Barbados will commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal with several activities this year.

This was recently disclosed by Deputy Permanent Secretary (Ag) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, David Bulbulia, during an address, delivered on behalf of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean.

The Ministry is coordinating a programme that will include the issuing of a Commemorative Stamp; an exhibition, educational tour, book launch and lecture series, all coordinated by the Barbados Museum and Historical Society.
Barbadians will also be taking part in the Great West Indian Fair in Panama and this country will be seeking to bring to conclusion, an Air Services Agreement with Panama.

Efforts will also be made to facilitate the tracing of the ancestry of Barbadians who migrated to Panama by the Archives Department and the Ministry is planning a series of initiatives to include the youth and schools via the involvement of the Ministry of Education.

The Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary delivered the remarks on Saturday January 18, during ???Echoes of the Caribbean,??? an event which was sponsored in part by the Ministry, as part of the Naniki Caribbean Jazz Safari.
This jazz event was made all the more special given the performance of two talented Panamanians of Barbadian descent, Reginald Boyce and Idania Dowman.

August 15, 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal, a milestone which is of importance to Barbados as approximately 50,000 Barbadians migrated to Panama to work on the Canal, with the resulting remittances being used to assist many families. This also contributed to the emergence of a Barbadian middle class society.

An added bonus for participants in the Barbados ??? Panama programme is the third biennial Barbados Network Consultation (also referred to as the Diaspora Conference) 2014 to be held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre from August 3 to 8 and which coincides with the Panama Canal Centenary celebrations.

It is expected that the third Diaspora Conference will see some 350 Barbadians from throughout the Americas, Europe and the Caribbean, including Panama, participating in a range of seminars, workshops and cultural events.

webbgis@barbados.gov.bb

Author: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade

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