Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Much of the famous Panamanian tolerance begins in the family, which is the corner-
stone of Panamanian society, and plays a role in nearly every aspect of a person's life.
Whether among Kuna sisters or Panama City's elite, everyone looks after each other. Fa-
vors are graciously accepted, promptly returned and never forgotten.
This mutual concern extends from the family into the community, and at times the
whole country can seem like one giant extended community. In the political arena, the
same names appear time and again as nepotism is the norm rather than the exception.
Unfortunately, this goes hand-in-hand with Panama's most persistent problem: corrup-
tion.
Panamanians view their leaders' fiscal and moral transgressions with disgust, and are
far from being in the dark about issues. Yet they accept things with patience and an al-
most fatalistic attitude. Outsiders sometimes view this as a kind of passivity, but it's all
just another aspect of the complicated Panamanian psyche.
Lifestyle
In spite of the skyscrapers and gleaming restaurants lining the wealthier districts of
Panama City, a third of the country's population lives in poverty. Furthermore, almost
750,000 Panamanians live in extreme conditions, struggling just to satisfy their basic di-
etary needs and living on less than a dollar a day. Those hardest hit by poverty tend to be
in the least populated provinces: Darién, Bocas del Toro, Veraguas, Los Santos and
Colón. There is also a substantial number of poor people living in the slums of Panama
City, where an estimated 20% of the urban population lives. Countrywide, 9% of the
population lives in
barriados
(squatter settlements).
In the Emberá and Wounaan villages of the Darién, traditional living patterns persist
much as they have for hundreds of years. The communities are typically made up of 30
to 40
bohíos
(thatched-roof, stilted, open-sided dwellings), and they survive on subsisten-
ce agriculture, hunting, fishing and pastoralism. However, life can be extremely difficult
in these frontier villages - the life expectancy is about 10 years below the national aver-
age and the majority of the Emberá and Wounaan communities lack access to clean water
and basic sanitation.
For the
campesinos
(farmers), life is also hard. A subsistence farmer in the interior
might earn as little as US$10 per day, far below the national average of US$12,770 per
capita. The dwelling might consist of a simple cinder block building, with a roof and four
walls and perhaps a porch. Families have few possessions and every member assists with
working the land or contributing to the household.
The middle and upper classes largely reside in Panama City environs, enjoying a level
of comfort similar to their economic brethren in Europe and the USA. They live in large
