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Los
Congos de Costa Arriba: A living tradition in art
Arturo Lindsay © 1997 |
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| In 1502, on his
fourth and final voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus entered a
natural harbor on the Caribbean coast of Panama which he called Porto Belo,
Italian for beautiful harbor. By the end of the century Portobelo had become
one of the most important Spanish settlements in the Americas. The first
Africans to arrive in the Americas with the Spaniards were hispanized having
lived in Spain as servants, artisans, and slaves. They were called negros
ladinos, and in the early days of Portobelo, served similar roles as
they had in Spain. Literally translated ladino means eloquent or
versatile. Soon after however, enslaved Africans directly imported for hard
labor, referred to as negros bozales, began arriving in Panama for
the building of roads and houses, clearing the jungle, pearl diving, or
working in the mines and on plantations. Literally translated bozal(es)
means wild or untamed. As gold and silver was discovered in South America,
the need for slave labor increased and Portobelo became the seat of embarkation
for more captured Africans. These Africans were later marched over land
to Panama City on the Pacific coast for passage to South America. The gold
and silver from South America was then shipped to Panama City where slaves
along with mules transported it to waiting ships in Portobelo which then
sailed to Spain. |
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From the moment Africans were
captured in their native lands the will to escape dominated their daily
lives. Slaves on the Northeast coast of Panama, also referred to as Costa
Arriba, began escaping in large numbers. Their descendants who still live
in this region are known today as Congos. Their legend and historical
accounts record the names of several well known kings among them Felipillo,
a ladino; Bayano, an African prince in his own land; Domingo Congo;
Antón Mandinga; Luis de Mozambique, and Juan de Dioso. When the Africans
escaped they headed directly to the jungle and the mountains where the
Spanish encountered great difficulties trying to recapture them. Because
of the similarity of climatic conditions and vegetation between West Africa
and Panama, they had an advantage over the enslavers who pursued them.
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Congo performance today is
a dramatized oral tradition that brings to life the history and culture
of the group beginning each year on the 20th of January with the raising
of the Congo's black and white flag, and ending on Ash Wednesday with
the "baptism of the devils." The tradition consists of six essential elements
including a complex social structure, jargon, material culture, music,
dance, drama, and culinary traditions. These traditions are manifested
during the carnival period in Panama.
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| This slide-video-lecture
will present the traditions of the Congos of Costa Arriba based on
research conducted by Dr. Arturo Lindsay over the last three years and two
field trips made in 1993 and 1994. |
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