European Colonies Still in Africa Today

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:38:54 +0200

Is colonialism a thing of the past, right? Something that was en vogue maybe one hundred years ago but has surely gone out of fashion in 2026. Well, it turns out that's not the case. Several European countries, including Spain, France, the UK, and Portugal, have territories they claim in Africa and other parts of the world. Today, instead of using the word 'colony,' they may call these places overseas territories, departments, autonomous cities or islands, but the truth remains the same: these are places in Africa owned by Europe.

In this video, we look at these islands and cities and reflect upon what position Pan-Africanists and anti-imperialists should take in the face of this colonial reality. Some of these places have Indigenous populations living in them. In others, colonial forces killed or forcibly removed entire Indigenous populations. And some of them may not have had an Indigenous population but remain geographically located in Africa. While some of these places are rarely discussed in the media and may not be easily identifiable on a map, during the 1960s and 1970s, they were nonetheless considered part of the project for Pan-African unity.