The centennial of our independence

Going into the November patriotic holidays, the Moscoso administration has imposed political censorship and is accusing the labor movement of plotting to ruin Panama’s centennial festivities. Centennial Commission chairwoman Lorena Castillo has announced that Panama’s most renowned musician, five-time Grammy winner Rubén Blades, is being excluded from the celebration because “the centennial is for everyone and I can’t take the risk that any singer could take the microphone on this day and talk about politics.” So there you have it --- a cultural nothing like Ms. Castillo has one standard for the opposition, while at the same time Mireya Moscoso is using the funds of public institutions to run “centennial” TV ads in which she portrays herself among the great figures of Panamanian history.

Just in case the party turns out to be a flop, that Education Ministry suggests that the teachers’ unions endanger the parades and Mireya warns that labor’s call for a general strike on October 30 is an intolerable act of sabotage against the centennial celebrations. Also just in case, Mireya has taken security for the parades out of the hands of the National Police, who have done a good job for many years, and assigned the task to the SPI presidential guards.

Despite all of that, no organization has announced any intention to disrupt any of the official centennial celebrations. It is, however, very likely that many people who are sick of Mireya will make a point of staying away from the concert and from any event at which the president appears.

But meanwhile, the Independence Day and Flag Day parades are for the people. Most of those marching will be high school kids, whose parents and teachers will line the route to cheer them on. Many of the members of the best and most popular contingents, the Bombero Bands, are volunteer firefighters who spend their time and risk their lives serving their communities. Even most of the cops who will be marching in the parades as a matter of personal opinion don’t care to be entangled in the ongoing political dispute of the moment. People ought to attend the parades in great numbers and almost certainly will.

These are the official events for the centennial independence celebrations:

November 2:

• Parade from Parque Urraca to Plaza de la Independencia. Starting at 9 p.m. the Bomberos will bear the first Panamanian flag on an antique fire engine in a procession from the park across from the Hotel Miramar to the Casco Viejo, escorted by 2,000 cops. At the Plaza de la Independencia there will be a ceremony featuring Mireya Moscoso, after which church bells will be rung, the national anthem will be sung and there will be a fireworks display.

November 3:

• Prayer services: At 8 a.m. at most of Panama’s churches, synagogues, mosques and temples there will be prayer services for Panama.

• Parades: Beginning at 9 a.m. along two parade routes --- one from Plaza de la Independencia in the Casco Viejo to Plaza Cinco de Mayo, and the other along Via España from the foot of La Cresta to Via Brasil --- Panama’s schools, firefighters, cops and community bands will march and play patriotic music. The parades will continue on into the afternoon.

• Illumination of the Bridge of the Americas: At 6:30 p.m., lights that have been installed along the Bridge of the Americas will be turned on. For people who can get into that sort of thing, there’s a half-hour countdown to the switch pulling on the Amador Causeway.

• Concert: There will be a politically censored celebration of Mireya Moscoso’s bad taste from 9 p.m. to midnight, mostly featuring non-Panamanian artists. Because this is an exercise in poor citizenship from its inception there’s no telling what the maleantes might do at this event and you should stay away. Do NOT think that this is merely a bit of partisan editorializing --- recall that at the Centennial Commission's last major politically censored concert, the Dominican- dominated show on Via España on the last night of Carnival, gunshots were fired and several people were wounded. It's folly to expect that people will be on their best behavior at an event predicated on a major cultural insult.)

November 4:

• Parades: Beginning at 9 a.m. along two parade routes --- one from Plaza de la Independencia in the Casco Viejo to Plaza Cinco de Mayo, and the other along Via España from the foot of La Cresta to Via Brasil --- Panama’s schools, firefighters, cops and community bands will march and play patriotic music. The parades will continue on into the afternoon.

• “Crucible of Races” parade and fair on Avenida Balboa. There will be a float parade beginning at 4 pm along Avenida Balboa, and a fair with food stands and stages at which politically censored bands will perform.

• Fireworks over Panama Bay after dark.

During the holidays there will also be parades in most of the provincial capitals.

Many Panamanians will be taking off from work on October 30 and 31 and heading to the Interior for a very long weekend. There are sure to be plenty of beach parties over the holidays, with one of the principal attractions being that the politicians won’t be there. If you choose to spend part or all of the holidays at the beach, or if you find yourself on the road during the holidays for any reason, be careful and patient with the traffic.

Also in this section:
Independence Day and Flag Day events
US Marines aid Catholic project for pregnant teenagers

community

Centennial parades and celebrations