Ciudad

Autónoma de Ceuta

Ceuta Melting Polt of Cultures                                                                 

Ceuta occupies a singular place on the northern coast of the African continent, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean and Africa almost touches Europe.

Its origins go beyond history, amid legend and mythology. Indeed, ancient tales of Jewish and Arab tradition mention Sabt, grandchild of Noah, as founder of the City, like the Greek and Latin texts that locate there the South Column of Hercules: the mythological Abyla, which next to the counterpoised column of Calpe in the North, marked the limit of the known world, the step towards the garden of the Hesperides and the threshold of the gloomy ocean of the Atlante. Throughout its long history, its bay would be an essential port for seafaring trade and a natural gateway for flow of cultures and trade between the different continents. 

With its privileged and strategic location and its impregnable bulwark orography, Ceuta was since remote times coveted as stronghold, and disputed as magnificent trade enclave. Thanks to this, the City has borne witness to the passage of the Berbers, Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Byzantines, Arabs, Portuguese, Spanish, Hebrews and Hindus. Of all the different races, cultures and religions that passed through Ceuta, four are still alive and living peacefully, in harmony with one another today.

The archaeological data indicate that the appearance at the beginning of the era of the urban enclave that would give way to the City is linked with the settlement of a Romanised population of European origin that already appeared widely Christianised in the 4th Century.

In the year 709, the Arabs took the Islam culture to Ceuta, which would be interrupted in 1415. For these seven centuries, the City reached moments of high prosperity, especially in the 13th century, where under the autonomous government of the Azafies princes, Ceuta became the most important port in the Western Mediterranean. 

Following the arrival of the Portuguese in 1415, and its incorporation in 1640 in the Crown of Spain, the Christian population was finally secured in Ceuta.

At the end of the 18th century, the repatriation of the Companies of Mogataces of the Spanish Oran would create a new stable Muslim community, which a part of the so-called Native Troops of the Spanish Protectorate in Morocco would join more than a century afterwards.

The presence of the Jewish community is documented from ancient times and continues deeply rooted, whereas the Hindu community would appear at the beginning of the 19th century, as consequence of the trade contacts with Gibraltar and Tangiers.

But Ceuta’s capacity to harbour different cultures has not ended here. In recent years, members of different ethnic groups have settled here in significant demographic numbers for the City, especially Maghribians and sub-Saharans.

The population of Ceuta is therefore a melting pot where Christian, Muslim, Hebrew and Hindu citizens live together in harmony. The Ceuta citizens and of course their autonomous institution are very proud of this fact.

In its desire for this culture of conviviality to spread all over the world and in search of respect toward one another, tolerance and even out of love of something different to take the place of mistrust and fear, the Autonomous City of Ceuta has instituted the Convivence Awards that carry its name. This distinction, which aims at defending and fostering an open society, willing to discuss, committed with multiple and diverse issues, will be granted every year to those persons or institutions, in any country, whose work has contributed in a relevant and exemplary way to improve human relations, fostering the values of justice, fraternity, peace, freedom, access to culture and equal rights between men.