“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
Mohandas Gandhi
Our aim in this page is to introduce the many facets of our Panamanian Westindian Culture. We are hoping to open discussion on the role Westindian Culture, as a whole, is to play in the Study of Blacks in the Americas. The proponents of Black Studies in the United States are to be commended for opening the vehicle of Black Studies first in he Universities, but for the rest of us living in the countries and islands that make up the Americas, such studies, by and about Blacks in our culture, are still in the realm of dreams that intellectuals dabble in to be “exotic.”
We would like to invite all of our readers to peruse the sections we have listed below. Your comments are valued and always welcome.
–Our Cultural Legends in Profile.
-The Living Cultural Treasures of the Silver People.
The Silver People Heritage Foundation 
Renaldo, years ago, can’t remember how long ago, I saw a T.V. documentary on on the building of the Panama Canal. In the doc, they interviewed (at that time it was recorded)some of the Caribbean Black survivors, (most from Jamaica) that built the canal. They told their personal experience of dealing with America’s Jim Crow laws, being paid with pieces of silver(10 cents a day), while white workers got gold.The job site for Black workers was more dangerous then a war battlefield. Thousands of Black workers were killed, over 5,000 in all. Can you fathom a job site in America today where 5,000 workers are killed in industrial accidents. Most of the workers were killed transporting unstable nitro. They got paid an extra days wages to carry the explosives.
They would tie bits of paper to clothing with their names inscribed (like soldier before a big battle). Anyway, I mention the building of the canal in the historical novel in the works. I can’t locate the documentary!! Any ideas(might have been on PBS) where I can locate a copy?
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Sorry Jumal that film is outdated and that is way we have started B logging. By the way what are you up to? Can you do something in your sphere of influence to get people knowledgeable about the topic? The questions are not intended as a put down but is part of our survey and let us know how knowlegeble our readers are.
Happy reading!
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Is there documentation of the people who lived in “Red Tank” -in terms of pictures old archives,newsews paper clipping … My family lived in Red Tank is there anything written about it.I’ve never seen or heard anyone mention it. If you do have in formation please send .
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Renaldo,
We’ve written extensively on Red Tank and on its residents who were clearly outspoken and who proved to be quite industrious and intelligent. After all, this is where some great leaders like Teacher Ed Gaskin were born.
Check out our articles about the Silver Townships, Red Tank include. You can start at:
The Silver Townships- Red Tank- Part I
You will discover much about your proud ancestors.
RR
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Dear Mr. Reid
As a young boy my father ( Edmund E. Rogers ) would always talk and tell us about his formative years gowing up in ” Red Tank”, and the al l things he and my aunts and uncles did as children, these stories hav always bring joy to both us, me listening and him telling,but my father passed on 3 years ago, I do miss him , espeacially the stories of the old Canal Zone and Panama. I have been trying to go back home to visit but with the fast tempo of the military it is a difficult task. But by reading and learning about our past it brings me great joy, and again thank you and God Bless you and your family.
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Dear Mr. Rogers:
Like you we are pained regarding the loss of some valuable and important Intangible Cultural Heritage. Those things and more are the fuel that keeps us going and we are very proud of our Silver People Heritage and the tremendous military heritage of Silver Roll Descendants in the early 1900’s to the present. We here are fortunate to have been able to get so far but much of our Silver Heritage data are just not available.
We pray to our God that you and the other Panamanians serving would come home safe and as soon as you can come back home to Panama.
Much Love and Blesssing from your humble servant,
RR
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