Minority Life in Panama

One thing I love to do when visiting another country is to see how people in various small groups and minorities are living. In Panama, it was interesting to learn that the Chinese have had a presence there for about 150 years. The main times we met them was at the various convenience stores which the Chinese own. The Jews also have a population in Panama of about 13,000 mostly in Panama City. We were able to attend Shabbat services at the Reform Synagogue there and were happy to see their community thriving.

The largest minority ethnic group is what they call “Afro-Antilleanos" - people of African ancestry who had come to Panama from various Caribbean islands. About 15% of the Panamanian population is considered to be of African descent and at least 50% of Panamanians have some African ancestry.

One of the best sites to learn about the history of this interesting group is the Afro-Antilleano Museum in Panama City. This small museum right across the street from the Plaza de Mayo subway stop is housed in a former church. Its exhibit is small – you can view their exhibit in a half hour to an hour – but very informative.

At the Afro-Antilleano Museum

Africans came to Panama in two waves. They were first brought as slaves by the Spaniards in 1513 and for years after. The second wave was from 1844 – 1910 when they were recruited to Panama to work on building the railroad and the Panama Canal. After the Canal was completed, the people were expected to return to their Caribbean Islands. Instead many stayed in Panama and a large group still lives in what had been the Canal Zone. They also live in neighborhoods of Panama City, Portobello, and some inland towns near the Chagres River where they continue to work as farmers. We passed the field in the Canal Zone where Rod Carew first started his baseball career on the way out of Panama City when we left for Portobello.

In the beginning, Portobello was an important port. We were lucky to meet friends Sholem and Bienvenida who took us to visit this interesting town. Near Colon on the Caribbean side of Panama it is the home of many Afro-Antilleanos today. This town is famous for its festival every October honoring the Black Jesus. It was interesting to walk in the shadows of this town and see the people living there.

In Portobello

the ruins in Portobello, the first main port in Panama

On our last weekend in Panama City, we attended the annual Afro-Antilleano Fair. The fair seemed to parallel the general Carnival that also took place that weekend. A queen and two princesses are crowned. The array of colorful clothes that the women wore was really fun to see. Art and artisan work are displayed for people to buy and a delicious array of food was available. The aromas were so tempting that I wished that I could try all of it.

A big part of both fairs was the crowning of the queen and princesses which seemed to delight the people there but it appeared to us that women's aspirations there lagged behind in consciousness. We weren’t in Panama long enough to find out if having two fairs is because of racial discrimination or a desire to preserve the Antilleano culture. Perhaps we need to make another trip there to find out. In the meantime, we felt fortunate to have met some of the people who shared this interesting history.