SPECIAL REPORT - NOFOAGA, FOUR YEARS AFTER
The capital city of Nofoaga, Port Beauharnais, on a stock picture
It has been four years since the former President of the Kingdom of Spain, Jesús Aguilar and the former President of the Republic Nofoaga, Jacques Salé, signed an agreement allowing Spain to deploy its military forces into the territory of the Caribbean republic, in order to take care of defending the island in case someone ever dared or planned to attack it. Since those signatures were put into paper, the island has seen everything that is possible in this world, including a volcanic eruption that forced the Nofoagan Government and the Spanish Military to rebuild the island from the very beginning.
Sometimes forgotten by many, other concieve Nofoaga as a remote land. The Caribbean nation, with over 10,000 inhabitants, neighbours another close ally of Spain: Sertia. These two nations make up the Caribbean Community, born in 2021, which has fostered integration of both nations; including the introduction of a common currency. The Nofoagans and the Sertians also share the presence of the Spanish military, where the Government has funded two spaceport projects, with the Spanish Mission to the Moon departing from the Sertian-based spaceport with 2 Spanish astronauts, alongside a Nofoagan and a Sertian.
However, going back to Nofoaga, El País has sent a team of journalists to visit the island and see how it looks like three years after the volcanic eruption, and four years after the Spanish Army arrived. Several Alliance Days (which celebrate the presence of Spanish soldiers in the island, marked on September 14th) and Presidents (Lula Namatatiki or Romain Guichard, to give some examples) have passed, but how has the island evolved? How have our soldiers adapted? We arrive at Royaume-de-France International Airports, with the hope of having our questions answered when we take the plane back home.
Spain and the Island
Marian Fonseca, the Spanish member of the Nofoagan National Assembly
The relationship between both nations could not be better. Since the arrival of the Spanish military, the Kingdom of Spain and the Republic of Nofoaga have hold several summits to discuss their cooperation, always ending up in an expansion of it. Not binded to an agreement, but openly welcomed by the Spanish Government back then, Nofoagan President Lula Namatatiki decided to give a seat in the National Assembly of the country to the Spanish minority. This task to represent soldiers and Spaniards living in the island was given by voters to Marian Fonseca, who lives and works in Nofoaga and has done it for quite a few years.
El País arranged an interview with her, and she welcomed us in her office. Asked about her job, she confessed she found it "thrilling": «You never expect to be the representative of your brothers and sisters that, like you, share the same roots and origins. When I was elected, running as an independent candidate against two other independent candidates, I could not believe that they had put their trust on me. Certainly, it is a thrilling job, and I am pretty much devoted to it». Nevertheless, Marian is not only devoted to her parliamentary job: «I still work for the company I have worked for since I arrived, because I love my job; as I am highly devoted to my family». Fonseca was also asked by our team about her expectations for the island's future: «Nofoaga has a bright future ahead thanks to the management of President Namatatiki, and the help of the Spanish military to rebuild the island. Reconstruction might have not finished yet, but it is our job as Spaniards to help a friendly and allied nation like the Republic of Nofoaga».
Back in the early years of the Spanish deployment, some voices raised their concerns about our country's possible annexation of Nofoaga. While Spain already has territories in the Caribbean, leased by the Republic Nofoaga (we will get to that later), we asked Fonseca if she believed those voices had reasons to be concerned: «Absolutely not. Spain will not annexate Nofoaga, and if Nofoaga and Spain ever united or wanted to deepen their ties, I am pretty much sure that we would enter the Spanish Commonwealth and keep functioning as an independent identity, cooperating with the CCCC and led by Lula Namatatiki. Those voices can chill in a Nofoagan beach, with our very famous turtles walking next to them -it helps you to relax- and having a Piña Colada, because Spain will never annex this island». Before we left, Marian handed us a signed letter from the President of the Republic, who also happens to be the Chief of the Spanish Troops deployed on the island; in which she regretted not being able to welcome us due to her tight agenda while wishing us a happy stay. So kind of her.
The Spanish Military
General Carlos Brown, Spanish Commander for the Caribbean and the Pacific and Chief of the Spanish Military Bases in Nofoaga
After our rendez-vous with Marian Fonseca in Port Beauharnais, we go to the west of the island, to the Tuagavale Military Base, where Romain Guichard, King Juan Carlos and other significant personalities spent the days of confinement while the air of the island remained toxic after the volcanic eruption. There, General Carlos Brown greets us, and shows us the base and the bunkers where people spent their days. He tells us that "visits are made to the bunkers twice a year" and that he "no longer likes to come down here", as the memories of those weeks show through. After the visit is over, we get into a helicopter that takes us to the Bourbon Military Base. Both bases are Spanish and Nofoagan territory, and subject to the laws passed in Madrid.
General Carlos Brown's life has changed during the last four years, or in other words, since he arrived in Nofoaga. General Brown went from being a simple General, to becoming one of the most trusted generals of the Spanish Government. During his stay in the Caribbean, Brown has been awarded with the titles of Commander for the Caribbean and the Pacific, Chief of the Spanish Military Bases in Nofoaga, Chief of the Spanish Military Administration of the Military Bases in Nofoaga, a member of the Spanish Commonwealth and the Captain in Chief of the Global Commander Programme, that he always aimed for since Spain began its international bases programme.
Before the planned visit to the Space Center, we interview General Brown, asking him about his new life: «I cannot complain, and I am thankful to God for everything he has given to me. When I look back at the day they assigned me this mission, I can see myself being reluctant about coming here. But I have always, during my years of service, put Spain and its interests over my feelings, so I accepted the mission and came here. Today, I am honoured to say that it is the best decision I ever made». Brown is also in charge of the deployment in Sertia, where Spain also has a military base and where it is responsible of defence too. Asked about the role he plays in the international relations between the Caribbean nations and Spain, Brown says he is "another ambassador": «I am lucky to be able to represent my nation here, and I act as a bridge between Madrid and the Caribbean nations as a whole. If they need something that is within my competences, they reach out and I send the information to the Spanish Government, and we give them an answer. The diplomatic body in Nofoaga and Sertia and I make a great team, we cooperate and we give our best every day».
Asked about the most political role he has, General Brown says that he finds himself comfortable on it: «Being the Chief of the Spanish Military Administration is a huge responsibility, just like the many other roles I have been assigned. Despite being a political role, I find myself comfortable on it. Commander Potter and I, as the most political military authorities, have helped each other a lot, and we are in permanent contact. I must confess we acted very military-alike in our first Commonwealth summit, and when the Secretary-General told us at the end of the meeting, we could not avoid to laugh -What did you answer?- We replied saying that we were soldiers and that we had been taught to speak that way, then the three of us laughed together». The question about the Spanish Commonwealth came up next: «Ms. Scotland and the Spanish Commonwealth give us a lot of support and are always there if we need anything. The organization was born with the purpose of achieving better coordination skills and also to help the territories far away from the mainland, and it does that amazingly well».
The Fort d'Espagne Space Center, located within the Bourbon Military Base
After our interview with General Brown, he takes us to the Fort d'Espagne Space Center, the "veteran" spaceport of the Kingdom of Spain. Even if the first workers of the Spanish Mission to the Moon, to take place in January 2025, expected that the rocket would lift up from here; the truth is that the rocket launch will take place in the neighbouring Space Center located in Sertia. Due to the preparations for the Mission, there was not many personnel from the Agencia Espacial Española (Spanish Space Agency) around at the time of our visit, so General Brown stepped in as our guide.
After saying goodbye, we explored the island, rich in natural diversity and with a different culture. We had lunch in Fort d'Espagne, named after the military base established a few kilometres away, and then visited the deep forests of the island, that are slowly but gently growing back as the island is being rebuilt. We decided to put an end to our report as close as possible to the Mauga'fi volcano, that made the island blow up in 2021. There, we were able to observe how impressive it is, and we remained silent, looking around and remembering those who lost their lives nearly three years ago. As a Hispano-Nofoagan soldier that we were able to talk about told us during our visit to Tuagavale Military Base: «Nofoaga does not forget, and the Spanish Army does not either. Everyone remembers. Having this in our minds is how we rebuild the island, and it will always be like that. Our duty here is to protect, help and save lives. Those are our main objectives». With those words in mind, alongisde the radio playing 'All of Me' by John Legend, we left the place heading back to where we started, Royaume-de-France International Airport, hoping that we could come back soon to keep enjoying the island.
Notes from the Newspaper
- Authors: Karelia Vázquez, Álex Serrano, Andrea Aguilar and Jacobo Rivero
Dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Mauga'fi volcano