Annotations for Communities: Panamanians

Singer, songwriter, Hollywood actor, Harvard Law School graduate. These are just a few of the personas of Panamanian-born Ruben Blades. A Renaissance man, if there ever was one. Blades and his group, Seis del Solar, have just completed what may be their last tour for a good while because Blades is looking to begin a new career. As he told reporters in San Antonio recently, he'll be returning to his native Panama to head up a new political party.

The group is already together. It's called Papa Egoró, which means 'Mother Land' in the Emberá language. I wanted to use an indigenous, a palliative to the movement, so we don't end up calling ourselves one of those slogan-ish pamphlet-sounding, demagogic-sounding names of party for the democracy of the people, and then they turn out to be anything but.

Blades' new party was recognized earlier this year by Panama's National Electoral Tribunal. Still, Blades says he is not currently a candidate for president, but that his move into politics will give the Panamanian people an option.

It's the first time you have a political party that has been created because the people are sick and tired of being abused by left and by right. So we have now a scenario here where we may create the kind of infrastructure that really addresses the issues of the nation and not the issues of special interest groups, and I'm very hopeful about that.

Blades says that given the breakdown of Panama's economy and infrastructure, it's going to take honesty, organization and a lot of education to turn things around for the country. When asked whether he'd like to see US troops leave Panama, Blades replies that he wants his native land to take care of itself. As to charges that his campaign is one of demagoguery that is far removed from the lives of everyday Panamanians, Blades said this:

The scenario in Panama will be determined by the Panamanian people, by its will and its desire to carry out a specific position. And if you try to become a Messiah, and if you try to become a demagogue, you're going to end up with pie all over your face because people are going to determine whether what you're spouting or defending is going to work or not. What good is it for you to say, "Oh, do this," and then have 60, 70% of the country say, "That's not what we're going to do." Well then, what do you do? What do you do?

And finally, Blades says, for him, there is no contradiction between his career as an artist and musician and a future as a politician.

I don't find that there is a scenario of antinomy or any kind of contradiction. On the contrary, I think that the fact that I was involved in the arts is giving me the kind of credibility amongst the majority of Panamanians who are sick and tired of business as usual in politics.