Bob Smith

Thank you for your kind words of support, because our spirit cries up to our God because of the situation you describe. The images speak louder than any words to describe the deep anguish we all feel at these moments in our history. Please keep us in your prayers because prayers are important to our God. I’m sure that it was prayer that got our Westindian People through all those years of constant “Scuffling.”

I remind us all of the need we all have for each other regardless of how depressed things might get at times.

Good is blessing you as we connect today!

Cobert Roberto

Concerning the situation at Mount Hope Cemetery, I saw it with my own eyes in 1997 while I buried my mother in July, and went back in August to bury my father. I could not believe my eyes. This was before the transferance of power in 1999.
Mount Hope grass was like the richest green carpet made. We used to walk or skate up to the Cemetery. You know the panamanians are responsible for the Cemetery. The government is always making noises about what they want, but cannot maintain. The key word is maintain. What about the Postal System? Don’t let me go there. (smile) My grandparents are buried in Mount Hope. Both died in 1942, and were from Barbados. Grandmother’s Death Certificate was not with his paper-work, and the place I would assume handled her body, burned down years ago. They lost lots of paper-work. We have a rich history, please don’t let it die out on that side of the world.

I know very well that the old West Indians who died and are resting there were very happy in Panama. Amidts the discrimination, they were proud of their accomplishments of participating in the construction of the Panama Canal. They also were proud of us, their beloved descendants born in Panama.

Our ancestors loved Panama. Apart from the legacy of hard work , dedication, integrity, uprightness and culture they brought to Panama, it’s the great everlasting love that I cherish the most.

Saludos,
Anita

I remember how as children we used to make fun of the different sections within the cemetery.Yes, there was a Chinese section, a Black or Panamanian section,etc.
I just believe a cemetery should be the last place in this world to be divided into ethnic sections.The powers that be couldn’t help themselves, they certainly lost their minds with that .

When I was a little child, the Americans celebrated Memorial Day parade and events right there in the cemetery. Rainbow people never missed those celebrations.

As a child I used to accompany my mom to visit her father’s grave. My mother would clean her father’s grave all by herself then talk to her father.I would look around embarrassingly hoping no one was watching us.

My sister and I do the same thing now with my father who is buried in Mount Hope.When we visit his grave, we have an attendant cut the grass and clean his tombstone, then we both tell my father how much we love and missed him.

I look forward to hearing about measures to rescue Mount Hope.

Saludos,
Anita

I’m so glad you have been able to visit the Corozal Cemetery lately- it is a disturbing experience to see the “utter abandonment of reverent memory,” as you have so eloquently stated, of the authorities. The cemetery was reverted to municipal authorities but, as you can see with Corozal and with most of the over 30 cemeteries they have under their administration, they are not able to keep up.

Please check this site for more updates on the situation and on the measures we are taking to rescue Corozal Cemetery and Mt. Hope in Colon.

We welcome your comments and anecdotes.

CRR

I am from a “Gold Roll” family, and have recently visited graves of some four generations of my ancestors buried at Corozal American Cemetery which is, after the new treaty, maintained beautifully by the American Battlements whatever of the US.

As a little boy I remember going there and being taken by my father to graves not far from my relatives–they were the graves of “local rate” people he knew. When I returned I found the separation between the “American” section and the larger cemetery to be an impossible divide. There is a fence, yes, but the careful maintenence of the “American” secion and the abandonment of the surrounding graveyard is extreem. And I’m not just talking about jungle growth–that can be “romantic”–I’m talking about utter abandonment of reverent memory by the authorities.

Is this an issue for the US? Or, is this an issue for Panama’s government? Who is responsible now for the enforced maintence of construction era graves of what were non US citizens who were the laborforce backbone of US efforts in what was then US controled territory?

The American Cemetery does provide an excellent model for documenting each grave, and for maintence. Does anybody know if there exists any current effort to make the Silver section of this and Mt. Hope cemeteries national Panamanian historic cemeteries? (I did notice that Panama seems to be caring for the old French Cemetery near Paraiso).

Are there any extant records from old American days of “Silver” burials in the Zone?