University of Panama Professor, Ileana Solís Palma has spent a lifetime dedicated to using theater as tool for empowerment, voice, preservation, and activism. For decades, she worked to create collaborative community theater projects throughout the country. In 1994, she witnessed Celedonio Molinar dance as Major Devil during carnival in Portobelo and became enchanted. With the help of friend, Portobelo resident, and photographer Sandra Eleta, she asked if she might learn the dance. Molinar agreed to train her. She remains one of a select few women to ever have performed the devil role in Portobelo.

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Interview Details

Interviewee: Ileana Solís Palma
Interviewer: Renee Alexander Craft
Secondary Interviewer: Oronike Odeleye
Date of Interview: July 2013
Location of Interview: Interviewee’s home in Panama City, Panama
Interview Transcribed By: Gustavo Esquina
English Translation By: Oronike Odeleye
Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/digitalportobelo/iliana-2013
Download the Transcript: English Transcript | Spanish Transcript