by Larnies Bowen
Welcome to what will be the cyber home of my Fulbright-mtvU project, “An Exploration of Afro-Panamanian Identity, Culture, and Collective Experience through Spanish Reggae Music.” Over the course of my ten-month stay in Panama, I will employ a multifaceted approach involving archival research, music analysis, and ethnographic fieldwork to research the history, people, and culture that embody the Spanish Reggae movement in Panama.
In addition to your typical research in libraries, I will be out in the community attending concerts, parties, and other social functions in the hopes of building relationships with reggaeseros (Spanish Reggae musicians) and other Afro-Panamanians. I will present and interpret their words and music in the hopes of providing an entryway into their world for people outside of their community and culture. I look forward to forging relationships with people who are seemingly very different from myself and (as my Rasta “breddren” would say) overstanding these differences so that interviewees feel comfortable sharing details about themselves and their lives.
I will wrap up the academic year by producing an audiovisual history of Spanish Reggae music for use in Panamanian schools and community organizations. Featuring audio clips, short videos, songs, and photos obtained from my fieldwork, the DVD will provide a platform for Afro-Panamanians to explain the development and significance of Spanish Reggae music for their culture, community, and nation in their own words and riddims.
Here on this blog you can expect to find regularly updated posts containing analysis and commentary on Spanish Reggae music conveyed through various media. I also plan to weave the broader issues/themes relating to my project into a personal narrative of my experiences as a young Jamaican-American woman living and studying in Panama.
Finally, I would like this blog to facilitate meaningful and open dialogue between you, dear reader and myself. I am very much interested in receiving your questions, opinions, requests and other feedback. Thank you for your interest in my research!
Click here to email Larnies with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
