US Independence Day in Panama

US Embassy celebrates the Fourth of July

by Tomás García

On July Fourth the US Embassy celebrated the 229th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of United States of America. The event took place in the Campo Alegre Hall located in the Marriott Hotel. Linda Watt, current ambassador of United States in Panama, greeted the guests in the lobby.

The Marriott Hotel was filled with figures of the Panamanian political scene, as well as notable members of Panama’s American community, including members of the embassy staff. “It was a thrill to see important American figures together with Panamanian politicians,” national Criminal Analysis Director Aracelly de Casanova said. “These meetings will surely spawn great relationship between Panama and United States in the future.”

Among the invited Panamanian politicians, former vice-president Ricardo Arias Calderón and current vice-president Samuel Lewis Navarro were prominent. The presence of figures from differerent Panamanian political parties indicated the relationships that Watt had with the last two Panamanian administrations.

The host of the evening was David Watley, the embassy’s legal attaché, who welcomed the guests of the ceremony and presented the various segments of the evening.

The event started with Panama’s Himno Istmeño, followed by The Star Spangled Banner, both played by two renowned American musicians, pianist Daniel Rieppel and violinist Kenneth Sarch, who went on to liven the night with their repertoire.

After this musical introduction, Ambassador Watt spoke, noting that this would mark her third and last year as ambassador. Bill Ethan will replace Watt by the end of July.

The ambassador expressed her gratitude to the present Panamanian administration and noted the meeting between Martin Torrijos and George W. Bush.

Watt also mentioned various aid programs developed by the embassy to benefit Panama, such as the Peace Corps workers’ efforts in the Interior, flood relief assistance and help lent to non-governmental organizations.

Following the speech, Rieppel and Sarch took the stage again and presented piano and violin selections of musical pieces to highlight the spirit of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Sent by Thomas Jefferson in the wake of the Louisiana Purchase the made the United States a continental power, this epic trek was both a landmark of scientific and geographical discover and the first US-directed land expedition to reach the Pacific Coast and return. One of these songs was a tribute to York, “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” in honor of the Afro-American slave who accompanied Lewis and Clark in their adventures.

Afterwards, Ambassador Watt acknowledged prominent members of the American community in Panama. Among them were theater producer and director Bruce Quinn and Barbara Ozelski, a nun who has helped the poor in Colon. “Hearing how these United States citizens have aided my country is truly uplifting,” Casanova said. “The awards are truly deserved.”

Watt also used the occasion to congratulate the current Panamanian administration, particularly Samuel Lewis Navarro, by giving him a book explaining the adventures and the importance of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

To end the night Sarch and Rieppel once again took the stage and played “Tierra Linda,” a Panamanian pasillo. “The cultural aspect of the event was fabulous,” Casanova said, “It was definitely interesting to witness the mixing of ‘el Pasillo Panameño’ with tonalities of the Western United States.”

After the ceremony, the guests and presenters mingled in the lobby while sampling various delicacies of the American West. “Hopefully, we will continue seeing this kind of gathering in the future,” Casanova said. “The United States and Panama have had a very close historical relationship and these festivities keep it that way.”

Also in this section:
Celebrating Fourth of July
Celebrating Bastille Day
2005 Anona Kirkland Writing Contest