The Franco-Antillean influence

The Universe

Haitian sculptor Eddy Remy, in town with a cultural delegation from the French West Indies and Haiti to celebrate Franco-Caribbean culture, poses here with "The Universe," an installation of his work at the University of Panama.

Among Afro-Panamanians there are a few French surnames to be found, but the Franco-Antillean lineage is much greater than the names would indicate. In the French canal era, people came from many places, including the French Caribbean, to work on that doomed project. Most of the French Canal diggers, however, came from the English-speaking islands, particularly Jamaica.

During the American canal construction effort, workers were imported from all over, but particularly from the English-speaking West Indies, especially Barbados. However, it was quickly realized that workers in all-male labor camps were not as happy and productive as they could be and the Canal Zone authorities allowed the influx of a lot of West Indian women, especially from French-speaking Martinique, who would marry and co-found Panama's Afro-Antillean community. If you go to the Museo Afroantillano and see the construction-era women's fashion display, you will see Martinican styles. But even with the Spanish-style double surnames, after a few generations the French surnames from the distaff side tended to disappear. However, a residue of the Franco-Antillean cultural influence remains.

Photo by José F. Ponce