Is there racial tension, acceptance or diversity in Panama?
Anne Gordon de Barrigón - Whale Watching Panama/Emberá Village Tours
There is a large racial diversity in Panama. Mainly due to the railroad, and the canal and all the people from different countries and races that were brought in as workers. Such as Chinese and Afro Caribbean peoples. Now, there are many others who have come from abroad because of the business and banking opportunities. Panama is now a huge melting pot of racial diversity, one of the largest in Central or South America.
Generally speaking,...
There is a large racial diversity in Panama. Mainly due to the railroad, and the canal and all the people from different countries and races that were brought in as workers. Such as Chinese and Afro Caribbean peoples. Now, there are many others who have come from abroad because of the business and banking opportunities. Panama is now a huge melting pot of racial diversity, one of the largest in Central or South America.
Generally speaking, for the most part there is good acceptance of racial diversity on the streets and in most daily activities. It is very common to see people of all races and colors on the street and inter-racial couples is quite accepted among the middle and working class people. Among the upper, wealthy and political ruling Panamanian families, they tend to stick within and consider every other race and culture beneath them, (including North Americans and Europeans). They will treat you perfectly fine to your face, and will do business with you, but prefer their children not to marry outside the fold.
The largest races found in Panama besides the Hispanic descent majority are Afro-Caribbean and Chinese descendants. They are so common and well mixed into all but the highest, wealthiest levels of society that they are not even noticed here. They are simply Panamanian.
The most discriminated against race in Panama (as is true of most places in the world) are the indigenous peoples. Sadly, they are often treated as if they are stupid and largely ignored, even though they are quite intelligent, but often poorly or completely uneducated, simply through lack of opportunity. This is improving a bit and is less obvious to most, but still exists.
Posted March 20, 2013
Vannessa Solano
No, there are no racial problems in Panama at all. In Panama, people do not concern themselves with other people’s race.
In Panama, we have two names for the country of Panama and the people in it that reflect this. One is “Puente del mundo, corazon del universe”, which translates into English as “the center of the world and the heart of the universe”. The other is “Crisol de Razas”, which translates into...
In Panama, we have two names for the country of Panama and the people in it that reflect this. One is “Puente del mundo, corazon del universe”, which translates into English as “the center of the world and the heart of the universe”. The other is “Crisol de Razas”, which translates into...
No, there are no racial problems in Panama at all. In Panama, people do not concern themselves with other people’s race.
In Panama, we have two names for the country of Panama and the people in it that reflect this. One is “Puente del mundo, corazon del universe”, which translates into English as “the center of the world and the heart of the universe”. The other is “Crisol de Razas”, which translates into “mixture of races”.
We have many races here in Panama, from Black, Indian, White, and many others. We have a mixture of everything. We don’t have any racial tension at all.
In Panama, we have two names for the country of Panama and the people in it that reflect this. One is “Puente del mundo, corazon del universe”, which translates into English as “the center of the world and the heart of the universe”. The other is “Crisol de Razas”, which translates into “mixture of races”.
We have many races here in Panama, from Black, Indian, White, and many others. We have a mixture of everything. We don’t have any racial tension at all.
Posted July 12, 2014
David Whittington - Tucan Golf Club and Resort
Panama has been quite a "melting pot" of people from different cultures and races over the years. The blacks came in from Jamaica and Barbados, then the Chinese came here. Before that, of course, we had the Spaniards. There is such a mix of people here now that Panamanians don’t consider the race of individuals. Whatever very minor tension we do have in Panama comes from the people who move here, as opposed to the native Panamanians. And even...
Panama has been quite a "melting pot" of people from different cultures and races over the years. The blacks came in from Jamaica and Barbados, then the Chinese came here. Before that, of course, we had the Spaniards. There is such a mix of people here now that Panamanians don’t consider the race of individuals. Whatever very minor tension we do have in Panama comes from the people who move here, as opposed to the native Panamanians. And even then, it is very minor.
Posted July 17, 2014
Linda Jensen
I, personally, don’t know of any racial tension in Panama. I have been told that the indigenous Indians are upset about some issues, but those issues don’t appear to be race-based. Relative to racial tension or resentment, etc., directed towards me in Panama, I haven’t felt any whatsoever.
Regarding the type if racial tension that may exist in the US, we don’t seem to have that here in Panama. For example, we know an American black man...
Regarding the type if racial tension that may exist in the US, we don’t seem to have that here in Panama. For example, we know an American black man...
I, personally, don’t know of any racial tension in Panama. I have been told that the indigenous Indians are upset about some issues, but those issues don’t appear to be race-based. Relative to racial tension or resentment, etc., directed towards me in Panama, I haven’t felt any whatsoever.
Regarding the type if racial tension that may exist in the US, we don’t seem to have that here in Panama. For example, we know an American black man who came here to live in Panama after working here and just falling in love with it. He bought land to settle down, eventually married a Panamanian woman and they adopted a daughter. He is moving to California now to be with his mother. He told me that after his mother is gone, he plans to move back to Panama. He loves it here. He obviously feels no racial problems at all. He’s very happy, with no issues. He thinks the world of the Panamanian people.
Regarding the type if racial tension that may exist in the US, we don’t seem to have that here in Panama. For example, we know an American black man who came here to live in Panama after working here and just falling in love with it. He bought land to settle down, eventually married a Panamanian woman and they adopted a daughter. He is moving to California now to be with his mother. He told me that after his mother is gone, he plans to move back to Panama. He loves it here. He obviously feels no racial problems at all. He’s very happy, with no issues. He thinks the world of the Panamanian people.
Posted August 5, 2014
Roberto Diaz - United Country Panama Coastal Real Estate
Compared to the United States (which is where I lived), there isn’t racial tension in Panama.
When I was growing up in Panama, it was common to refer to people by their physical attributes, whether that attribute happened to be an ethnicity or some other physical trait. Literally, I would say to my Chinese friend (in Spanish) “Hey, what’s up, Chino (Chinese person)?” and if he were black, I would say “Hey,...
Compared to the United States (which is where I lived), there isn’t racial tension in Panama.
When I was growing up in Panama, it was common to refer to people by their physical attributes, whether that attribute happened to be an ethnicity or some other physical trait. Literally, I would say to my Chinese friend (in Spanish) “Hey, what’s up, Chino (Chinese person)?” and if he were black, I would say “Hey, what’s up, Negro (“black person”)?” Everybody would be OK with that, it’s not in any way insulting or derogatory, and its just very common.
In Panama, referring to someone’s ethnicity or racial makeup is just like referring to someone as “gordo (fat one)” or “flaco (skinny one)”, which we do all the time. You may say “que paso, flaco?”, which means “what’s going on, skinny?” and it just doesn’t mean what it does in the US. This practice in Panama just doesn’t translate into English, so it’s hard for someone from North America to understand. In Panama, its just very matter of fact, not like in the US. In Panama, terms like “chino", "negro", "gordo", "flaco", etc. are not racially charged or insulting. I guess it shows that we don’t even have enough racial tension in Panama for these terms to be insulting, as opposed to how they would be viewed in the US. Growing up in Panama, we were all friends, and no one got offended.
In Panama, “negro” or “negra” is a term of endearment. A common phrase is “negra linda”, which would translate to “beautiful black woman”.
To this day, most Panamanians will refer to the corner grocery store as the “chino”. So you would say “go to el chino”, which means “go to the grocery store”. No one is offended. “Hey, que paso, Chino? Como esta?” It’s totally fine.
On a related note, my dad’s brother married a Chinese woman, so I have half-Chinese cousins, and we kid each other “Hey, what’s up, Chino?”; it’s no biggie.
There is a lot of intermarriage between races in Panama and no one pays attention. The only thing that people will note is if the marriage is between people from different socio-economic classes. For example, if someone from the upper class marries someone from the lower class, people notice more than if the marriage is, for example, between a black person and a white person of the same socio-economic class.
Posted August 17, 2014
Mark Hurt
You won't find any racial tension here in Panama. If you find it, you brought it with you.
The US has a lot of racial tension but here in Panama, they just don't. All people are just from Panama. Not red, white, black, etc.; just people.
You won't find any racial tension here in Panama. If you find it, you brought it with you.
The US has a lot of racial tension but here in Panama, they just don't. All people are just from Panama. Not red, white, black, etc.; just people.
Posted August 20, 2014
Sieg Pedde - Helix Courier Limited
Something that I noted on my very first trip to Panama in 2005 was that there’s an incredible racial diversity there. You’ll run into every hue under the rainbow. Pretty much anything you can imagine is in Panama, yet the people all get along very well so there is no racial tension whatsoever. It’s pretty much normal to see many people coming from different racial backgrounds.
Having been settled originally by Europeans, you’ll find...
Something that I noted on my very first trip to Panama in 2005 was that there’s an incredible racial diversity there. You’ll run into every hue under the rainbow. Pretty much anything you can imagine is in Panama, yet the people all get along very well so there is no racial tension whatsoever. It’s pretty much normal to see many people coming from different racial backgrounds.
Having been settled originally by Europeans, you’ll find yourself meeting a lot of people from Spain. In Chiriquí Province, there are Swiss people who have set up farming communities. There are intermarriages between the locals and the expats. I’ve never seen anything there that would indicate that there is racial strife. As long as you go about your business, you treat everybody honestly and you avoid doing stupid things, nobody’s ever going to bother you.
Posted September 1, 2014
Jose Broce - Broce-Pinilla & Asociados
In Panama, you can be who you are, you can do what you want, and it’s all accepted.
Even historically, Panama never had slavery. Back in the days when the Spanish used Panama to transport slaves, if a slave escaped from the ship and arrived at Panama, that slave was free.
Amongst my friends, we are so open and so relaxed regarding race relations, that if you have a black friend, you call him “negrito”, which is “little black guy”,...
Even historically, Panama never had slavery. Back in the days when the Spanish used Panama to transport slaves, if a slave escaped from the ship and arrived at Panama, that slave was free.
Amongst my friends, we are so open and so relaxed regarding race relations, that if you have a black friend, you call him “negrito”, which is “little black guy”,...
In Panama, you can be who you are, you can do what you want, and it’s all accepted.
Even historically, Panama never had slavery. Back in the days when the Spanish used Panama to transport slaves, if a slave escaped from the ship and arrived at Panama, that slave was free.
Amongst my friends, we are so open and so relaxed regarding race relations, that if you have a black friend, you call him “negrito”, which is “little black guy”, and he’s happy to call you “cholito”, which here in Panama refers to a person that is a mix between the Spanish and the Indians. In either case, and no one gets offended. If I have a Panamanian Chinese friend, with love, I call him “Chino”, and he’s fine with that. We can do this because we don’t have racial issues.
There is no homegrown racism in Panama. Any racism we have is imported. It would come from somebody who came with their own culture, and felt racism from their own country or it could be from someone who brought it to Panama and they try to convince other people to be racist in Panama, which doesn’t work.
Recently, there have been some very minor and transitory issues, but those issues are imported. For example, I know of cases where black people who came from the United States at first believed that they had been discriminated against by their bosses because they were black. Soon, they realized that we have more black people here in Panama than we have white people, and we don’t care about a person’s race.
We just never had discrimination in Panama. Racism is a concept that makes no sense to a Panamanian. We have had immigrants who are white people, Chinese, Koreans, Indians, black people from Africa, and people from all over Europe. We not only have different races, but we have different nationalities here in Panama. We have Venezuelans, Argentineans, Colombians, and many others.
Panamanians cannot be racist because there is no such thing as a pure race “Panamanian”. You can find green-eyed, blonde Panamanians, and you can black Panamanians. Both are Panamanians. They can each have kids, their kids go to school together, perhaps later they fall in love and get married, and then their kids have kids who are a beautiful mix, perhaps from a white guy with a black woman who have this gorgeous daughter who is astonishing.
I want to be very firm on this. Anybody who says that in Panama we have racism imports that idea.
We accept everybody in Panama. We don’t have those walls keeping our brains inside the jail. As another example, one of my clients who just came in today is a white European guy who has a multi-million dollar company. He met a black woman here. She is amazing and both he and she are geniuses. Now, they’re married. She is black as the night and he is white as the day. They are happy and go out and their race doesn’t matter. It’s not an issue. She told me that she did have some resistance in a South American country that she never had in Panama. Not all the Latin American countries are like Panama.
An interesting phenomenon I see is when people who come from other countries that do have racism come here to Panama and, after a short while, act differently than they would in their own country. They go crazy, because in their countries, for example, it may not be acceptable for a white man o date a black woman, but in Panama, there’s no reason not to and the black women here in Panama are very attractive. Those guys come to my country and end up dating all the black girls they can. They are having fun and everyone is happy.
Even historically, Panama never had slavery. Back in the days when the Spanish used Panama to transport slaves, if a slave escaped from the ship and arrived at Panama, that slave was free.
Amongst my friends, we are so open and so relaxed regarding race relations, that if you have a black friend, you call him “negrito”, which is “little black guy”, and he’s happy to call you “cholito”, which here in Panama refers to a person that is a mix between the Spanish and the Indians. In either case, and no one gets offended. If I have a Panamanian Chinese friend, with love, I call him “Chino”, and he’s fine with that. We can do this because we don’t have racial issues.
There is no homegrown racism in Panama. Any racism we have is imported. It would come from somebody who came with their own culture, and felt racism from their own country or it could be from someone who brought it to Panama and they try to convince other people to be racist in Panama, which doesn’t work.
Recently, there have been some very minor and transitory issues, but those issues are imported. For example, I know of cases where black people who came from the United States at first believed that they had been discriminated against by their bosses because they were black. Soon, they realized that we have more black people here in Panama than we have white people, and we don’t care about a person’s race.
We just never had discrimination in Panama. Racism is a concept that makes no sense to a Panamanian. We have had immigrants who are white people, Chinese, Koreans, Indians, black people from Africa, and people from all over Europe. We not only have different races, but we have different nationalities here in Panama. We have Venezuelans, Argentineans, Colombians, and many others.
Panamanians cannot be racist because there is no such thing as a pure race “Panamanian”. You can find green-eyed, blonde Panamanians, and you can black Panamanians. Both are Panamanians. They can each have kids, their kids go to school together, perhaps later they fall in love and get married, and then their kids have kids who are a beautiful mix, perhaps from a white guy with a black woman who have this gorgeous daughter who is astonishing.
I want to be very firm on this. Anybody who says that in Panama we have racism imports that idea.
We accept everybody in Panama. We don’t have those walls keeping our brains inside the jail. As another example, one of my clients who just came in today is a white European guy who has a multi-million dollar company. He met a black woman here. She is amazing and both he and she are geniuses. Now, they’re married. She is black as the night and he is white as the day. They are happy and go out and their race doesn’t matter. It’s not an issue. She told me that she did have some resistance in a South American country that she never had in Panama. Not all the Latin American countries are like Panama.
An interesting phenomenon I see is when people who come from other countries that do have racism come here to Panama and, after a short while, act differently than they would in their own country. They go crazy, because in their countries, for example, it may not be acceptable for a white man o date a black woman, but in Panama, there’s no reason not to and the black women here in Panama are very attractive. Those guys come to my country and end up dating all the black girls they can. They are having fun and everyone is happy.
I have a lot of friends from other countries who don’t talk about it, but the fact is, that in their country, the races do not mix, but when those guys come to Panama, they love, for example, the very attractive black women we have here and they date them. These guys have a blast, and they tell me “This is not good in my country, but here in Panama, nobody cares.” That’s something that I like about my country.
Posted September 7, 2014
Neil Stein - Panama Paraiso
Some people even look down on their own people who have darker skin. I think this is a fact that I have found to be true all over the world, which I really have a problem with because I cannot believe that it is prevalent here in Panama. I found it is prevalent all around the world that people are judged based on their skin color.
As an example, I know of a very talented Panamanian artist in the market, who has very dark skin and he has told me many times that many...
Some people even look down on their own people who have darker skin. I think this is a fact that I have found to be true all over the world, which I really have a problem with because I cannot believe that it is prevalent here in Panama. I found it is prevalent all around the world that people are judged based on their skin color.
As an example, I know of a very talented Panamanian artist in the market, who has very dark skin and he has told me many times that many Panamanians look down upon him. Even if they do not know him, automatically people look down upon him because he is a dark-skinned Panamanian. It is sad.
Posted October 2, 2014
Terry Bradford
The people in Panama are not racists. I was explaining to our hairdresser about a week ago that in the United States, people will look at another couple and say, “That person is married to a black person?” or “This person is Chinese but he is married to a blonde?” Here in Panama, they have different cultures and mixed marriages but they are loving and wonderful people. Our hairdresser could not believe that there is racial tension in the US. He could not...
The people in Panama are not racists. I was explaining to our hairdresser about a week ago that in the United States, people will look at another couple and say, “That person is married to a black person?” or “This person is Chinese but he is married to a blonde?” Here in Panama, they have different cultures and mixed marriages but they are loving and wonderful people. Our hairdresser could not believe that there is racial tension in the US. He could not believe that anybody could be so mean and evil.
The manager of Bob’s (my husband) football team is a dark-skinned Panamanian who smiles from ear to ear, his wife is from Poland, and she has white skin and blonde hair. They make the cutest couple. They are loving, honest, extremely educated, and hardworking people.
Posted October 5, 2014
kevin obrien - BarefootPanama
There is racial diversity and not a lot of racial tension in Panama. Discrimination exists here just as it exists everywhere else in the world, but it is not a big issue. If you are Asian, local Panamanians would call you a Chino (in Spanish, "Chino" literally means "Chinese"), but it is not like they are saying it as a racial slur. They call everyone that looks Asian, a Chino, regardless of if they are actually Chinese or not.
One of...
There is racial diversity and not a lot of racial tension in Panama. Discrimination exists here just as it exists everywhere else in the world, but it is not a big issue. If you are Asian, local Panamanians would call you a Chino (in Spanish, "Chino" literally means "Chinese"), but it is not like they are saying it as a racial slur. They call everyone that looks Asian, a Chino, regardless of if they are actually Chinese or not.
One of my best friends who came from Texas but is of Vietnamese descent came here to Panama and was called a Chino because he is Asian. Locals do not mean that to discriminate. They are not being racist; it is just that if you look Asian they would call you a Chino. If you are white, they would call you a gringo, even if you were born in the Panama Canal Zone. Overall, I do not sense a lot of racial tension here in Panama because it is a melting pot of different people.
Posted October 20, 2014
Lucia Haines - Panama Realtor Inc.
There is a lot of tolerance and acceptance in Panama and no racial tension. In addition, there is not really a political correctness in Panama like there is in the United States. I myself do not have the feeling that I need to monitor all the time what comes out of my mouth. If you are Chinese, you are Chinese, and people here in Panama will refer to you as “Chino” or “Chinito,” (“Chinito” can mean both “a Chinese person” and the store...
There is a lot of tolerance and acceptance in Panama and no racial tension. In addition, there is not really a political correctness in Panama like there is in the United States. I myself do not have the feeling that I need to monitor all the time what comes out of my mouth. If you are Chinese, you are Chinese, and people here in Panama will refer to you as “Chino” or “Chinito,” (“Chinito” can mean both “a Chinese person” and the store where you shop, “the Chinito Store.”) If you are Gringo-looking, if you are American-looking, Canadian-looking or European-looking, they will refer to you as a Gringo, and it is not something that I have ever taken personally or to be offensive; it is just you are what you are. I am lighter skinned, I have freckles, so I look like a Gringa.
Within the Panama Canal Zone many years ago, there used to be race issues, big time. You had the Silver Row versus the Gold Row, which were different pay scales, depending on what you did. So people like line handlers (who were predominantly of West Indian descent) were on the Silver Row, so they got paid less.
In Panama today, I guess some people could incorrectly perceive what we have in Panama is racism. There is a big Chinese population in Panama, which are referred to as “Chinos”, and it is just the way it is done here. I have never really spoken to them about how they feel about it, but I do not think that they look at being Chinese as a bad thing; they just accept it. There are certain parts of Panama City where you will find large Jewish populations. They kind of stick together. There is other part of Panama City, like Rio Abajo for example, where you find a lot people of West Indian or Caribbean descent, and you will find a lot of West Indian style restaurants there.
The way I see it, is that everybody here in Panama accepts what they are, they accept their differences, and they embrace them. There is more classism here than racism; the “haves” versus the “have nots.”
Posted October 29, 2014
Antonio Cheng - Romero Realty
There is not much racial tension here in Panama. We have racial diversity here. You will see Russians, Italians, Chinese, Muslims, Jewish, Americans, Indians, Brazilians. Panama is a melting pot of people from different parts of the world and everyone gets along.
You will see some people who separate themselves in groups, not by race, but by class. Because of the housing costs, where you can buy a house will be dependent on how much you can afford. People...
There is not much racial tension here in Panama. We have racial diversity here. You will see Russians, Italians, Chinese, Muslims, Jewish, Americans, Indians, Brazilians. Panama is a melting pot of people from different parts of the world and everyone gets along.
You will see some people who separate themselves in groups, not by race, but by class. Because of the housing costs, where you can buy a house will be dependent on how much you can afford. People with middle income and higher income want to live in better areas.
The Chinese people have been here since the times of the Gold Rush in California. Chinese people here in Panama are treated very much the same as Panamanians because they have strong ties with Panamanian communities. There are even two Chinatowns here in Panama City similar to Los Angeles. The old Chinatown is where the older people stay and the new Chinatown, which is in El Dorado, is where the younger people stay.
Posted November 6, 2014
Bill Hamilton - Bill Hamilton
There’s no racial tension at all in Panama, none whatsoever. This is the only place I’ve ever seen that has no conflict whatsoever between any nationality, race, color or creed. The people in Panama wind up intermarrying, which is common. It is also common to see people of different races as friends. We have good friends who are natives on the Kuna Yala island. (The natives are called Kuna Indians.) They send people to the island, but...
There’s no racial tension at all in Panama, none whatsoever. This is the only place I’ve ever seen that has no conflict whatsoever between any nationality, race, color or creed. The people in Panama wind up intermarrying, which is common. It is also common to see people of different races as friends. We have good friends who are natives on the Kuna Yala island. (The natives are called Kuna Indians.) They send people to the island, but they cannot speak English, so if someone sends an inquiry, they cannot answer it. My wife Mieke volunteered her services as a favor. She said, “Give them my private email and send the inquiries to me.” So now, she gets the inquiries, replies for them and does the booking and explains these to them in Spanish, for nothing.
Posted December 12, 2014
Jennifer Moloney Jones
As a whole, there is a lot of racial acceptance here in Panama. I am not saying that there are no issues at all. There is the issue stemming from the “haves and have-nots,” but I don’t think that is necessarily restricted to race, because it has more to do with wealth. I personally spend time in the interior and mix with people of different backgrounds and I have never experienced any racial tension. I think the people of Panama are very...
As a whole, there is a lot of racial acceptance here in Panama. I am not saying that there are no issues at all. There is the issue stemming from the “haves and have-nots,” but I don’t think that is necessarily restricted to race, because it has more to do with wealth. I personally spend time in the interior and mix with people of different backgrounds and I have never experienced any racial tension. I think the people of Panama are very accepting because it is such an eclectic country that has had so many different influences in it that racial tension is certainly less than the UK or the US or in Europe. People here in Panama tend to not notice so much where you are from.
Posted March 12, 2015
Michael A. Martinez - B & B Real Estate Nicaragua / Panama Real Estate Information
There’s a wide acceptance in Panama. Panamanians are a very proud and a very mixed people. We’re a country that is part Caribbean and part Pacific. We have indigenous people who are descendants from the Mayans and we also have a Caribbean community. Panama used to be part of Colombia and I think was also part of Mexico at one time. I have been to many Central American countries and compared to those, Panama is the melting pot and is more open. Panama is a little bit...There’s a wide acceptance in Panama. Panamanians are a very proud and a very mixed people. We’re a country that is part Caribbean and part Pacific. We have indigenous people who are descendants from the Mayans and we also have a Caribbean community. Panama used to be part of Colombia and I think was also part of Mexico at one time. I have been to many Central American countries and compared to those, Panama is the melting pot and is more open. Panama is a little bit different. We are real and you can see it in the people and the culture. We have a mix of everything here and I think that’s what makes the people here more accepting.When compared to the United States, there’s more racial tension there than in Panama. You’d never hear of any racial tension in Panama like what you would hear of it in the United States. The only discrimination in Panama is against the indigenous poor because they have a different lifestyle. They live differently than most and stick to themselves. We have a lot of comarca (indigenous) areas and for me, it is more of economic buffering. I think people who may be discriminated against elsewehre would fare a lot better in Panama because I don’t think racial discrimination is an issue.
(A Guna woman from the comarca north of the Darién Province by her cooking fires, pictured.)
Posted April 25, 2015
Penny Barrett - Fundacion Bid 4 Bouquete
One of the things I like best about Panama is that there is no "political correctness" like in the U.S. Nobody is hung up on the racial thing. Most Panamanians are a mixture of black, Indian, and Spanish heritage.
Most of them are brown skinned.
The interesting thing is that the truly black people almost always speak English because they come from the Caribbean side and are of Jamaican or West Indian...
One of the things I like best about Panama is that there is no "political correctness" like in the U.S. Nobody is hung up on the racial thing. Most Panamanians are a mixture of black, Indian, and Spanish heritage.
Most of them are brown skinned.
The interesting thing is that the truly black people almost always speak English because they come from the Caribbean side and are of Jamaican or West Indian heritage.
Everybody knows that the Chinese are the best business people and there is a little jealousy because of that. But I truly don't think that any group feels discriminated against (even gringos).
(Men on horseback riding into town in Chiriqui, Panama, pictured.)
Posted April 30, 2015
Lourdes Townshend
Since the construction of the Panamá Canal completed in 1914 to the present time, Panamanians have welcomed all kinds of people, from the West Indies, Europe, China, Africa, and all over the world.
Panamá has always been the "Path of the Americas," as Panamá has always been the center of commerce since the 14th century when was used to transport all the gold from South America to Spain. So, is not uncommon at all, that this warm...
Panamá has always been the "Path of the Americas," as Panamá has always been the center of commerce since the 14th century when was used to transport all the gold from South America to Spain. So, is not uncommon at all, that this warm...
Since the construction of the Panamá Canal completed in 1914 to the present time, Panamanians have welcomed all kinds of people, from the West Indies, Europe, China, Africa, and all over the world.
Panamá has always been the "Path of the Americas," as Panamá has always been the center of commerce since the 14th century when was used to transport all the gold from South America to Spain. So, is not uncommon at all, that this warm and caring people from Panamá accept all races, nationalities and religions with the upmost tolerance.
Panamá has a very diversified culture, and all communities, no matter where are they from, gets along extremely well. There are, though, maybe social classes, but this is just because the wealthy people live in their very own, gated communities, but when generosity is needed, all of them take the same side hand-in-hand to help one another.
There are some communities exclusive for some special groups, like the native Indians in their "comarcas" (kind of reservations), or black, Mediterranean or Jewish people, mainly in Colón: or European from Yugoslavia, Italy or other countries who had established years ago mainly in the province of Chiriquí, to take advantage of the cool mountain weather. But again, all of them welcome one another, and enjoy their stay in Panamá, and feel very safe and comfortable, minding their own business, and going to any church of their preference.
Panamá has always been the "Path of the Americas," as Panamá has always been the center of commerce since the 14th century when was used to transport all the gold from South America to Spain. So, is not uncommon at all, that this warm and caring people from Panamá accept all races, nationalities and religions with the upmost tolerance.
Panamá has a very diversified culture, and all communities, no matter where are they from, gets along extremely well. There are, though, maybe social classes, but this is just because the wealthy people live in their very own, gated communities, but when generosity is needed, all of them take the same side hand-in-hand to help one another.There are some communities exclusive for some special groups, like the native Indians in their "comarcas" (kind of reservations), or black, Mediterranean or Jewish people, mainly in Colón: or European from Yugoslavia, Italy or other countries who had established years ago mainly in the province of Chiriquí, to take advantage of the cool mountain weather. But again, all of them welcome one another, and enjoy their stay in Panamá, and feel very safe and comfortable, minding their own business, and going to any church of their preference.
(Queen of the Congo Dance, Panamá, pictured.)
Posted May 4, 2015
MANUEL GRANADOS - MEDICAL SERVICE PANAMA, S.A. (MS PANAMA, S.A.)
There is no discrimination here in Panama. Everybody gets along with the people from other places or other countries. Here in Panama, there are many Colombians, Venezuelans, Mexicans, Canadians, Europeans, and Spanish but the original people in Panama are indigenous people. There is no discrimination here in Panama; there’s no such thing. Indian people marry Indian people. Jewish people tend to only marry Jewish people here...
There is no discrimination here in Panama. Everybody gets along with the people from other places or other countries. Here in Panama, there are many Colombians, Venezuelans, Mexicans, Canadians, Europeans, and Spanish but the original people in Panama are indigenous people. There is no discrimination here in Panama; there’s no such thing. Indian people marry Indian people. Jewish people tend to only marry Jewish people here in Panama, but sometimes you would see a Jewish woman marry a Panamanian guy here. They are also Panamanians but they are a part of a different race.
In Panama, it is very common here to see black person with a white person and it does not matter.
Posted May 21, 2015
David Btesh - Pacific Realty / Pacific Developers
There is not racial tension as such in Panama. There is no such thing and everybody is accepted.Similar to the United States, Panama is a melting pot. I don’t think any country in the world is not represented here in Panama. Especially in Panama City, we have immigrants from Russia, Afghanistan, India, etc. They even have their own restaurants here and places where they buy the food they like. You go to a Chinese place, where they have canned and...
There is not racial tension as such in Panama. There is no such thing and everybody is accepted.Similar to the United States, Panama is a melting pot. I don’t think any country in the world is not represented here in Panama. Especially in Panama City, we have immigrants from Russia, Afghanistan, India, etc. They even have their own restaurants here and places where they buy the food they like. You go to a Chinese place, where they have canned and frozen items from China. You go to the Super Kosher to buy cornflakes made in Israel. You can also buy the various sweets from Italy that come in every morning. Everything is here; there is nothing missing.
(Happy patron of Super Kosher, a kosher food market, serving Jewish and Christians who enjoy their fresh meat, Panama City, Panama, pictured.)
Posted October 28, 2015
Daryl Ries - Keller Williams Panama, associate
Panama is a country of 3 million people that have a mixed heritage. First were the indigenous Indian tribes that are distinctly different from each other. Then you have the Spanish who created a new race of mestizos when they mixed with the Indians. Panama also still has the forbears of the original Spanish settlers, be they of the conquistadores or those escaping the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition. Additionally the slave trade brought many here that have integrated for...Panama is a country of 3 million people that have a mixed heritage. First were the indigenous Indian tribes that are distinctly different from each other. Then you have the Spanish who created a new race of mestizos when they mixed with the Indians. Panama also still has the forbears of the original Spanish settlers, be they of the conquistadores or those escaping the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition. Additionally the slave trade brought many here that have integrated for the most part into the bloodline of Panama, so that many Panamanians are Indians, Spanish, and black. There’s another mixture that is very significant, which are the Chinese. There are many thousands of Chinese in Panama that came initially to build the canal railroad, so you find many Panamanians with Chinese family names.
I had lived in Hong Kong a long time, so I was very happy that there are so many Chinese people and Chinese influence in Panama. There are many products that I can get from China as the Chinese here dominate local grocery chains and not least, shipping.
On the fringes of the Panamanian culture, indigenous people suffer the deepest poverty, and the most neglected people are those black communities that have not integrated into the mainstream of Panama. Primarily blacks inhabit these shantytowns. I’ve heard people refer to them as runaway slaves referring to the history of these people brought over with the slave trade eventually starting their own communities in remote places but economically they have had few advantages to progress.
Prejudice always exists on the fringes in Panama, as opposed to the mainstream in the US.
(Sun Yat Sen monument, Panama City, Panama, pictured.)
Posted October 7, 2016
Lola Braxton - Services Toby
Thank goodness there is NO racial tension in Panama and no problems with acceptance. In any country I think that if you go to a country thinking you can change their customs, you are wrong.
But one word of advice: try to learn the language. Even a few words help.
(Lola Braxton and family celebrating Christmas in David, Panama, pictured.)
Thank goodness there is NO racial tension in Panama and no problems with acceptance. In any country I think that if you go to a country thinking you can change their customs, you are wrong.
But one word of advice: try to learn the language. Even a few words help.
(Lola Braxton and family celebrating Christmas in David, Panama, pictured.)
Posted October 13, 2016
John Gilbert - PanamaKeys
I see no American-style racism in Panama. I have yet to experience that at all. I have experienced occasions where because I speak a limited amount of Spanish, people will sometimes appear to become frustrated because I can’t communicate with them correctly in their language, although I try very hard to speak Spanish. I wouldn’t call that racism, though. It’s more of a frustration level because we come in to their country but can’t...
I see no American-style racism in Panama. I have yet to experience that at all. I have experienced occasions where because I speak a limited amount of Spanish, people will sometimes appear to become frustrated because I can’t communicate with them correctly in their language, although I try very hard to speak Spanish. I wouldn’t call that racism, though. It’s more of a frustration level because we come in to their country but can’t communicate fully in their language, which I totally understand. I can’t think of a single incidence where I’ve been overtly hated against because I’m white, or because I’m an American.
In the United States, you see the race flare ups today going on in regard to Black Lives Matter and those types of things. You don’t see those things here in Panama at all. The whole black-white racism thing that exists in the United States simply does not exist here.
There are many black, white, and Asian people here. No one goes around saying, “I’m being discriminated against because of the color of my skin.” That’s not a concept here.
What you do see sometimes is the indigenous people rising up to demand their rights most usually these days because of the hydroelectric programs that are going on in Panama. The indigenous people feel that sometimes the government is invading and changing their land in a way that they can’t use it the way they always have, and they will protest about those things.
As an expat, you never see the issues with the indigenous people, but because we read the newspaper here we know that from time to time those things pop up. That’s a different situation than somebody walking around feeling oppressed because of the color of their skin.
(John Gilbert trying on hats in David, Panama, pictured.)
Posted May 24, 2017
Kathya de Chong - Alto Boquete Condominios
There is no racial tension in Panama. Panamanians are used to living with people from all over the world, and there are some very strong communities that have been established in Panama a very long time ago. For example, there’s the Chinese community, the Jewish community, and communities that include expats from all over the world. At the moment, Panama is dealing with an immigration crisis from other countries like Venezuela. In some ways,...
There is no racial tension in Panama. Panamanians are used to living with people from all over the world, and there are some very strong communities that have been established in Panama a very long time ago. For example, there’s the Chinese community, the Jewish community, and communities that include expats from all over the world. At the moment, Panama is dealing with an immigration crisis from other countries like Venezuela. In some ways, there are Panamanians who are not in favor of letting these newer immigrants into the country, but most of the members of the community understand. It is not a racial issue against Venezuela but rather a problem where citizens of Venezuela come into Panama illegally taking jobs.
It’s very common for people here in Panama to have friends who are not of the same race. In fact, our children go to school with children from different parts of the world. As a child, you start sharing your growth with different people, so most of the older and younger people are used to interacting with people from different races. It’s also common for Panamanians and other races to inter-marry with one another and merge families.
(The CEO and owners of of Alto Boquete Condominios and Progreso Realty, Boquete, Panama, pictured.)
Posted July 29, 2017
Lourdes Townshend
From the time it was a Spanish colony in the 15th Century, Panama was the center of commerce to the American continent, especially with regard to the gold that left South America for Spain. This left an invaluable history in Panama, in which the city of Portobelo, in the province of Colón, played a very important role. Colón was the location of the construction of the Interoceanic Railway, which today moves thousands of passengers between the cities of Panama...From the time it was a Spanish colony in the 15th Century, Panama was the center of commerce to the American continent, especially with regard to the gold that left South America for Spain. This left an invaluable history in Panama, in which the city of Portobelo, in the province of Colón, played a very important role. Colón was the location of the construction of the Interoceanic Railway, which today moves thousands of passengers between the cities of Panama and Colón, to the delight of tourists, bordering the Panama Canal, and being the transportation center for millions of cargo containers that transit through the canal, for the convenience of world trade. The construction of one of the Eighth Wonders of the World, The Panama Canal, completed in 1914 and recently expanded to accommodate Panamax ships, makes Panama an exemplary economy among the nations of the world, despite being such a small country.
Panama is country that welcomed thousands and thousands of foreigners with a single dream: work and provide for the well-being for their family. Workers from the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, the United States and Asia came. Each group contributed their culture, language and qualities, in which Panama and its people, in harmony, could live pleasantly, to this day, when again a massive influx of foreigners seek a refuge and economic prosperity in our beloved Country, which, although small in territory, is enormous in heart.
For that, Panama has always been, is and will remain, "Heart of the World, and Bridge of the Universe", where all races live peacefully, as long as they bring peace and good intentions, without racism, without tension, following the law of God and the laws of a country that welcomes them with affection.
Panama has an enviable climate, which attracts many foreigners as well as very competitive prices compared to other countries, where foreigners feel much more comfortable than in their own countries, especially in basic needs of light and water. Panama is a fertile land where fruits and vegetables of all kinds are grown and sold at a very good price, especially if you buy them in the famous "peddlers" at the traffic lights.
Speaking of the family, Panama has many interracial families. There are many families in the Middle East living together here, especially those who have business in the Colon Free Zone area. Bi-cultural is very normal in Panama.
India and China has a major community in Panama, as well as the US and Europeans. Expats feel at home. One thing that is certain is that Panama is a GREAT COUNTRY, where you can live a quiet life, a family life. Of course, like any cosmopolitan country with so much advancement and development, great buildings, great international business, and advanced technology, Panama City is not free from dangers found in every great city. So always a visitor should be cautious and be careful not to stay in dangerous areas. And if you enjoy nature, culture, simplicity and live a country life, visit to the "interior", passing through the tourist corridor of beaches and mountains, which is a very beautiful experience.
Due to the large number of foreigners looking for residence, house prices have risen, so those looking for a transfer, or a retreat here, must do their research well before making their decision.
And for those visitors looking for tranquility, adventure, sunshine, scientific work and something different, Panama is going to receive their visit with joy. Panama does not promise new residents to live up to great nations like the G-8 group where they are great powers, but what we have, we offer with simplicity.
There is a lot of sophistication in Panama City. For example, you will see that Panamanians’ dress code is very high.
Panama is, has been, and will continue to be ... a beautiful jewel.
(The ruins of Fort San Lorenzo, near Colon, Panama, pictured.)
Posted August 19, 2017