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Pedasi Panama is a real world, real time example of the dichotomy of the clashing worlds of today. There is no question that progress is upon the sleepy little town, but a few of those heading the development charge represent a new breed of thought leading pioneers who uphold an entirely different paradigm in regard to development. There is a harmonious synergy between the old and new world in Pedasi.
Until three years ago Pedasi was a sleepy farming and fishing community on the tip of the Azuero Peninsula in Panama. Daily life consisted of leaving for work at sunrise to tend the cows or to fish and to return home at sunset for dinner and a quiet night with family playing music on the porch. Family values, the farm, and the animals were at the center of daily activities and were, what concerned the town's people most.
There was an immense sense of community and neighbors often helped each
other with the rounding up of cattle, the mending of fences, and the
preparing of food. Life was incredibly slow. It was a rarity to see
more than five or six cars pass through town on any given day. The
topic of conversation ranged from the well being of any one
individual's cattle, to the fisherman who had made the largest catch of
the day. Over the course of the past three years the amount of FDI
being introduced to the small community has grown exponentially and
things have really begun to change.
As a gringo I indulged in the narcissism and the romanticism of wanting
the community to remain as it was. At the same time, as an avid
entrepreneur, and a student of business I am the last to object to, and
or deny the positive attributes of progress made in the name of
Capitalism. I can appreciate the double bottom line, and acknowledge,
for the local population the rapid transition brought on by the
introduction of a capitalistic based business environment as opposed to
agrarian represents the potential of a better life for these people and
their families. The key to the equation is the transition.
The larger developers taking the lead in the region, at least in their rhetoric, expound the importance of open community planning and the necessity of safeguarding the local culture. The first major development, Azueors is a prime example. While Azueors, is seemingly very inclusive, and distant from all that is Pedasi, it is in fact just the opposite. It exemplifies how the development in the area is effectively fusing with the old world traditions. Azueros, and Villa Camilla have been built from the ground up, and are staffed by locals.
While they may not be able to afford the prices of a nightly stay or a beachfront villa, they are being trained, and thus being aided in making the inevitable transition that is upon them. To leave the local population behind to farm and fish with no training or education would be an injustice. The influx of tourism and investment is a waking reality and instead of importing cheaper labor forces from abroad, the developers at work in Pedasi are basing their success around the preservation of Pedasi in its current state. Central to this concept is keeping the locals where they are and ensuring they are armed to weather the change they face.
Jesse Levin is our Pedasi expert, and believes that of all places in Panama alongside of Casco Viejo (Panama City's old quarter), Pedasi has the best chance of retaining its authenticity and magic.
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