A glimpse inside a converted old
public building in the neighborhood
by Eric Jackson
There are times when “fly on the wall” reporting can be inappropriate, and events where doing photojournalism as such can be downright unethical.
With caveats in mind, my camera in my bag as always I walked down to what used to be the old corregiduria in Juan Díaz de Antón, abandoned as such for several years but now with its opening event a community health fair.
Along the way a couple of friendly dogs in the community joined and followed me.
Upon taking notice of how the people running the show were behaving, I relaxed a few inhibitions.
It was a first public event at what has been converted into an outpost of the Specialized University of the Americas (UDELAS). Proper introductions were not made, and I was not asking questions. To make things worse, the battery on my hearing aid had run out. Mr. Know-it-all this reporter is not. Chalk him up more as a curious neighbor attending a health fair than as a sly investigative reporter.
Ordinarily this son and grandson of nurses and son of a mad doctor would hesitate to break out the camera. Taking pictures of people at a health event can get into a terrible invasion of personal medical privacy. Depending on the social status of those pictured, Panama’s corporate mainstream media tend to be unconcerned about such matters, plus the people running the event were taking pictures themselves. So I did take a few photos, taking care not to catch any person in an identifiable way.
Do I want to get into a critique of the organization, the personnel, the services offered or the conditions in the building? I could bring various snippets of knowledge acquired formally and informally over a lifetime to bear, but it would be rude and pretentious. This was a shakedown event at a facility that promises to improve the quality of life in El Bajito.
It was also a first step into the neighborhood by a troubled organization. A pending court case and these political patronage politics as the university could make some of all of the people working at the event jobless in short order. (Not that I know more than what the dailies have reported and friends of mine in the government who will admit that they’re only guessing have predicted.) If the UDELAS folks want to know my critiques or suggestions, they can contact me.
Special ed on a Montessori model for kids with learning disabilities and some attention to the needs of old buzzards like this Panagringo septuagenarian? Sound OK to me. We shall see. Better than an empty and decaying public building.
Contact us by email at thepanamanews@gmail.com
To fend off hackers, organized trolls and other online vandalism, our website comments feature is switched off. Instead, come to our Facebook page to join in the discussion.
These links are interactive — click on the boxes
>
