Zonians- the group they love to hate

Zonian= someone from the (former) Panama Canal Zone

Canal Zone Map with names

When I first proposed this project, I did not make geographical distinctions for people of "West Indian descent". I was thinking solely about where people landed and and not where they came from. Big mistake and one which I thankfully rectified soon after arriving.  Rather than interviewing about 30 people of "West Indian descent" I have broken that group into three parts: people who grew up in Panama (City), people who grew up in the Canal Zone, and people who grew up in Colon.  It makes much more sense to do it this way and I believe this distinctions has made my interviews richer in detail.  Of note: the group that still lacks interviews is people who grew up in the Canal Zone. As many of them live in the US, I already have 4 interviews lined up when I return!

People who grew up in Panama and Colon have expressed a disdain, or distaste, for Black people who grew up in the Panama Canal Zone.  Here are some examples:

ME: Remember last time before I left but we didn’t really talk about it n the interview, you started talking a little bit about Zonians and the relationship you had with them

E: Oh lord! My husband was inside here listening. And when you were gone he was totally ticked off! (E's husband was raised in Panama City. E is from Colon) We all talk about Zonians! The Zonians are just regular West Indian people. Had settled on the Canal Zone and because they live in the Canal Zone and they were living like mostly under the American government, they all thought they were better than the other blacks. The other West Indians,  the ones that weren’t living in the Canal Zone. Canal Zone people always thought they were IT. Cream of the crop. But the difference is, in Colon, the Zonians in Colon, yes they had one or two of them that could have acted like that, but they Zonians in Colon acted completely different than the Zonians in Panama. 

Until today, especially if they come from Parrisssssó. Everyone . No. they did not say Paraíso. Parissssssssó. Everyone comes from Parissssssó. They think that they are something special. That is why they have the bunch of class reunions and things. I don’t go to it.  I went to a couple of them because my brother in law is from Parissssssó. So like one day at the class reunion, you go to patronize him because he sell tickets and whatnot. But I don’t like to go to their stuff. I don’t like to be around them! I don’t like to be--- even though I have a lot of friends that are from the Canal Zone, but when they all get together, it is like you are an outcast. You are an outsider. You are not a Zonian. You are not from Parisssssó especially.

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(N was born and raised in Panama City)

N: The West Indian community that exists in Panama I believe is losing a lot of the community practices. And those who have tried a little to do something and mantain this spirit is SAMAAP (the society of friends of the afro-Antillean museum of Panama).  But that group is a little closed. Because SAMAAP (long pause) there are a lot of  (long pause) ex-Zonians that have another (laughing), that lived in another world.  That lived in un apartheid (laughing).  They had their own apartheid there. and I feel that really they never understood what it was to live here in Panama. And some that live in Panama still have their Zonian mentality...

Original text: [La comunidad antillana que existe en Panamá creo que ya se han perdido mucho de la práctica de lo que es la comunidad. Y lo que han tratado un poquito de hacer algo y como que mantener ese espíritu es SAMAAP. Pero también es un poco cerrado. Porque SAMAAP (long pause) hay muchos (long pause) exZonians que tienen otro… (laughing).. que vivieron en otro mundo. Que vivieron en un apartheid. (laughing) Ellos tenían su propio apartheid alli.  Y yo siento que realmente ellos nunca entendieron lo que era vivir acá en Panamá. Y algunos que viven en Panamá, todavía tienen su mentalidad lo que era la Zona, y la Zona del Canal...]