Several Panamanian and Mexican artists are paying tribute to the expressions and rituals of Congo culture through a colorful mural in order to praise the roots brought by African ancestors to the American continent, organizers of the initiative said Monday.
Declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2018, the Congo encompasses the contemporary vision of a celebration of the descendants of rebellious black slaves from the colonial era, in which it has its greatest presence in the region of Portobelo, in the Atlantic province of Colón.
For this reason, the mural entitled "The Journey" shows on brushes the work of the artists of the Portobelo workshop, such as Manuel "Tatu" Golden, Gustavo Esquina de la Espada, Virgilio "Tito" Esquina, Ariel Jiménez "Pajarito", Virgilio "Yaneca" Esquina; and the Mexicans Baltazar Castellano Melo and Olga Manzano.
"This exhibition is the fair name of what they have achieved, a journey from the historical memory of their Africanness," highlighted the president of the Portobelo Bay Foundation, Sandra Eleta, about the ancestors and their roots.
The founder of the workshop also highlighted the works of Baltazar and Olga, for illuminating the façade where half of Mexico and Portobelo converge, with a universe of their own from both perspectives.
The exhibition, which is made up of several paintings and interventions in a space of the Cultural Center of Spain-Casa del Soldado, and at the same time the façade with the mural, highlights leading figures such as the Black Christ of Portobelo, music, dance and the sea.
Claudi Carreras, curator of the exhibition, who had previously worked with the artists on the "Africamericanos" project, said that the importance of this exhibition is based on the process of articulation and cultural consolidation of the region.
"With this work we can tell other stories that have been traditionally made invisible, and that now claim their role in the construction of a new imaginary, more balanced, and that better dimension the plurality and richness of Panamanian culture," said Carreras.
The Spanish ambassador to Panama, Ramón Santos, said that the activity is also included in the International Decade of Afro-descendants, which has the motto "Recognition, Justice and Development."
At the same time, it celebrates the 500th anniversary of the founding of the oldest city in the Pacific, which makes it possible to recognize and make visible the African heritage, which has been so important in the construction of the Panamanian identity.
The exhibition, organized by the Cultural Center of Spain and the Bahía de Portobelo Foundation, Casa Congo Gallery, is part of the Africa in America Festival, organized by the Mayor's Office of Panama.
Source: TVN
