Afro-Panamanians
Afro-Caribbeans |
Afro-Panamanians are Panamanians of African descent. The Afro-Panamanian population can be mainly broken into one of two categories "Afro-Colonials", Afro-Panamanians descended from slaves brought to Panama during the colonial period, and "Afro-Antilleans," West Indian immigrant-descendants with origins in Trinidad, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Belize, Barbados, and Jamaica, whose ancestors were brought in to build the Panama Canal. Afro-Panamanians can be found in the towns and cities of Colón, Cristóbal and Balboa, the Río Abajo area of Panama City, the Canal Zone and the province of Bocas del Toro.[1]
Early Period
The first Africans to arrive in
Origins
It is difficult to pinpoint and identify the place of origin of the African slaves brought to Panama during the colonial era. According to the study of Martin Jamieson, some authors point out that most were from Guinea-Bissau.[citation needed]
Other authors point out that the slaves came from the region between southern
Moreover, besides the slaves which some authors may have been imported to Panama from, mostly, Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, Congo and Angola (which originated culture "Congos" in 1607), according to Guzman Navarro, many of the slaves who arrived in Panama in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries were transported by French traffickers, from
African ethnic groups and their arrival to Panama
When registered as slaves, certain Africans used their African ethnicity and possible places of origin as first or last names. This resulted in names such as Luis Mozambique, Congo Anton, Christopher Sape, Miguel Biafara, Bran Gaspar, Pedro Mandinga, Anton Bañol and John Jolofo (Wolof), to name a few. This confirms the contribution of slaves from Senegambia, Ghana, Central Africa and Mozambique. Thus, the name of Africans living in Panama allows us to draw some lines on its possible origin: Mozambique, Congo and the region Kasanga, Congo-Angola, Sao Tome, the island of the same name in the equatorial region, and the region situated between Portuguese Guinea and Senegal in West Africa: Manding, specifically, gelofo/
While there were a small number of traders traveling from Africa to America during the sixteenth century, the fact is that it was this a small number who had direct control of large contracts to take enslaved Africans in Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Angola. In this last stand Gomez Reinel and Juan Rodríguez Coutiño (governor of Angola), who lived in Panama working ranches in the early seventeenth century with his brother Manuel de Souza Coutinho, known as Louis de Sousa, the Dominican friar who in 1602 was responsible for the seats in Cartagena.[5]
Afro-Antillean migration waves (1849–1910)
The first Afro-Antillean migration to Panama occurred in mid-nineteenth century. The
During the immigration of 1844, people came from
The third event that caused Afro-Caribbean immigration to Panama was the construction of the Panama Canal by the French. Due to the endurance shown by Afro-West Indians in the construction of railroads and projects in Bocas del Toro and Puerto Limon, the French company returned to the Caribbean to recruit workers. According to Lobinot Marrero, many of the West Indians who arrived in Panama during these years were from the
In 1904, the construction of the Panama Canal was taken over by the United States due to the failure of the French company, again resulting in an influx of West Indian workers to Panama. Although between 1904 and 1914, the vast majority of Afro-West Indians who arrived in Panama worked a one-year contract with the idea of returning to their home islands once the project concluded. However, after construction of the canal was complete many Afro-Antillean people chose to stay in Panama. Many who remained got jobs in the Canal Zone, becoming the largest immigrant group in Panama. On the subject of Afro-Antillean Panama, Leslie B. Rout said that when the canal was opened in 1914, some 20,000 Afro-West Indians remained in Panama.{cn|October 2022}
Cimarrones
Some African slaves used the isolated nature of transporting goods as an opportunity to escape slavery. Many people of African descent escaped into the sparsely settled terrain and formed Cimarroneras, or marooned societies. These ex-slaves were known as Cimarrones. Cimarrones would mount attacks on transport caravans so often that the attacks became very disruptive to trade by the 1550s. The most famous of these Cimarrones was
Slavery
Slaves were used in many functions in the areas of Portobelo and Panama City. Most worked as domestic servants in their enslavers' houses. Some were engaged in the production of textile and dyes. Others were skilled tradesmen—blacksmiths, carpenters, and cobblers. The discovery of gold also saw their use in mining. This strong dependency on slaves saw an increase in the slave population. For most of the 1600s and 1700s, Afro-Panamanians outnumbered whites. In 1610, the population consisted of 548 white men, 303 white women, 156 white children, 146
Independence
In 1821, Panama (at that time a part of Spain), sued for independence successfully. Independence brought about the end of slavery, but little changed for Afro-Panamanians. Changes did not come with independence and emancipation as was expected. Numerous race riots broke out in the 1830s, as many Afro-Panamanians were disappointed with the rate of societal progress. In 1838, Panama City had a major race riot which was quelled by the Hispanic elite. Afro-Panamanians continued life at the bottom of the racial caste system, with white Panamanians at the top. Mulattoes and Mestizos who claimed Hispanic heritage, and indigenous Panamanians were above blacks in the caste system. Job discrimination and social rejection because of ethnicity was rampant. Afro-Panamanians remained in a world apart from the greater culture.[7]
Antillean
In November 1903, the construction of the Panama Canal began. 50,000 workers migrated from Jamaica,
Modern status
By the 1960s, Afro-Panamanians began to organize themselves politically, aligned with the labor movement. National Center of Panamanian Workers (CNTP) was at the center of Afro-Panamanian rights. A few Afro-Panamanians broke into the upper circle. A few were elected to the national assembly of the People Party, aligned with CNTP. One Afro-Panamanian was elected to the supreme court.{cn|october 2022} During the 1970s, they organized congresses dealing with issues surrounding Afro-Panamanians, like discrimination of the National Symphony Orchestra against blacks. In 1980, Manuel Noriega, who had African ancestry, was elected. He became authoritarian and the United States in 1989 invaded Panama and removed Noriega. The hardest hit were Afro-Panamanian neighborhoods. During the 1990s, more congresses were formed to address the problems of Afro-Panamanians, like the destruction of black property during the invasion. Also the study of Afro-Panamanian took root. The Center of Panamanian Studies was formed. The University of Panama also began to focus more on Afro-Panamanian subjects as a discipline.[citation needed]
Notable Afro-Panamanians
- Billy Cobham, Panamanian–American jazz drummer
- Adalberto Carrasquilla
- Alejandro Yearwood
- Rolando Blackburn
- César Blackman
- César Yanis
- Silvano Ward Brown
- Roberto Brown
- Omar Browne
- Óscar Linton
- Armando Cooper
- Harold Cummings
- Ricardo Phillips
- Carlos Harvey
- Víctor Griffith
- Ernesto Sinclair
- Ernesto Walker
- Jair Catuy
- Alfredo Stephens
- Pop Smoke
- Felipe Baloy
- Aramis Haywood
- Jean McLean
- Iván Anderson
- Cecilio Waterman
- José Córdoba
- Roman Torres
- Eric Davis
- Blas Perez
- Ismael Diaz
- Newton Williams
- Jesus West
- Ricardo Buitrago
- Renan Addles
- Ricardo James
- Luis Tejada
- Michael Amir Murillo
- Ricardo Hinds
- Roderick Miller
- Alberto Quintero
- Aníbal Godoy
- Gabriel Gomez
- Aloe Blacc, American singer, record producer, philanthropist
- Sech, Afro-Panamanian reggaeton artist
- Princess Angela of Liechtenstein (née Angela Brown, born 1958 in Bocas del Toro), first person of known African origin to marry into a reigning European dynasty
- Melva Lowe de Goodin, professor and historian at the University of Panama and Florida State University-Panama
- Eusebio Pedroza, world boxing champion and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame
- El Chombo, reggaeton artist and producer of Afro-Jamaican descent
- El General, reggae artist considered by some to be one of the fathers of "Reggae en Español", pioneering Reggaeton
- Roy Bryce-Laporte, Panamanian-American scholar
- Tatyana Ali, American actress of partial Panamanian heritage
- NBAbasketball player
- Donovan Mitchell, NBA All-Star
- DJ Clue, American hip-hop DJ
- Bobby Lashley, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist
- Panama Al Brown, boxing's fist Latin-American champion
- Roberto Wallace, professional American football player
- Kevin Daley, professional basketball player
- DJ Clark Kent, American hip-hop DJ
- Miss Panamá1980
- Ginella Massa, Canadian News Anchor
- Ed Cota, professional basketball player
- Pop Smoke, American rapper of Afro-Panamanian descent
- Casanova (rapper), American rapper of Afro-Panamanian descent
- Carlos Lee, former Major League Baseball All-Star
- Karl Kani, American fashion designer
- Gary Forbes, professional basketball player
- Bayano, rebel slave
- Tessa Thompson, American actress
- Roberto Kelly, MLB All-Star and coach
- Rod Carew, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer
- Mariano Rivera, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer
- Uncle Murda, American rapper of Afro-Panamanian descent
- Tyson Beckford, American model and actor
- Senorita Panama 2021 and placed Top 16 at Miss Universe 2021.
- Gwendolyn Ifill, journalist, television newscaster, and author. Hosted a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program called Washington Week in Review. Co-anchor and co-managing editor of the PBS NewsHour. Moderated the 2004 and 2008 U. S. vice-presidential debates. Authored the best-selling book “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama”.
- Veronica Chambers, American writer
- Ursula Burns, first Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company
- Irving Saladino
- Eric Davis
- Fidel Escobar
- Freddy Gondola
- Gabriel Torres
- Kahiser Lenis
- Dr. Gaddiel Israel first black PhD in United States Space Force
See also
References
- ^ "AFRO-PANAMANIANS". Word Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. Word Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ^ MOORE, ALEXANDER. "Panama". Countries and Their Cultures. EveryCulture.com. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ^ El lenguaje de los negros congos de Panamá y el lumbalú ... Abolición de la esclavitud en El Salvador y América Latina (in Spanish: The language of Black Congos in Panama and the lumbalú... Abolition of slavery in El Salvador and Latin America).
- ^ La expresión musical popular centroamericana y la herencia africana Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish: Centroamerican popular musical expression and African heritage)
- ^ Del olvido a la memoria, 3: África en tiempos de la esclavitud (In Spanish: From Oblivion to Memory, 3: Africa in times of slavery)
- ^ "Août 1914 : les Guadeloupéens et Martiniquais oubliés du Canal de Panama". Archived from the original on 2017-02-28.
- ^ Peter Szok, "'La Patria es el Recuerdo', Hispanophile Nationalism in Early Twentieth-Century Panama, 1903-1941." Journal of Caribbean History 31.1 (1997): 149–184.