The Silver People Chronicle

The Problem of Assimilation and Education
Image is of Antillean Adventist University in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. This one, like many other educational institutions overseas, became attractive to Westindian parents looking for educational opportunities for their children outside of Panama. Sin ...
The Evolution of Panama’s Black Ethnicity Day Celebration
As the month of May approaches, we want to divert our attention momentarily from our chronicle and focus on the coming Black Ethnicity Day Celebrations here in Panama. Although the undeniable presence of the Black African race has been genealogically ...
Music, Dance and Black Ethnicity in Panama
In studying Black Ethnicity in Panama, where much of this little known history and culture has only very recently been treated with the seriousness it deserves, we invariably get into discussing music and dance. We, at the Chronicle, especially, have ...
Afro-Centric Fashion
Image Today we are seeing a healthy and positive trend within fashion circles in that the theme of Black Ethnicity is clamoring to define itself and stand out and be noticed as a people with a rich culture, art and history. (more…)
U.N. International Year for People of African Descent
With increasing insistence our readers have reminded us of the ever more urgent interest on the topic of Black Ethnicity especially in regions such as our Central and South America and the Caribbean Basin which, recognize it or not, the United States ...
The Mental Revolution Against Assimilation
My first image gallery of the syncretic response to assimilation by Black Hispanic people like me. Image “assimilate: a. to take in and utilize as nourishment: absorb into the system. b. to take into the mind and thoroughly comprehend. c. ...
Armando Fortune- ‘Without the Black Race, Panama Would Not be Panama’
Image thanks to the Biblioteca Nacional Were it not for the intellectual and literary legacy of Professor Armando Fortune (1921-1979) we of the Afro Panamanian ethnic group of Panama – especially the West Indian Panamanian group- would not be celebra ...
Panama is a ‘Sancocho’
Armando Fortune’s idea of Panama as a “sancocho“-a mixture of elements rather than a welding together- in contradistinction to the old oligarchy’s notion of Panama as a Crisol de las Razas – or a melting pot of races, seems somehow more ...
Black Ethnicity Celebration in Panama
Panama’s Black community promises to offer some new and exciting events for the month of May in its Celebration of Black Ethnicity. Panama is preparing to welcome representatives from African countries and their descendants in the first Afro Festiv ...

The Evolution of Barrio Musicians

Posted on March 9, 2012 by CobraLady | Leave a comment

Image thanks to www.csarmy.org

I’ve held on to the subject of my experience with the Instituto Nacional marching band because, as I’ve come to find out, it is a topic near and dear to us the Westindian kids who grew up in Panama. Continue reading →

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Posted in Jazz Musicians of Panama, Music of Panama

Tagged Armando-Boza, musicians of Panama, Salvation-Army-in-Panama

About Our Contact Form- Important

Posted on March 5, 2012 by CobraLady | Leave a comment

Recently we discovered that our Contact form was not working and we haven’t received some of your e-mail messages. So, if you sent us an e-mail and haven’t received a response lately, it may have been this problem.

We’ve switched to another e-mail contact service and hope this will solve the problem. Please keep sending your e-mails as we are always happy to receive correspondence as well as comments from our valued readers.

image thanks to http://www.whatthetech.com/

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Posted in West Indian Panamanians

The Silver People Law Has Passed Third Debate!

Posted on March 2, 2012 by CobraLady | 5 Comments

The Law #348 to Declare our Silver Cemeteries National Historic and Cultural Patrimony in Panama’s National Assembly, was just passed into law yesterday March 1, 2012! Continue reading →

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Posted in Intangible Cultural Heritage, Silver People of Panama, West Indian Panamanians

Tagged Corozal Cemetery, Gatun Cemetery, Mount Hope Cemetery, Panama National Assembly, Silver-cemeteries, The-Silver-People-Law

Honoring The Fiestas Patrias

Posted on February 24, 2012 by CobraLady | Leave a comment

Cobblestone streets in front of the entrance to Sal Si Puedes in Santana.

That year of 1952 I’d become aware of just how much pleasure the two days of patriotic activity had given me and a real sense of joy for the first time. This was the first time in my life in which I was not only a part of a grand public ceremony but I had also been included in a highly honored civic observance. Continue reading →

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Posted in Calidonia, Instituto Nacional de Panamá

Tagged 3rd of November Celebration, Arnulfo-Arias-Madrid, Panamanian-Westindian-workers, political-aggression, Santa Ana

Earning the Rite of Passage

Posted on February 18, 2012 by CobraLady | Leave a comment

Images: top CZimages.com; bottom: La Prensa

The act of joining the colorful marching bands of that year of 1952 gave a kid like me access to the needed elements to shine in my world of darkness. This would forever remain “my moment” regardless of whatever else happened in my life. Continue reading →

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Posted in Calidonia, Instituto Nacional de Panamá

Tagged marching bands, Panama Railroad Station, The-Tivoli-Hotel, Wachipali

My Life Paraded in Front of Me

Posted on February 13, 2012 by CobraLady | Leave a comment

El Cruce Building just before it was demolished in June 2009; in my youth it was all one-room rentals for Westindian families

San Ramon Building at the entrance of "M" Street.

The parade route had not left the Calidonia/Wachipali district as fast as we all anticipated, as the marching pace slowed down to a halt. As we stood there marking time we noticed how official functionaries were suddenly ahead of us. It seemed as though it had been planned that way, so that the large contingent of the National Police and Firemen or “red shirts” we all called the Bomberos, was now at rest in the midst of us school children on precisely this point on the parade route. Continue reading →

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Posted in Calidonia, Instituto Nacional de Panamá, Intangible Cultural Heritage

Tagged 25 Street in Panama, Flaco Bala, M Street in Panama, Wachipali