took off from the are no longer being restc RAF base at the foot of the Rock. "The Town That Thinks Itself a City That The invention of nal Perhaps the most deleterious Thinks Itself a Country" Gibraltar was actively pr effect of the closed border on the new factor entered Gibraltarian politics in versial administration of collective life of the A the 1980s, the growing perception that Brit­ the Gibraltar Socialist L Gibraltarians was the increas­ ain itself wanted a settlement to "the problem of wave of anti-Spanish sent ingly brittle and embattled tone Gibraltar" that would satisfy Spain. As Spain was came to power in the 198E it lent to their sense of political brought back into the fold of Common Market platform of no concession and cultural identity. Through­ and NATO Europe, its ties with Britain grew much party had its finger on tht out the 18th century, the Rock's stronger. Though no British official openly said felt itself beleaguered by S inhabitants had to endure four­ as much, Gibraltarians began to suspect that For­ the GSLP also contributec teen sieges by Spanish forces eign Office mandarins sought to allow Spain to of beleaguerment by ins and their allies. Despite the absorb Gibraltar through a slow but ineluctable wanted to nudge Gibralta vastly different circumstances of process of "osmosis." Meanwhile, British Armed accommodation with Sp the 1970s, Gibraltarians began to Forces personnel on the Rock began returning matter of territorial soverE refer to their enforced isolation home and Spanish politicians continued acting as before, "Spain-baiting" bE from the Rock's natural hinter­ though hard-line rhetoric and obvious attempts ture of Gibraltarian life bo land as "the Fifteenth Siege." to hamper Gibraltar's development would even­ and in the private. The siege mentality that tually force the Gibraltarians to accept Spanish To be accused of bein~ emerged during the first few sovereignty once and for all. Instead, ever, had long been a po years of the border's closure was Gibraltarians became increasingly opposed to any made the GSLP' s practice o to be reinforced after Franco's negotiations with Spain. (For a Gibraltarian poli­ with the brush of hispano death when it became apparent tician to advocate a diplomatic settlement with that it was done not in th that the democratically-elected Spain is currently tantamount to political suicide.) putative Britishness, but Spanish governments of the late Moreover, from the late 1980s through the termed "self-determi1 1970s and 1980s were intent on mid-1990s, a nationalistic government initiated a Gibraltarians. Behind the pursuing a policy towards campaign to cultivate the symbolic trappings of mination lay the tacit claim Colonial Relic

ttle in tone from that of nationhood. One invented tradition in particu­ lar, Gibraltar National Day, was crucial in ially reopened in 1982, fostering the elaboration of a new politico-cul­ 1985, when Spain was tural identity. On that day, Gibraltarians would ~lt of its accession to the dress up in the red and white colors of the "na­ mmunity. (To this day, tional flag" and release thousands of be a frustrating affair, as similarly-colored balloons into the atmosphere. its officials to go about Nationalistic speeches would be made, our na­ )erately slow pace.) We tional rights ringingly affirmed, and the word a closed border for two "identity" intoned like a mantra. National Day me the widespread sense has since transmogrified into National Week. :~.in that already existed While loyalty to Britain remains a potent senti­ 1nsiderably. Correspond­ ment on the Rock, Union Jacks are no longer as Spain hardened. The fact much in evidence as they used to be when the s should pursue antago­ border was closed. Indeed, the pro-British mu­ :;ibraltar helped to bury rals and slogans that adorned walls across town mse of seeking an accom­ (one of the most striking of which was painted h government. by a great-uncle of mine) are slowly fading and are no longer being restored. ~ Itself a City That The invention of nationalist traditions in y" Gibraltar was actively promoted by the contro­ I 1 5 d Gibraltarian politics in versial administration of Joe Bossano, leader of ving perception that Brit­ the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party. Riding a wave of anti-Spanish sentiment, Bossano' s party ~ment to "the problem of ttisfy Spain. As Spain was came to power in the 1988 elections, largely on a fold of Common Market platform of no concessions to Spain. Clearly the es with Britain grew much party had its finger on the pulse of a public that ritish official openly said felt itself beleaguered by Spanish diplomacy. But Jegan to suspect that For­ the GSLP also contributed to the growing sense sought to allow Spain to of beleaguerment by insinuating that Britain ;h a slow but ineluctable wanted to nudge Gibraltarians into reaching an 1eanwhile, British Armed accommodation with Spain over the emotive 1e Rock began returning matter of territorial sovereignty. More than ever icians continued acting as before, "Spain-baiting" became an integral fea­ ric and obvious attempts ture of Gibraltarian life both in the public arena levelopment would even­ and in the private. tarians to accept Spanish To be accused of being soft on Spain, how­ md for all. Instead, ever, had long been a political liability. What creasingly opposed to any made the GSLP' s practice of tarring its opponents with the brush of hispanophilia distinctive was 1. (For a Gibraltarian poli­ plomatic settlement with that it was done not in the name of Gibraltar's nount to political suicide.) putative Britishness, but in pursuit of what it e late 1980s through the termed "self-determination" for the tic government initiated a Gibraltarians. Behind the banner of self-deter­ the symbolic trappings of mination lay the tacit claim that Gibraltar should David Alvarez

be for the Gibraltarians. (One whose rate of unemployment far exceeds the letter writer to The Gibraltar national average. In La Atunara, local youth Chronicle hinted that if Britain would squirrel away the contraband into the were to lay obstacles in the path warren of houses along the beachfront. From of Gibraltar's self-determina­ there, the cigarettes would later find their way tion, Gibraltarians might have to into the hands of discerning Spanish smokers who emulate the anti-British armed were willing to pay extra pesetas for a chance to resistance of the Mau Maul) It savor "el genuino sabor americana" instead of the was not a big step from there to inferior weed grown in the Canary Islands and the suggestion that Gibraltar sold in Spain under government monopoly in the ought to be an independent guise of Virginia tobacco. mini-state, a political solution os­ Historically, smuggling had largely been the tensibly precluded by the terms province of the poor on both sides of the border of the Treaty of Utrecht. (When and of a few well-known Gibraltarian families. Gibraltarians point out that their In the 1990s, however, fast-launch contraband future should not be held hos­ activity cut across all sectors and classes of tage to a piece of parchment Gibraltarian society. It involved, among others, signed in 1713, Spanish politi­ respectable merchants who made enormous prof­ cians retort that it is because of its from importing container-loads of cigarettes, that parchment that the salaried middle-class professionals seeking to Gibraltarians are British.) make some extra income, and working class youth (the "Winston Boys"), for whom smug­ troubled by the culture o Of Launches and Llanitos gling promised daily injections of thrills and couraged at home. Since i he apogee of nationalist fer­ riches. At the peak of the trade, the pace at which trade could not last forev T vor under the GSLP govern­ heaps of ill-gotten cash were generated was only cern that numerous unski ment coincided, in not entirely matched by the velocity of the launches. Not only find themselves jobles: fortuitous ways, with the most did" el contrabando" make many individuals and Gibraltarians were alarmE flagrant bout of sustained smug­ families extremely wealthy, it also significantly eral young smugglers, son gling from Gibraltar into Spain boosted tax revenues for the local Exchequer. in high-speed chases w] in the Rock's history. While Furthermore, many saw in the fast-launch activ­ Guard. Another source of Gibraltar is heir to a venerable ity a means of retaliating against Spain for its gling was not limited tradition of contraband activity continued harassment of the Gibraltarians. For included illegal narcotics ; (as the Treaty of Utrecht's stipu­ its part, while officially decrying the smuggling, the largest mass demonstr lations against such practices the Spanish government did little to stop it. In­ Rock, thousands marched attest), smuggling had always stead, it availed itself of the opportunity to cast long commercial thorot been carried out on a relatively Gibraltar as a den of piracy whose very raison calling for an end to the small scale. Beginning in the late d'etre was the infringement of Spain's territorial last to curtail a practice to 1980s, however, numerous fast integrity and the violation of its laws. All over blind eye (and, it was wid launches laden with bales of Win­ Europe, television viewers were treated to Span­ tacitly supported), the GSl ston cigarettes would daily ish documentaries and news reports on. the pounded all fast laur depart from Gibraltar's port, endless stream of contraband issuing forth from clampdown on the trade t race around the Rock, and illic­ the Rock. spasm of street violence s itly unload their cargo on the Eventually, many Gibraltarians turned against 1968, when a rampaging 1 beaches of La Atunara, a fishing fast-launch smuggling, embarrassed by the way and stoned the house of a village close to the border it tarnished Gibraltar's image abroad, and yer who had advocated a with Spain. This time, carE Colonial Relic

yment far exceeds the Atunara, local youth te contraband into the ; the beachfront. From tld later find their way 1g Spanish smokers who 1 pesetas for a chance to rnericano " instead of the the Canary Islands and mment monopoly in the

). 1g had largely been the both sides of the border ·n Gibraltarian families. fast-launch contraband sectors and classes of nvolved, among others, ho made enormous prof­ liner-loads of cigarettes, 'rofessionals seeking to me, and working class troubled by the culture of brazenness that it en­ The Bay of Algeciras, called the Bay of I I 7 oys"), for whom smug­ couraged at home. Since it was apparent that the Gibraltar by Gibraltarian nationalists. njections of thrills and Across the bay from the Rock is the port trade could not last forever, there was also con­ ! trade, the pace at which of Algeciras, the second largest in Spain. Nere generated was only cern that numerous unskilled young men would In the foregrou nd, we see Gibraltar and La find themselves jobless. In addition, many of the launches. Not only Linea, separated by a border that runs Gibraltarians were alarmed by the deaths of sev­ from the crooked jetty on the right-hand tke many individuals and side of the picture to the long strip of lthy, it also significantly eral young smugglers, some of whom were killed in high-speed chases with the Spanish Coast Mediterranean beach in the foreground. :or the local Exchequer. While Gibraltar's hinterland has ' in the fast-launch activ­ Guard. Another source of artXiety was that smug­ undergone enormous economic ng against Spain for its gling was not limited to tobacco but often development in the past thirty years, of the Gibraltarians. For included illegal narcotics as well. Thus, at one of pockets ofpoverty remain across the the largest mass demonstrations ever held on the Campo de Gibraltar. The Campo's decrying the smuggling, Rock, thousands marched down Gibraltar's mile­ poverty, Gibraltar's wealth, and the tt did little to stop it. In­ Spanish gove rnment's monopoly over the long commercial thoroughfare, Main Street, £ the opportunity to cast sa le of tobacco together created an calling for an end to the contraband. Forced at >iracy whose very raison excellent opportunity for contraband. At nent of Spain's territorial last to curtail a practice to which it had turned a the harbor pictured here, Gibraltarian sm ugglers would legally load up their fast tion of its laws. All over blind eye (and, it was widely rumored, had even tacitly supported), the GSLP Administration im­ launches with bales ofWinston cigarettes. ers were treated to Span­ From the port they would zip around the pounded all fast launches. This belated td news reports on. the Rock and illi citly unload their cargo on aband issuing forth from clampdown on the trade triggered off the worst the beaches of La Linea just beyond the spasm of street violence seen on the Rock since soccer stadium seen in the bottom right 1968, when a rampaging mob torched the yacht hand co mer of the photograph At its braltarians turned against height in the early 1990s, the tobacco embarrassed by the way and stoned the house of a prominent local law­ yer who had advocated a negotiated settlement trade employed hundreds of young tr' s image abroad, and Gibraltarians and Spaniards and with Spain. This time, cars were overturned, po- generated millions ofBritish pounds. David Alvarez

tinctive features of thE Spanish that is spoken peppered with AngliciE merous borrowings fron major immigrant com: When I was growing up understanding that yam quirky splicing of two di of whose "standard" va with full assurance. In tionalistic Gibraltarians ' august status of a separc speech of the Gibraltari the notion that yanito Wi was perhaps only held b idea that we were not ju deseroing ofnational rights . during that decade. In part, this novel ser tionhood resulted in collective self-affirmatior one hand, it seemed to Gibraltarians cheering a speaker on licemen attacked, and shop windows smashed unnatural over-emphasiE Gibraltar National Day, I995· Decked out as angry smugglers tore up Main Street yelling the other hand, it engenc in the red and white colo rs ofGibralta r's curses as they went. ("Day of Infamy," declared degree of interest in the l flag, and wearing tee·shirts which read The Gibraltar Chronicle on its front page.) and fauna, its cuisine, its< "Support Gibraltar Nati onal Day," the its political and social pa: large and patriotic crowd was treated to Yanito I I o%! found expression in an ( speech after speech extolling the he high-water mark of the fast-launch trade focused memoirs, hist< singularity of"the Gibraltarian nation." coincided with the recrudescence of a par­ journalistic essays, and tE Unbeknownst to most Gibraltarians, our T ticularly crude anti-Spanish sentiment that was grams. Moreover, as Gib1 national coat-ofarms, the castle and key often accompanied by a rhetorically overblown to the outside world, m whi ch appear to the right of the slogan on pride in our distinctiveness, perhaps best ex­ the banner; was granted to the Spanish eled to a greater variet pressed by a popular bumper-sticker slogan that garrison town ofGibraltar by that most before. In their homes, C read: "GSLP: Yanito 110%!" "Yanito" (sometimes Castilian of monarchs, Isabela I. learn about the world frc spelled "llanito"), possibly a diminutive of the ish, Spanish and other E Italian "Giovanni," a common name among They were also as interr Genoese immigrants to Gibraltar, is the colloquial prosperous community in term by which our Spanish neighbors often refer der also meant that larg to us, sometimes in a derogatory tone. It is also visited the Rock every da; the word which we Gibraltarians use, fondly and eral million visitors wer sometimes self-deprecatingly, to refer both to annually. While many ourselves and to our local speech, which is char­ Gibraltar solely to stock 1 acterized by a rapid switching back and forth others visited the Rock tc between Spanish and English. (One of the dis- caves, the colonial and N Colonial Relic

tinctive features of the Andalusian variant of ture, the military installations, Spanish that is spoken in Gibraltar is that it is the famous apes, and the spec­ peppered with Anglicisms, as well as with nu­ tacular heights of the Upper merous borrowings from the languages of all the Rock, from which one can gaze major immigrant communities on the Rock.) at the southernmost sierras of When I was growing up, there was a widespread Spain to the north and to the understanding that yanito was little more than a west and at the Rif Mountains quirky splicing of two distinct languages, neither of Morocco to the south.

of whose II standard" variants many of us spoke In many ways, the isolated with full assurance. In the 1990s, however, na­ and parochial garrison-colony in tionalistic Gibraltarians often raised yanito to the which I grew up is no more. In august status of a separate language, the urrique political terms, however, a sti­ speech of the Gibraltarian people. Admittedly, fling air of absurdity still

the notion that yanito was our national language surrounds the II question of was perhaps only held by a few. By contrast, the Gibraltar" as surely as the large idea that we were not just a people, but a nation Levanter cloud hovers above the deserving ofnational rights, became widely accepted Rock rendering life on the during that decade. streets below sweltering and In part, this novel sense of our emergent na­ uncomfortable. At a time when tionhood resulted in a healthy process of borders are coming down all collective self-affirmation and discovery. On the I over Europe, it seems stub- 1 g one hand, it seemed to lead us away from an bornly outmoded for Spanish shop windows smashed unnatural over-emphasis on our Britishness. On governments to insist that e up Main Street yelling the other hand, it engendered an unprecedented Gibraltar violates the sanctity of )ay of Infamy," declared degree of interest in the Rock's geology, its flora Spain's territorial integrity. It m its front page.) and fauna, its cuisine, its art and architecture, and seems equally odd, however, for its political and social past. Much of this interest a community of about 25,000 found expression in an efflorescence of locally­ souls inhabiting a territory no ~ of the fast-launch trade focused memoirs, history books, paintings, larger than two and a half square recrudescence of a par­ journalistic essays, and television and radio pro­ miles (the actual inhabitable area mish sentiment that was grams. Moreover, as Gibraltar began to open up is about half that size) to imag- a rhetorically overblown to the outside world, more Gibraltarians trav­ ine itself as a nation and to insist eness, perhaps best ex­ eled to a greater variety of places than ever upon its national rights. Commu­ Imper-sticker slogan that before. In their homes, Gibraltarians could also rrities that define themselves as %!" 11Yanito" (sometimes learn about the world from any number of Brit­ nations need sovereignty over ibly a diminutive of the ish, Spanish and other European TV channels. their own territories. But common name among They were also as internet-savvy as any other Gibraltarian nationalism is in­ :;ibraltar, is the colloquial prosperous community in the West. An open bor­ compatible with Spanish rish neighbors often refer der also meant that large numbers of tourists irredentism, so matters remain erogatory tone. It is also visited the Rock every day. By the late 1990s sev­ at a diplomatic standstill, with ~altarians use, fondly and eral million visitors were crossing the border most Gibraltarians advocating atingly, to refer both to annually. While many day-trippers came to either free association with Brit- :al speech, which is char­ Gibraltar solely to stock up on duty-free goods, ain or a seemingly unachievable Nitching back and forth others visited the Rock to admire the limestone state of independence. In the ~nglish. (One of the dis- caves, the colonial and Mediterranean architec- meantime, Spain exerts its dip- David Alvarez

lomatic clout to have Gibraltar The long years of living with a closed border Beyond the Border excluded from various European not only gave our collective expressions of iden­ hile it is understand treaties that would benefit its tity an embattled and restricted feel, but they the border continue economy while the British gov­ W continued to cast an obscuring shadow upon our our relations with our ne1 ernment contrives to remain views of Spain and of Spaniards. One of the most ous problem in my view aloof from the fray. unfortunate consequences of Gibraltar's enforced hem in our thinking abl isolation from Spain by Franco's regime was that dogged insistence that ou Vecinos-Extranjeros!foreign it deprived many young Gibraltarians of a com­ fected in a manner that rigc Neighbors plex view of that country. While most of us grew we are allowing many exc hen I returned to the Rock up watching Spanish TV and listening to Spanish political advancement and W in 1998 after an absence of radio, and while support for certain Spanish soc­ nition to pass us by. For six years, the newfound interest cer clubs (including Real Madrid!) never died out geo-political realities of ou in all aspects of our history and on the Rock, we were largely ignorant of the elude the political future t cultural personality seemed to ways Spaniards actually lived. Moreover, we longer all) Gibraltarians :r me for the most part to be a tended to confuse the official postures of Span­ wish to see in their lifeti1 healthy and refreshing phenom­ ish governments with the views of individual sonable or unjust its claims enon. By contrast, the Spaniards themselves, despite the rich diversity desisted in its attempts tor' intransigence with which our of opinions among the citizens of Spain over the Britain's interests ultimate politicians continued to advocate question of Gibraltar, even at the height of matic relations with a ke' Francoism. a policy of no negotiation with and military ally, as well ~ Spain, even to the point of not In 1988, while spending a semester studying one its few remaining ove attending talks over Gibraltar in Madrid (in pursuit of a degree in Spanish from At the supranational lev between the British and Spanish a British university!), I was genuinely surprised annually keeps enjoining tl governments, struck me as to discover that with the exception of the scions il United Kingdom and of S counter-productive and self-de­ of conservative families, young madrileiios I spoke I sures that will lead to ti feating. Of course, it was with or befriended seemed to care little about Gibraltar. In their diffe1 dispiriting to note that the policy Gibraltar's current politics or its future destiny. Bossano, the gruffly comba of the Spanish government to­ (As one student put it to me; "If you people want Peter Caruana, the smooth wards the Gibraltarians the Rock, you can keep it.") I was also impressed GSD (and current Chief Mi continued to be ploddingly un­ by how welcoming young Spaniards were (even pleaded Gibraltar's cast: imaginative and curmudgeonly conservative ones) towards a Gibraltarian who Nation's Committee on D centralist. Nonetheless, given was telling them, politely but firmly, that he Bossano and Caruana have the psychologically taxing nature would rather the Rock remain British. However, ings, neither has been succ of diplomatic gridlock over the there was one issue that did provoke consterna­ United Nations to champio1 Rock, and given too the excel­ tion among my Spanish interlocutors: the meled self-determination lent opportunities for economic virulence of anti-Spanish sentiment on the Rock people over Spain's right tc and social development that While relations between Gibraltarians and their sovereignty. It will b were passing us by, it seemed neighbors have improved steadily since the bor­ Gibraltarians can achieve a to me that we could hardly af­ der reopened, the scorn which my Spanish friends aegis of the European Unio ford to be uncreative and balked at hasn't entirely died out. Moreover, my sible for us to seek redress dogmatic in our dealings with sense is that many of my fellow Gibraltarians still that entity for grievances Madrid, no matter how compla­ regard Spain with a kind of willed ignorance, anomalous political status, , cent and unyielding Madrid choosing to know little about its history, its lit­ Britain and Spain carry mu might be in its posture towards erature, its regions, its forms of government, its us. problems, and its promise. Colonial Relic

ng with a closed border Beyond the Border Europe than we could ever hope :ive expressions of iden­ hile it is understandable if unfortunate that to, no matter how elevated the ·estricted feel, but they W the border continues to cast a shadow over moral ground on which we :uring shadow upon our our relations with our neighbors, the more seri­ stand. aniards. One of the most ous problem in my view is that it continues to At this juncture, it seems to ~s of Gibraltar's enforced hem in our thinking about ourselves. In our me that with regard to our po­ ~ranco' s regime was that dogged insistence that our decolonization beef­ litical future we Gibraltarians ; Gibraltarians of a com­ fected in a manner that rigorously excludes Spain, have two broad options before r. While most of us grew we are allowing many exciting opportunities for us: (1) we prolong the gridlock and listening to Spanish political advancement and for creative self-redefi­ by continuing to insist ad nau­ : for certain Spanish soc­ nition to pass us by. For it is apparent that the seam that no negotiation is Madrid!) never died out geo-political realities of our situation simply pre­ possible with the hostile nation largely ignorant of the clude the political future that most (although no to the north, grumbling all the .y lived. Moreover, we longer all) Gibraltarians publicly proclaim they while at Spanish obstructionism fficial postures of Span­ wish to see in their lifetimes. However unrea­ and British perfidy; (2) we ne­ he views of individual sonable or unjust its claims may be, Spain has not gotiate a settlement with Britain espite the rich diversity desisted in its attempts to recover the Rock, while and Spain that will safeguard our itizens of Spain over the Britain's interests ultimately lie in easing diplo­ institutions and our peculiarity even at the height of matic relations with a key commercial partner as a people on the one hand, and and military ally, as well as in divesting itself of satisfy the diplomatic needs of

[ng a semester studying these two nations on the other. 1 one its few remaining overseas territories. 21 1 degree in Spanish from At the supranational level, the United Nations Publicly, most Gibraltarians will vas genuinely surprised annually keeps enjoining the governments of the insist that no accommodation is ~ exception of the scions United Kingdom and of Spain to institute mea­ possible or even desirable with young madrileiios I spoke sures that will lead to the decolonization of a power as inimical to our col­ ned to care little about Gibraltar. In their different ways, both Joe lective identity and aspirations [cs or its future destiny. Bossano, the gruffly combative GSLP leader, and as Spain has always been. In pri- me; "If you people want Peter Caruana, the smoothly urbane chief of the vate, however, it is possible to t.") I was also impressed GSD (and current Chief Minister), have annually hear other perspectives. A pro­ 1g Spaniards were (even pleaded Gibraltar's case before the United British former civil servant of trds a Gibraltarian who Nation's Committee on Decolonization. While my acquaintance, for instance, ely but firmly, that he Bossano and Caruana have obtained polite hear­ remarked to me in 1998 that if emain British. However, ings, neither has been successful in swaying the "the Spaniards had treated us did provoke consterna­ United Nations to champion the right to untram­ right, we'd all be Spanish by ish interlocutors: the meled self-determination of the Gibraltarian now." Such a remark (and 1 sentiment on the Rock. people over Spain's right to unbroken territorial many others like it that I have L Gibraltarians and their sovereignty. It will be countered that heard) suggests to me that be­ ·d steadily since the bor­ Gibraltarians can achieve a new status under the neath the veneer of vhich my Spanish friends aegis of the European Union. But while it is pos­ anti-Spanishness which under- died out. Moreover, my sible for us to seek redress in the institutions of lies our politics, there is a fellow Gibraltarians still that entity for grievances resulting from our recognition of a commonality be­ t1d of willed ignorance, anomalous political status, at the end of the day tween our neighbors and about its history, its lit­ Britain and Spain carry much greater weight in ourselves which the historical arms of government, its vicissitudes of the second half of .se. David Alvarez

A Rock ape enjoys an orange peel on a read about their commun typically sunny day. Named after El Espectador and El Anw members of the British royal family. the ish-language daily news apes are one ofGibraltar's major tourist once again to my own fa attractions. Legend has it that should the convey her thanks with a apes ever di e out, Gibraltar would return "Tenk you," my paternal to Spanish sovereignty. When he was never mastered more th apprised ofthis legend during World War phrases in English, despitE II, Sir Winston Churchill ordered that the England as an evacuee. apes be looked after with due care. grandmother, was of a sli~ Nowadays, there are more apes on the tion than Amelia, and co Rock than ever before, thanks largely to the tourists who over-feed them. bit more English. Her fav• however, was to listen to and songs on Radio Algec Even after decades of an of Spanish cuisine and the flamenco remain ubiquitm they vie with the smell of f latest sounds from the Briti: as with the material expres~ tures and of the global me are a much more intimate I than our stated political pn gest. And how could things 1 neighboring communit Gibraltarians and campogibrt one another, while increasin are choosing to live al otro la other side of border). Also, London would have been t the twentieth century have managed to efface, tion of any young persm though not quite to erase. Gibraltar, nowadays many C Underpinning the foreign policy of our main work in Madrid and in other~ political parties is our often cited but vaguely­ to home, the immediate hin explained cultural identity. While that identity is an extension of our recreat: real enough, it is neither monolithic nor static. A weekends and during holid little awareness of our history makes it clear that of Gibraltarians can be ob: this is so. For instance, before World War II, all Spanish beaches, Spanish res forms of cultural expression in Gibraltar, whether ish shops. When I recently , high-brow, middle-brow, or low, were prima­ general elections were held c rily Spanish in character. At the Theatre Royal days, he reminded me that t on (Queen) Victoria Parade, Spanish zarzuelas Thursdays for some time no~ commanded loyal audiences, while local writers "and anyway, on Fridays ev• such as Solly Azagury and Louis F. Bruzon wrote Spain!" Small wonder, then, essays and plays in a formal and effortless sider our political positio Castilian. In those years, Gibraltarians would Colonial Relic

read about their community and its neighbors in impeccable principle, it often El Espectador and El Anunciador, two local Span­ seems to our neighbors as if our ish-language daily newspapers . And, to refer intransigence is a symptom of a once again to my own family, while she could privileged petulance. convey her thanks with an awkward if gracious Like our cultural identity, our "Tenk you," my paternal grandmother, Amelia, political institutions are also the never mastered more than a couple of stock product of a particular and re­ phrases in English, despite the years she spent in cent history and not just England as an evacuee. Emily, my maternal immutable emanations of our grandmother, was of a slightly higher social sta­ unchanging uniqueness. For the tion than Amelia, and could therefore speak a better part of the 20th century, bit more English. Her favorite daily distraction, Gibraltarians struggled patiently however, was to listen to Spanish melodramas to wrest political autonomy and songs on Radio Algeciras every afternoon. from a grudging colonial power. Even after decades of anglicization, the aroma Having finally achieved it, we of Spanish cuisine and the strains of Andalusian are understandably reluctant to flamenco remain ubiquitous on the Rock. True, give it away, especially to a na­ they vie with the smell of fish and chips and the tion-state that has in the past latest sounds from the British pop-charts (as well been loath to grant its minori­ as with the material expressions of our other cul­ ties home rule. But as was the

tures and of the global mass culture), but they case during the brief years of the 1 2 are a much more intimate part of our daily lives Second Republic, the memory of 3 than our stated political preferences would sug­ which was eclipsed by the long gest. And how could things be otherwise between night of franquismo, Spain's re­ neighboring communities? Once again, gions now enjoy much internal Gibraltarians and campogibraltareiios are marrying autonomy, a status guaranteed one another, while increasing numbers of yanitos by the Spanish Constitution. Of are choosing to live al otro lao de Ia frontera (on the course, not all citizens of the other side of border). Also, whereas in the past autonomous regions are satis- London would have been the obvious destina­ fied with autonomy. In have managed to efface, tion of any young person wishing to leave particular, some Basques still

:~.se. Gibraltar, nowadays many Gibraltarians live and hanker after independence. But Jreign policy of our main work in Madrid and in other Spanish cities. Closer do we want to be trapped in the often cited but vaguely­ to home, the immediate hinterland has become kind of deadlocked polarization ttity. While that identity is an extension of our recreational space. On the that continues to afflict the ~r monolithic nor static. A weekends and during holidays, whole colonies Basque Country twenty-five history makes it clear that of Gibraltarians can be observed taking over years after the death of Franco? , before World War II, all Spanish beaches, Spanish restaurants, and Span­ Or should we rather seek a new 3Sion in Gibraltar, whether ish shops. When I recently asked a friend why solution to an old problem that ow, or low, were prima­ general elections were held on a Thursday these while entailing some sacrifices ter. At the Theatre Royal days, he reminded me that they'd been held on could enable us to carve out a ~arade, Spanish zarzuelas Thursdays for some time now. Then he quipped, niche for ourselves in the con­ iences, while local writers "and anyway, on Fridays everyone heads off to temporary world? Personally, I and Louis F. Bruzon wrote Spain!" Small wonder, then, that while we con­ no longer see any reason, other a formal and effortless sider our political position to be based on than the lingering suspiciousness ~ars, Gibraltarians would David Alvarez

ingrained in us by our size and that have marked the history of Iberia, a history majority of voting Gibralta by our history, why we could which includes that of tiny, breakaway Gibraltar. our interests are being gr• not preserve our autonomous By the time The Stone Raft was published in 1986, recognition they deserve, t institutions and singular cultural however, Spain and Portugal were moving to­ lomatic status of Gibraltar 1 personality under an wards greater integration with Western Europe's In their legal arguments 1:: overarching political dispensa­ economic, political, and military structures. Mean­ Europe, Gibraltarians s' tion that included Spain in its while, Gibraltar was emerging from its enforced Spain's denial of our self-d framework. If the Catalans can isolation at the southwesternmost tip of the con­ to a violation of a fundame1 remain unassimilated, prosper­ tinent. Thus, while in the 1980s the old Spanish assertion doubtless contai ous, and bilingual (the latter to tourist industry watchword" Espana es diferente" can also be read as an inc a degree that Gibraltarians ("Spain is different") gave way to the motto privileged economic and pt haven't quite achieved) within "jSomos Europeos!" ("We're Europeans!"), ish governments may i the confines of the Spanish state, Gibraltarians began to wonder whether a solu­ curtailing our right to dec why can't we? tion to the diplomatic uncertainty over the Rock future. But beyond experi( might not lie within the increasingly federalist of frustration at the borde Gibraltar and the New Europe structures of the European Union. to listen to tired centralist r They switched on the television Europe adds a complicated fourth dimension we have rather little to carr news, the news is broadcast to the diplomatic triangulations over Gibraltar. rounding Spanish regia hourly, and they saw Gibraltar, In various European institutions, Spain affirms weekend playground, anc not simply separated from Spain, that it is absurdly anachronistic for Britain to still Gibraltar has experienced but already at a considerable have legal title to a piece of Spanish territory that development, our own st. distance, like an island aban­ it acquired in an act of colonial plunder. In re­ doned in the middle of the ocean, mains higher than that of c sponse to this claim, Gibraltarians retort that it transformed, poor thing, into a There is one major i peak, a sugarloaf, a reef, with its is patently atavistic for Spanish governments to Gibraltarians could meet s' thousand cannon out of action. insist on the inviolability of their territorial in­ mands and cooperate w -Jose Saramago, The Stone tegrity when frontiers are coming down all over neighbors to achieve a mt Raft (1986) Western Europe. What is not often remarked rangement, the question upon in Gibraltar is that our own intransigent Gibraltar's airport. Built b n The 5 tone Raft, a wry fictional position on the matter of our "national" sover­ World War II on land whi I fantasy by the Nobel Prize­ eignty is also at odds with the spirit of European never ceded by the Treaty winning Portuguese novelist, integration which is blowing down Europe's in­ port is now used by Spani Jose Saramago, the Iberian Pen­ ternal borders. Moreover, while we cling British tourists travelin insula abruptly breaks away tenaciously to the notion that only we have the Andalusia, as well as by Gibr from the rest of the continent right to determine our future, and while we im­ In 1987, in pursuit of the mt and slowly begins to drift away bue the concept of sovereignty with an almost joined upon them by the Bru from Western Europe. In a mystical power, we have little say in decisions British and Spanish govern smaller version of this brusque affecting our community that are being made by cord that allowed for join and unexpected severing, corporate executives, by NATO planners, and by Gibraltar's airport by British Gibraltar breaks away from the diplomats and bureaucrats in Madrid, London, ties. Travelers seeking to en Iberian Peninsula and becomes and Brussels. the airport via a separate 1 an island unto itself. While In recent years, Gibraltarians have begun to entering Gibraltar and woul, Saramago' s novel gently mocks lobby the institutions of the European Union in Gibraltarian immigration au long-standing stereotypes about an effort to bypass the bilateral conversations Spanish air traffic controller: Spain and Portugal as nations on over the Rock's future to which the British and on Gibraltarian soil but not the margins of European civili­ Spanish governments committed themselves in jurisdiction. zation, it also pokes fun at the the Brussels Agreement of 1984.1t is possible that separatism and centrifugalism the fruits of lobbying and of litigation will lead a Colonial Relic

listory of Iberia, a history majority of voting Gibraltarians to feel as though Hearing that the Airport iny, breakaway Gibraltar. our interests are being granted the respect and Agreement signaled the erosion aft was published in 1986, recognition they deserve, even if the actual dip­ of Gibraltar's Britishness, thou­ ortugal were moving to­ lomatic status of Gibraltar remains at a stalemate. sands marched down the Main Jn with Western Europe's In their legal arguments before the tribunals of Street with banners proclaiming military structures. Mean­ Europe, Gibraltarians solemnly affirm that "No Concessions" and "Gib Air­ nerging from its enforced Spain's denial of our self-determination amounts port Not For Sale!" while esternmost tip of the con­ to a violation of a fundamental human right. This Gibraltar's legislative body :he 1980s the old Spanish assertion doubtless contains some truth, but it unanimously voted against the Nord" Espana es diferente" can also be read as an indication of our rather Agreement. Nearly a decade gave way to the motto privileged economic and political location. Span­ and a half later, there is no sign ("We're Europeans!"), ish governments may indeed be guilty of that joint use of the airport is wonder whether a solu- curtailing our right to decide our own political being considered. Meanwhile, .mcertainty over the Rock future. But beyond experiencing long moments the Spanish government has ex­ l-te increasingly federalist of frustration at the border and besides having cluded Gibraltar from European 'ean Union. to listen to tired centralist rhetoric from Madrid, air liberalization accords that Jlicated fourth dimension we have rather little to complain about. The sur­ could bring travelers to tgulations over Gibraltar. rounding Spanish region has become our Gibraltar from all over the Eu­ nstitutions, Spain affirms weekend playground, and while El Campo De ropean Union and spark a major 1.ronistic for Britain to still Gibraltar has experienced sigrlificant economic economic take-off in the region. :e of Spanish territory that development, our own standard of living re­ Politicians from El Campo de 1 2 >£ colonial plunder. In re­ mains higher than that of our neighbors. Gibraltar will often tell the Span- 5 :;ibraltarians retort that it There is one major issue on which we ish media that the central · Spanish governments to Gibraltarians could meet some of Madrid's de­ government's policy towards lity of their territorial in­ mands and cooperate with our immediate Gibraltar is frankly misguided are coming down all over neighbors to achieve a mutually beneficial ar­ and anachronistic. However, 1t is not often remarked rangement, the question of the joint use of they also point out that l-tat our own intransigent Gibraltar's airport. Built by the British during Gibraltarians could also be more · of our "national" sover­ World War II on land which Spain insists was flexible, especially over the mat- rith the spirit of European never ceded by the Treaty of Utrecht, the air­ ter of the airport's joint use, an owing down Europe's in­ port is now used by Sparlish nationals and by arrangement, they point out, ·eover, while we cling British tourists traveling to southeastern which would benefit communi- on that only we have the Andalusia, as well as by Gibraltarians themselves. ties on both sides of the border. future, and while we im­ In 1987, in pursuit of the mutual cooperation en­ While we Gibraltarians con­ vereignty with an almost joined upon them by the Brussels Agreement, the tinue to be almost obsessively we little say in decisions British and Sparlish governments signed an ac­ preoccupied with our cultural ty that are being made by cord that allowed for joint administration of identity and our territorial sov­ y NATO planners, and by Gibraltar's airport by British and Spanish authori­ ereignty, a few miles down the crats in Madrid, London, ties. Travelers seeking to enter Spain would exit Straits thousands of Africans the airport via a separate terminal than those annually attempt to enter "For­ )raltarians have begun to entering Gibraltar and would completely bypass tress Europe" in an effort to find Jf the European Union in Gibraltarian immigration authorities. Moreover, a livelihood which Western co­ Le bilateral conversations Spanish air traffic controllers would be working lonialism and post-colonial · to which the British and on Gibraltarian soil but not under Gibraltarian misrule have denied them. committed themselves in jurisdiction. Many die in the treacherous t of 1984. It is possible that crossing, or are captured by the nd of litigation will lead a David Alvarez

Spanish Coast Guard and sent temationalism, one anchored in prosperous re­ back to an uncertain fate, or gional economies and founded on respect for Crafting manage somehow to enter a universal human rights. Europe where they are largely To achieve this state of affairs would no doubt for Beth Westra unwelcome. Perhaps comparing involve making some diplomatic concessions. our plight to that of refugees More importantly, it would entail viewing the The old fleeing dictatorships and desti­ world through a wider prism than that of ethno­ short dr tution can restore the "problem" nationalism. Instead of chasing after the false beard h< of Gibraltar to more reasonable certitudes of ethnic or national purity, we Driving. dimensions. More positively, Gibraltarians would be boldly crafting a novel along a l meditating on the nature and sense of our place in the Iberian and Mediterra­ Dressing possible future of the new Eu­ nean sun. In doing so, we would doubtless be rope can lead us to imagine a abandoning some of the ways in which we know The genl more friendly and productive ourselves now. At the end of the day, however, sweating coexistence with our neighbors we would finally be accomplishing the most dif­ Axe blad than we have hitherto been ca­ ficult yet most liberating decolonizing act of all, it will ta pable of. the decolonizing of the mind. JiGx.1l Blasting At present, there are clearly two radically different concep­ Works Consulted All build tions of Europe taking shape. On Arias, Gonzalo. Gibraltarefios y gibraltar6fagos. Forcing the one hand, there is the idea Madrid, 1975. new forn of Europe fostered by Haider Arias, Juan. Fernando Savater: El Arte de Vivir . Expect c; and Le Pen, a Europe of xeno­ Barcelona: Editorial Planeta, 1975. raw knuc phobia, militarism, and Cavilla, Manuel. Diccionario Yanito. Gibraltar: Marks of economic inequity. On the other Medsun Publications, 1978. hand, however, we can also note Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth . New York: a countervailing tendency to­ Grove Press, 1968 [1961]. wards greater tolerance and Finlayson. Thomas J. Stories from the Rock. Gibraltar, equity. Were it to integrate it­ 19%. self with its resource-rich. Garcia,JosephJ. Gibraltar: The Making ofa People. The hinterland, Gibraltar could Modern Political History ofGibraltar and its People . spearhead the local version of Gibraltar: Medsun Publications, 1994. the movement towards a just Hills, George. El Pefi6n de Ia Discordia: Historia de and prosperous Europe. Given Gibraltar. Madrid: Editorial San Martin, 1974. its long-standing traditions of Historia 16. Special Issue, Number 186, November, ethnic and religious diversity, 1991. "El problema de Gibraltar: tres siglos de given its linguistic polyphony (in reivindicaciones, tension y guerras." addition to English and Spanish, Howes, H.W. The Gibraltarian: The Origin and Sindi and Arabic should rightly Development of the Population of Gibraltar from be considered languages of 1704. Gibraltar: Medsun Publications, 1991 Gibraltar), given its large port, [1951] its material wealth, its demo­ Razones de Espana sabre Gibraltar . Madrid: Aguilar, cratic institutions, and its legacy 1966. as the crossroads of two conti­ Sanguinetti, Leopolda. The Calpean Sonnets . nents and two great bodies of Ilfracombe (U.K.): Arthur H. Stockwell, 1957. water, Gibraltar could embody Savater, Fernando. El Mito Nacionalista. Madrid: the spirit of a new European in- Alianza Cien, 19%.