“When I realized I would have a 22 hour layover in Panama for my flight from Quito, Ecuador to
“When I realized I would have a 22 hour layover in Panama for my flight from Quito, Ecuador to Chicago, I knew immediately who to contact in order to make the most of my first time in Central America, Afro Latino Travel! Dash Harris responded almost immediately with several different options based upon my interests in experiencing cultural, historical and culinary aspects of the African Diaspora in Panama. Upon landing in Panama City at 8:00AM on the Pacific Coast, we took an hour bus to Colón province on the Atlantic Coast, and from there made our way to the port city of Portobelo by bus.Culturally I was most intrigued by the Black diversity of Colón, owing to generations of Black immigrants from Jamaica, Barbados and other Caribbean islands, who spoke English, patois, French and Spanish and brought the cultural traditions of the Antilles to the Atlantic coast of Panama. Historically, I was blown away by the rich history of Portobelo. Located in a natural bay, the small, beautiful and rural city features at least three Afrodiasporic sites of cultural heritage. The Church of the Black Christ, a colonial era fort overlooking the bay with a sobering hold where enslaved Africans were held, and an annual festival known as the Diablo Tun Tun representing Panama’s rich and sustained tradition of Afrodiasporic religion and secret Congo societies.From strolling through the historic and majestic sites of Portobelo to lounging on the almost private beaches of La Angosta, where fresh avocados fall from the tree and to your feet, I had such a rich and diverse experience traveling throughout Panama in less than 24 hours, thanks to the Afro Latino Travel, that I could not have done on my own, and doubt most mainstream travel agencies specialize in respectful Afrodiasporic cultural engagement.”-Theo, Chicago -- source link
#panama#portobelo#afrolatino travel#caribbean#black history#afropanama