review

Piel Oscura Panama: ensayos y reflexiones al filo del Centenario
by Alberto Barrow and George Priestley

Do you believe that African-Americans are owed some kind of reparation for their unpaid role in the building of America? Then you would have to conclude that the claims made by the descendants of those who built the Panama Canal against an increasingly antagonistic Panama are also warranted.

The authors of "Piel Oscura Panama: ensayos y reflexiones al filo del Centenario," Alberto Barrow and George Priestley, are known in Panama for their prolific writing and their expertise about the integration or rejection of Panamanians of Afro-Antillean descent into the different spheres of the Panamanian society. The authors seek to ensure recognition for the contributions made to Panama's development by the Afro-Antillean ethnic group, respect for its traditions within the context of Panama's claimed rainbow and an end to prejudices that prevent an open and fair dialogue within the population.

The book was was written because of racism in Panama today and the troubled history of Panamanian race relations. In 1941 then Panamanian President Arnulfo Arias attempted to cleanse Panama of at least three categories of "foreigners" --- West Indian blacks, Asians and those of Middle Eastern descent, including the descendants of all of these groups who were born on Panamanian soil. Still, according to Barrow and Priestley, many in Panama feel that the Afro-Antillean population "sees in Panama that which does not exist,'' or that the racist practices are minimal.

Those who oppose the Afro-Antilleans also believe that mass migration of much of the group to the United States was motivated by unpatriotic feelings arising from their close association with the Americans. The book aims to prove otherwise.

Divided into six sections, the book's main emphasis is the history of the Afro-Antillean group in Panama, followed by a study of the mainly Afro-Antillean Panamanian diaspora in the US and Europe. It also presents information about greater collaboration than existed before between the Antillean group and the Colonial group. The ancestors of the latter came to Panama during the Spanish Conquest, while the West Indians' ancestors began to arrive in Panama some 150 years ago.

About one of the book's main arguments, Dr. Alfredo Figueroa Navarro stated the following: "If at the beginning when the first generations of Afro-Antilleans came to Panama a separatist atmosphere existed between them and the locals due mainly to cultural differences, for some time now a strong bond has been built between them and the rest of the Panamanian society, to whom they dedicate their lives and their efforts."

Nationalism is a two-headed monster. When fueled by a treaty against the country's interests then it's good. However, when citizens of a country pledge their loyalty to the idiosyncrasies of a self-serving class, racism is but one step away.

Piel Oscura Panama is written in a clear and friendly style and its orientation is towards a journalistic type of writing. The reader should be able to perceive two distinct voices making equally important contributions to the final product.

Many Panamanians in the diaspora are awaiting a copy of the book from Panama. I commend the universities that taught Barrow and Priestley for a job well done, and recommend translation of the book into English by a major US publishing company.


Also in this section:
Cool Internet sites
Sacred Music at the Balboa Theater
Books: Black Skin Panama

Back to top