Heraldo Eucebio De Hoyos, Abdiel Valdez, and Eric Blanquicet discuss their favorite Barrio Fino memory or activity. All talk about the magic of their first public performance. In responding, Heraldo gives the spectrum of Portobelo personalities active with the group to illustrate how thoroughly it represents a broad spectrum of Portobelo culture and embodies the spirit of the community.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta discusses her earliest encounters with Portobelo and how the generous acts of a man from the French Antilles named Dorcy caused her to settle and work in Portobelo.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta discusses her experiences entering Portobelo as an outsider and the ways in which the children of the town served as a bridge to integrate her into the community.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta shares her first impressions of the Congo tradition of Portobelo and how she became exposed to it through a Congo practitioner named Longaniza and his daughter Paloma.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta discusses the founding of a recent cultural innovation, “El Festival de los Diablos y Congos.”
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta discusses the founding and operation of Taller Portobelo Women’s Cooperative, a textile-arts workshop for local women.
In this brief excerpt, Sandra Eleta talks about Arturo Lindsay and the founding of Taller Portobelo as a workshop for the Congo artists.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta discusses the founding of El Festival de las Polleras Congas and its entry onto the cultural landscape in Portobelo.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta discusses the development of La Casa de la Cultura Congo and her hopes that it will serve as a cultural repository.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta shares memories of the first children and community members she chose to photograph.