Day 1

        Our class had the wonderful opportunity of visiting the Emberá indigenous people of Panamá. We arrived in Panamá City, Panamá, yesterday and settled in at our villas in La Cuidad de Saber within the Canal Zone area. I was eager to wake up this morning to prepare for the trip out to the remote region where the Embera dwell at the mouth of the Chagres. Our tour guide, Juan, was open and knowledgeable about the history and culture of the Emberá. Being descendant from the Embera on his mother’s side, he was very informed and answered our questions with hilarious stories and jokes. We stopped briefly at a street-side produce market where we were encouraged to “buy the fruit”. Not only did we get to taste the delicious fruit, my classmates and I were able to sample what the locals call, “chicha’. Chicha, or juego natural, is the most fantastic tasting juice cocktail on the planet. There were so many different flavors to choose from and each one had a distinct, tropical fruit flavor. 

     
      Finally, we arrived at the side of the river where we were to take long, narrow canoes, guided by the natives, into the depths of the jungle for the experience of a lifetime. However, little could prepare me for the unique, eye-opening experience that came to pass. Panamá’s rainy season was upon us as we rode across the Chagres, past three Emberá villages and into the jungle. These skilled men slowly guided the boats through the winding rainforests rivers and ended at a gushing waterfall. We all unloaded and hiked up to the waterfall and a few of us swam in the reservoir pond at the base. Even one of the Emberá men joined us and revealed a secret passage under the torrential wall of water from the intense rainfall of the season. It was magnificent to see the dense forests up close and in person. The wildlife was abundant, vivacious, and thriving.

       Upon docking our wooden dug out canoe on the river banks of the Emberá settlement in the heart of the Panamanian rainforest, a mixture of euphoria, gratitude and anticipation washed over me. The welcome was overwhelming. Drums, flutes and array of indigenous percussion instruments serenaded us into the village. As the women, in their very distinctive, flamboyant skirts and intricately beaded, sequined tops, danced around each other, I could not help but observe very subtle communicative behaviors among these new and exciting people. They all wore blank expressions. This was business. Doing the traditional “Tusipomo” and “Monkey” dances, displaying their traditional crafts and serving indigenous foods to tourists were all in a days work. Perhaps they were bored by tourists gawking at their traditional way of life or by having to repeat everything about their culture every single day. 

       Perhaps it became routine and meaningless after a while. I believe that the actual dance that we witnessed wasn’t a genuine representation of their culture, maybe because they perform these traditional dances everyday and can become tired of the habitual behavior. Even though the traditional dancing and the music were expressive and entertaining, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of bereavement for the Emberá people.  Since the government has placed limitations on their hunting practices and use of forest resources in their way of life, the Emberá have been forced in a way to resort to other means of income. 

       In my humble opinion, the Emberá peoples successfully straddle the fine line between the dichotomy of eco-tourism – cultural preservation and modern assimilation. Eco-tourism makes it necessary for them to preserve their language, dress, food, method of craft making and dance in order to maintain a sustainable livelihood. On the other hand, eco-tourism showcases the day to day lives of the Emberá people and promotes modernization and assimilation into 21^st Century Panamanian society.

       As a citizen of another third world country, Trinidad, I do believe that I arrived in Panamá with some perspective on what to expect. From the vegetation to the infrastructure, everything looked, smelled, sounded and felt distinctly Caribbean. Trinidad and Panamá share a similar history as they were both colonized by Spain in the late 15^th Century and early 16^th Century. As such, the architecture, narrow pot-holed roads and modest street-side fruit stands created a familiar atmosphere and subtle observations, such as bars on windows, did not need explanations.

       Experiencing Panamá through the mind of a Caribbean person is vastly different from an American perspective. The poverty we observed on the outskirts of Panamá City as a result of rapid and unchecked urbanization was not unfamiliar. As we continued our bus ride, through San Miguelito, one of the surrounding municipalities to Panamá City. I was amazed to see the beauty of the countryside and equally stricken with sadness to see such vitality and color even in the midst of such poverty. Shanty towns, shoddily constructed and with houses almost one on top of the other, created a most discouraging scene. As a developing country, this may be expected. However, considering the extremely successful nature of Panamá's economy, I do believe that more should be done to alleviate the poor living conditions of these unfortunate people. 

       Another topic of improvement that I feel should be addressed is that of waste management in Panamá.  It was shocking to see the amount of trash and debris that littered the streets. There were heaping piles of loose and bagged trash along the roads of the like that I have never before. Apparently, Panamanians have a system for trash pick- and disposal, however it requires a fee for service. As a lot of the people are poor or below the poverty line, it can be difficult to justify the need to pay for the trash service, when more pressing demands are what occupy household funds. It is easier for people to just dispose of their trash on the side of the road rather than pay a fee to have their trash collected. Even when families purchase trash pick-up services, the waste management companies are inefficient and provide a sub-standard level of service. It is a shame to see such a beautiful country have such depressing situations develop. It makes one ponder on questions such as: What are some solutions? If there are trash services, how can they be used efficiently to minimize the problem? These, along with others, call for a change in how government programs are run and how management of funds can be crucial to a simple chore like trash disposal. 




Co-Authored By: Theresa Wolf and Amaara Babwah