Panamanian town reckons with dark history of colonialism in Festival of Devils and Congos
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PORTOBELO, Panama (AP) — Red bathed the small Panamanian town of Portobelo on Saturday in a celebration meant to represent a fight between good and evil, and the resistance of slaves and Spanish colonizers.
Every year, hundreds in the town, which sits wedged between the Caribbean Sea and the region’s tropical jungles, take to the streets for the Festival of Devils and Congos. The festival uses dramatic imagery and bright colors characteristic of Caribbean celebrations to capture the historic struggle between slaves during the time of colonization.
Marchers dress with intricate red and black masks, which merges imagery of the devil and Spanish colonizers. Slaves are dressed in color and, protected by angles dressed in white, chase the devils as they dance, eventually converting their oppressors to good.
It’s the culture of memory, the devil representing the culture of the oppressor, or in this case, the white man during times of slavery toward the Blacks, known as Congos, said 34-year-old Eduardo Guadalupe. He said he celebrated in a large black mask, with what appeared to be red and black dotted flames flaring out of the top and the sides.
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Associated Press reporter Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.