Author: MADISON PETTA

I am choosing to cover Panama for my beat memo. I choose Panama because I am traveling there this upcoming weekend and thought it would be a great opportunity to talk to people there and become integrated in the Panamanian culture here in Brooklyn.

The second weekend of October, there is a Panamanian Day Parade in Brooklyn. They celebrate Panama’s separation from Columbia, which took place on November 3, 1903. They have commemorated this moment for the past 25 years with this parade which stretches from Franklin Avenue to Bergen St. The parade highlights Panamanian-Caribbean and Latin American food specialties, dance, and music. This will be my first story. I am planning on doing a photo story, to really capture the color and life of the parade and its people. I have reached out to several of the hosts of the parade and heard back from two who agreed to chat with me. In addition, Enrique Small, a community leader and the President of the Panamanian Day Parade has agreed to do an interview with me. Lastly, I also plan to interview and photograph the attendees and vendors.

For my second story, I have not decided on doing photo or print. I would like to visit Panamanian spots located here in Brooklyn, mostly around Crown Heights and Flatbush. Michelle’s Cocktail Lounge or commonly referred to as “La Mi-Shell-E”, KC Gourmet Empanadas, El Carnaval, and Nimbley’s Bakery are just a few of Brooklyn’s popular Panamanian-owned eateries that I want to visit in the upcoming months. I want this story to center around Panamanian culture and how it has integrated itself into our local Brooklyn neighborhoods. I will be reaching out to the owners of these establishments to see if they would be willing to interview or have me shoot some photos of their spots.

I am not sure what direction I want to go in for my third story yet. Maybe something that goes into more depth about Panama’s political climate. Over the past several months Panamanians have contributed to the largest protests seen on their land, demanding the government steps in to curb inflation and lower fuel and food prices in Panama City. This could be something I talk to people about while I am in the country this weekend. Or if I end up in th Guna Island area, I could get photos of local houses, artisans, and the boats the community relies on without being too intrusive. These photos would focus more on the location and culture while the essay could elaborate on why this area is threatened by climate change.

I think I would like to focus my reporting this semester around Panama. Personally, I don’t have much of a connection to the country nor to its culture; but, I admire it greatly, and don’t see the country represented too much in our news cycles. I also was given a rare opportunity at the end of September to go on a short 4-day trip to Panama, in company with my best friend who is a photographer. I haven’t been able to travel as much as I used to because of what our world has lived through the last few years; so, I figured with this trip planned in the middle of our semester it could be a perfect opportunity to get direct Panamanian sources for cultural pieces and possibly create photo-stories in alignment with my friend.

There is a lot going on in Panama right now despite its little coverage in American news cycles (at least what I have been witness to). Just this past July, a 3 week long protest (involving road blockages) against high fuel and food costs has caused shortages for food, fuel and medicine. These have been the biggest protests Panamanians have ever contributed to.